Please join us in the Institute of Education bar (entrance opposite SOAS) to plan the next stages in Guy’s plan and for an update on the legal situation.
Many thanks
Archive for March, 2008
Meeting Monday 31st March@ 7pm
Posted by kirrily on March 30, 2008
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Declaration by the Presidency on behalf of the European Union on the situation in Cameroon
Posted by kirrily on March 30, 2008
The European Union is watching closely the discussion concerning the revision of the Constitution, while noting that any changes to the Constitution have to be decided by the people and the institutions of Cameroon.
The European Union recalls that the Constitution adopted in 1996 was the outcome of political dialogue and the democratic expression of the will of the people. It emphasises the importance of the proposals for constitutional revision being subjected to a broad, free and open debate that involves all elements of Cameroonian society.
In this context, the European Union remains convinced that the possibility of a changeover of power, the freedom of the press and the guaranteeing of public freedoms are fundamental to the consolidation of democracy, and draws attention to the urgent need to improve the electoral system and the standard of voter turnout, these being guarantors of the stability that the country needs.
The European Union condemns the violence that occurred at the end of February and the attempts at ethnic manipulation that followed. It reiterates its support for Cameroon’s economic and social development, with a particular orientation towards the weakest and most disadvantaged sections of the population.
Rue de la Loi 175 B – 1048 BRUSSELS Tel.: +32 (0)2 281 6319 Fax: +32 (0)2 281 8026
P/08/40
Brussels, 27 March 2008
7832/1/08 REV 1 (Presse 84)
(OR. fr)
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Asylum system ’shameful for UK’
Posted by kirrily on March 27, 2008
The UK’s treatment of asylum seekers falls “seriously below” the standards of a civilised society, a report says.
The Independent Asylum Commission, led by an ex-senior judge, said the system denied sanctuary to some in need and failed to remove others who should go.
It said the treatment of some asylum seekers was a shameful blemish on the UK’s international reputation.
But the Border and Immigration Agency has rejected the report, claiming it operates a “firm but humane” system.
The Commission spent a year researching the report and spoke to former home secretaries, policy makers and asylum seekers.
| We are a country with a basic instinct of fair play - the system denies fair play to asylum seekers not out of malice but because of a lack of resources Sir John Waite, co-chairman of the Independent Asylum Commission |
It was established in the wake of calls from community organisations and charities for an authoritative examination of asylum after former Home Secretary John Reid branded the immigration system “not fit for purpose”.
Sir John Waite, co-chairman of the commission and a former Appeal Court judge, said this particular issue was a “blemish” on the UK’s reputation.
The report praised immigration officials for recent reforms to how they manage asylum applications - but it warned that a “culture of disbelief” was leading to “perverse and unjust decisions”.
The commissioners said policymakers were at times using “indefensible” threats of destitution to try to force some asylum seekers to leave the UK.
‘Poor understanding’
Another commission member, Lord Ramsbotham, a former chief inspector of prisons, told the BBC that officials considering asylum claims often had a poor understanding of an individual’s circumstances.
“We are concerned at the level of the treatment of children, the treatment of women, the treatment of those with health needs, particularly mental health needs, torture survivors.”
But he acknowledged: “The system is improving all the time, and we commend the strenuous efforts by Border and Immigration Agency to deal with these claims more effectively.”
|
ASYLUM STORIES
If claiming asylum is not a crime, why do we have these invisible bars around us all the time? |
“We are a country with a basic instinct of fair play - it’s rooted deeply in our national character,” Sir John told the BBC.
“The system denies fair play to asylum seekers not out of malice but because of a lack of resources.”
The head of the Border and Immigration Agency, Lin Homer, said: “I totally refute any suggestion that we treat asylum applicants without care and compassion.
“We have a proud tradition in Britain of offering sanctuary to those who truly need our protection.
“We operate a firm but humane system, supporting those who are vulnerable with accommodation and assistance.
“But we expect those that a court says have no genuine need for asylum to return home voluntarily, saving taxpayers the expense of enforcing their return.
“We will enforce the removal of those who refuse to comply, always ensuring first that it is safe to do so.”
‘Uncivilised’
Sir John said the commissioners were concerned over the detention of asylum seekers, including children and the “hopelessly confused” public perception of asylum and its place in the immigration system.
The hearings had also come across torture victims and pregnant women being fast-tracked through the system, despite official guidelines saying this should not happen.
Overall, the treatment of asylum seekers fell “seriously below the standards to be expected of a humane and civilised society,” said the report.
Figures show there were 23,430 asylum applications in 2007 - the lowest for 14 years - and a quarter of the record set in 2002.
The Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesman, Chris Huhne described Britain’s asylum system as “broken.”
“The asylum process combines incredible complexity with systemic incompetence and is not fit for purpose.”
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Great news: Application for judicial review successful
Posted by sarafromcaat on March 20, 2008
GREAT NEWS ! We’ve heard today that Guys’ application for a judicial review of his case has been granted. This means that Guys’ case will now be heard in court.
While this is going on he can’t be deported. This is really, really great news for now.
But it is absolutely crucial that we continue to keep up the pressure.
Please click here to write to the Home Secretary on Guys behalf.
If you have not yet written to your MP please do so. If you have not heard back from them please write again. Here’s a sample letter. It really has an impact if you try and see your MP in person to talk about Guys case and the wider policy issues. If you would like to do that but are a bit unsure about what to say - please contact us: stopdeportationofguy@googlemail.com
We’re happy to help !
Enjoy the good news for now and have a HAPPY EASTER everyone !
Please bear with Guy and us and this campaign !
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From GERMANY with love
Posted by sarafromcaat on March 20, 2008
A supporter of Guy from Germany has sent us this picture today:
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Mass lone demo protestor for Guy
Posted by sarafromcaat on March 20, 2008
A protestor at yesterdays’ mass lone demo calls on the Home Secretary to Stop the Deportation of Guy:
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MP Lynne Featherstone speaks out for Guy in public
Posted by sarafromcaat on March 18, 2008
MP Lynne Featherstone has written about Guy’s case in public and has said that she is happy to join the campaign on behalf of her constituents.
Read Lynne’s article on Guy Njike here
If you have not yet written to your MP about Guy please do so. If possible try and go and see them in their surgery. Here’s a sample letter.
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How long can Cameroon’s Biya rule?
Posted by kirrily on March 17, 2008
By Patrick Smith
Editor, Africa Confidential
Having ruled for 25 years, President Paul Biya wants to go on ruling until 2018, when he will be 85.
The constitution decrees that he cannot stand for a further seven-year term in the 2011 elections.
Although there are dissenters in the ruling party, President Biya would not have much trouble persuading his parliament to pass the necessary constitutional amendment, since he controls it through his iron grip on the Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement (RDPC).
Some observers fear that Cameroon might replicate the troubles of Ivory Coast and Kenya.
The violence in its larger towns late last month was the worst for 15 years.
The rioters were ostensibly protesting against fuel price rises but a slight reduction in prices after two days of strikes did not calm things down and the protests became overtly political.
Mboua Massock (”father of the ghost towns”), who helped to organise nationwide anti-government protests in the early 1990s, had led previous demonstrations against the proposed constitutional changes. He was promptly arrested.
| Cameroon is a volcano waiting to erupt Ruling party supporter Charles Ateba |
The weak, but sometimes noisy official opposition, led by the Anglophone John Fru Ndi of the Social Democratic Front (SDF), is united in its opposition to any constitutional change. So too are most of Cameroon’s numerous civil society organisations.
After some looting and destruction, the police and later the army responded in the way they know best, by shooting down demonstrators: 20 were killed during a week of protests. This is how Mr Biya and his government have reacted to public protest for 20 years.
When protests against the constitutional change started, the Governor of Littoral Province, Fai Yengo Francis, banned all demonstrations in Douala, the economic capital.
The protesters responded by erecting barricades, destroying government property and looting.
As during the anti-government strikes of the early 1990s, Gilbert Tsimi Evouna, Government Delegate to the Yaounde Urban Council, put into circulation 20 taxis to cripple the core of the protest, the taxi-drivers’ strike.
Information control
The regime vigorously blocked public information.
Communications Minister Jean-Pierre Biyiti Bi Essam sent soldiers to close down two private radio and television stations, Equinoxe in Douala and Magic FM in Yaounde.
He claimed that neither had paid the 100 million CFA francs ($200,000) required for an operating licence.
Equinoxe Editor-in-Chief Charles Akoh said the stations had been shut for being too critical of the government crackdown on peaceful demonstrators; the minister summoned newspaper editors and threatened to close them down, too, if they went on criticising the government.
On state radio and television at the height of the crisis, Mr Biya accused the opposition of trying “to obtain through violence what they were unable to obtain through the ballot box’” and threatened “legal action” against anyone fomenting trouble.
Mr Fru Ndi denied any involvement in organising the demonstrations but said he supported the protests against the “illegal increase in fuel prices”.
Transport union officials called the demonstrations but failed to control their consequences.
Many demonstrators acknowledged that the strike had given them an opportunity to vent their anger about other grievances.
Successor?
The presidential succession is particularly problematic, because Mr Biya is not grooming a successor.
After a failed coup d’état in 1984, Bello Bouba Maigari, then prime minister and probable presidential successor, was fired and the post scrapped.
From the Northern Province, Bello Bouba was accused of supporting former President Ahmadou Ahidjo (another northerner), who was in turn accused of staging the coup.
Mr Bouba fled to neighbouring Nigeria but came back and is now Minister for Posts and Telecommunications. Critics are rare and soon silenced.
Titus Edzoa, who had been secretary general at the Presidency and a presidential confidant, resigned as health minister in 1997 to stand in the presidential election, was promptly arrested and is serving 15 years in jail for embezzling state funds.
Ayissi Mvondo, who aimed to run against Mr Biya, died under mysterious circumstances. Celestin Monga, an economist, challenged the president’s failing economic policies, was promptly put on trial, escaped with a suspended sentence and now lives abroad.
Mila Assoute also challenged Mr Biya and now lives in France.
Opposition leaders are called unpatriotic if they criticise the president.
Last month, President Biya accused them of manipulating youths to destroy property and called them “demons”.
Standing for election against Mr Biya is not a rational move, since local and foreign observers consistently describe his elections as “flawed”.
Charles Ateba, a supporter of the ruling party who opposes any constitutional amendment to make Mr Biya president for life, describes Cameroon as “a volcano waiting to erupt”.
Adamou Ndam Njoya, leader of the opposition Democratic Union of Cameroon, believes the country is on the brink of civil strife.
Political pundit (and former SDF Secretary General) Tazoacha Asonganyi sees similarities between the violence that followed elections in Kenya and events in Cameroon. Yet there are big differences.
Mr Biya has held power far longer and has entrenched it far deeper than Kenya’s Mwai Kibaki, who was originally democratically elected.
Cameroon has no powerful opposition leader (ethnically based or otherwise) such as Raila Odinga. Yet many of the ingredients for an eventual explosion are in place.
A full version of this article appears in Africa Confidential , a fortnightly bulletin on African affairs.
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Meeting in London, TODAY @ 7 pm and NCADC seminar
Posted by sarafromcaat on March 17, 2008
Just a quick reminder that we are meeting tonight at 7 pm at the Institute of Education Bar to discuss the next steps of the campaign.
EVERYONE WELCOME !
Yesterday Guy and I attented a seminar by the National Coalition of Anti-Deportation campaigns hosted by the SOAS Detainee support group. It was very interesting. I learned a lot and took a great deal of encouragement from the seminar: Anti-deportation campaigns can be successful. All of us just need to stay committed and keep up the great work.
It was also good to meet so many nice people who are in the exact same position either as Guy or as me. Emma from NCADC really led a good seminar. Well done, Emma - and thanks for your advice !
After the seminar Guy and me went past our old college and remembered the good old days:
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Support from MP Lynne Featherstone
Posted by sarafromcaat on March 14, 2008
Kirrily and me went to see Lynne Featherstone (Lib Dem), MP for Hornsey and Wood Green in her constituents surgery today. She had already written to us expressing her concern saying that “the Home Office’s Immigration and Nationality Directorate has failed to provide a service which is efficient, effective, timely and fair for all. I agree with you that it is absolutely vital that asylum seekers are not made to feel that they should not integrate into British society.”
Lynne listened very carefully to what we had to say and was interested in hearing the details of Guys case. She shares our concerns about the wider policy issues this case raises. It was great that she took so much time to talk to us. She is very supportive and will approach the Home Office on this matter. We will keep in close contact with her and keep her informed on what she can do to raise these issues in the future.
Afterwards Kirrily and me went for coffee and recorded our own message to the Home Secretary:
We’d also like to use this opportunity to express our deepest thanks to Guys MP Jeremy Corbyn, who has been incredibly supportive. He and his team have been working tirelessly on behalf of Guy and continue to do so. Thank you so much for your support ! It is absolutely vital for Guy and us.
And thanks a lot to all the other MPs who have expressed their concern on this issue.
If you have not yet written to your MP on behalf of Guy please do so as soon as possible - or if you have not heard back yet - please write again. Here’s a sample letter.
If you go and see your MP in their surgery - if possible take a picture and e-mail us how it went: stopdeportationofguy@googolemail.com
Thanks so much for everyone’s support. We really need each and every one of you !
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