sel 3WB Susan Moore Thursday July 25, West Midlands police SHU Immigration officials in riot gear stormed the Gnausia Jamia mosque in Lyc, near Stourbridge. They smashed ing ram and arrested two Aighani refugees Farid and in the couple's daughter Hadia, six, and son Seera, at the time. Campaigners cials were able obtain an immediate deportation of the family that evening Asian youth who were hold them. angry at the desecration of the hours that followed to protest peacefully were disDespite this intimidation, several other local protests took place in tnc days and weeks that followed in support of the family Mr Ahmadi, 33, mechanic, and his 24-ycaris a nurse, fled Afghanistan asylum. in 2000. hey were perse cuted and tortured because Mr Ahmadi is the son of an prominent opponent of the Taliban They lied to Germany and Where spent seven months in asy lum camps, where they faced Ms Ahmadi suffered two breakdowns and was twice admitted to hospital.
After the raid, A while Farid and Feriba were taken •Harmondsworth detention near Heathrow the children remained werc cared for by friends until August y On that Friday they came said.
Mrs showed upported by friends. The Ahmadis: send donations for the Lawyers campaign to CDAS BM Box 4289 London W1X 3XX their narents, and were then taken by Immigration offiand detained themselves. Despite legal chal- T lenges, the following day a upheld right of the Home Office to As Elaine Heffernan of the humanitarian Campaign to Defend Asylum argued "This legalised child abuse - that is what it is called when you take children from a place of safety and place them interror. The whole thing is basimunity. government in an attempt to convince the British people that they are in control of In Wednesday 14 August the fam- tre on arriving in ily taken from a refugee camp. Harmondsworth and flown Germany, applied for refugee status in a the specially-chartered jet at a cost to une taxpayer or an Though esticated £30,000.
Pierre Makhlouf had lodged an return to appeal for a judicial review before the removal, when the Home Office failed to conFeriba before making its final decision.
The point of me action at picasca Dy toc runng. that time was to "oblige the home secretary to consider said. yet considered" Makhlouf ane report conccraca was the first to expert diagnosis still want to be in England Ahmad which with my friends and family. I pyschological my college, damage she would suffer by being returned to Germany due to start back at school and that her only hope of We're all very, very worried." recovery was to remain ary Following the deportation the family finally suceeded in winning a judicial review hypocrisy of a government for the Ahmadi Afghan women as a pretext family were able to show that for its warmongering in their August 13 contained inaccu- with extreme brutality when rate information about what they seck asylum here. their immigration status and The rights of residence would be priorities seem to be to create chaos abroad and to he Home Office itself from the fallout claimed that the home. granted residency cinema, it wants to close all grounds. Those who perish inside get stated that the family would sympathy; those, like Feriba, centre and that they would scapegoated".
"settled rights" includ- While every social and welfare system ror stories • of the despera. and be housed in the com- tion which leads people to Howerer, Nick Blake QC place but also of the racism representing the family, told and inhumanity of the asy. the high court that this was lum system here, this case is not the case. The Ahmadis particularly outragcous.
were pur in a reccowon con- T Munich last weck and then moved to The status they had been Germany did not to be alert that similar things entitle them to full access to are not happening in other country's welfare and cases. medical system. he said. It is clear that the govern.
the right mentis determined to step review was granted, the fam. up the removals - at ily have not been allowed to ever cost to human dignity Britain in the and justice. Home Office Speaking to The Guardian Beverley Hughes, who was from Landsberg camp, near responsible for Munich. Mrs Ahmadi said she was anxious about the The Ahmadis family's future despite being allowed to return ad. e e lave been" sid nite leave to remain. Most told important of all, have been to happen to us or where must strengten our resolve to work until no one is illegal.
"How long can I wait? 1 vauce the chua Outlook AME
1 coming on the A
to Harmondsworth to visit Coa Refugees welcome "MITTEE CDAS
Asylum campaigns NCRM.