Save Maurice Ombaku    

Another big thank you for your support. I'm very relieved to say that, once again, Maurice's deportation did not go ahead and he is back at Brook House. His case is now awaiting judicial review, in about two weeks' time.

Thanks again, and I will keep you updated of further developments.

William  (Friday 19th November)

 (1st removal stayed, moved to Brook House IRC, Thursday 11th November 2010))

Maurice Ombaku a 34-year-old Congolese national (DRC) is currently detained at Harmondsworth IRC. He is due to be forcibly removed from the UK, on Thursday 18th November @ 19:00 hrs on Kenya Airways flight KQ101 from London Heathrow to Nairobi for onward transport to DR Congo.

Maurice fled to the UK after realizing his life was no longer safe in the DRC. His safety is at severe risk, should he be removed.

Please take action immediately to help Maurice - this case is extremely urgent.

About Maurice

Maurice has been a low level member of the opposition party MLC (Movement for the Liberation of Congo) since 2003, and has been engaged in low level political activism for the party since January of this year, rallying support in preparation for the 2011 elections. Since June of this year, armed men from the government have been coming to his house in Kinshasa, threatening to kill him. After evading them a number of times, he realised that he was no longer safe in the DRC, and fled to the UK via South Africa with a false passport. He did this not knowing a word of English, and in the belief that he would know no one in the country (it subsequently turned out that a cousin of his lives here).

His case has been Fast Tracked, as the Home Office claims that the DRC is a safe country. He was first allotted a solicitor from Sheikh and Co., but the firm went bust; he was then allotted a solicitor from Duncan Lewis, who failed to look at the case until two days before the appeal hearing, and then dropped it - Duncan Lewis have a reputation for this sort of behaviour. It was impossible to find a new solicitor in such a short space of time, and a request for adjournment was rejected. Maurice was thus denied the right to legal representation, and as such his hearing was not fair. The case was dismissed out of hand as a fabrication. Since Maurice's right to legal representation was infringed, and since he lacks the understanding of the British legal system necessary to have represented himself, this decision is palpably unjust. 

Maurice now has a solicitor from Beeman's working on his case, who has put in a fresh application based on an MLC membership card which has arrived from the DRC. However, this may not be enough to stop the deportation.

Political violence against MLC members was well-documented in the run up to the last elections. There is no reason to expect this time will be any different. In addition, having fled once, Maurice's life will certainly be in yet more danger if he should be forced to return to the DRC.  Please act now to stop this unjust removal.

What you can do

1. Contact Theresa May, Home Secretary

Ask her to exercise her discretionary powers to stop the flight, to release Maurice from detention and to grant him protection in the UK. You can download template letter, Maurice_Ombaku_homesec_letter.doc or alternatively write your own one. Please remember to quote Maurice's Home Office Reference number in any correspondence: O1140834.

Rt. Hon Theresa May, MP
Secretary of State for the Home Office,
2 Marsham St
London SW1 4DF
Fax: 020 7035 4745

emails:
mayt@parliament.uk
Emails: Privateoffice.external@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk
UKBApublicenquiries@UKBA.gsi.gov.uk
"CIT - Treat Official" <CITTO@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk>

2. Contact Kenya Airways' Sam Okwulehie

Mr Sam Okwulehie
Kenya Airways
Bedfont Road
Staines
Middlesex, TW19 7NL

Fax: 020 8745 5027   
Phone: 020 8759 7366   
E-mail: contact@kenya-airways.com

You can download template letter , Maurice_Ombaku_KenyaAirways_letter.doc or alternatively write your own one.

Please let Maurice's support group know of any Emals/faxes sent:
William Wheeler <wahwheeler@googlemail.com>

End of Bulletin:

Source for this Message:
William Wheeler <wahwheeler@googlemail.com>