Greg Mulholland, Lib Dem MP for Leeds North West, today lambasted the government for deporting asylum seekers back to Zimbabwe and sent his public support (see note 5) to Zimbabweans ahead of their planned demonstration against deportation in Leeds tomorrow, Saturday 16 September. The protest starts outside at Leeds Central Library, Headrow at 12pm, and has the backing of the Refugee Council (Yorkshire and Humberside) and the campaign group, Leeds No Borders.

Greg Mulholland MP said:

“It is shocking and outrageous that Zimbabwean nationals in this country face being sent back to such a brutal regime, one with an appalling human rights record.

“Over the past few years supporters of the Mugabe regime have terrorised many families who oppose their regime, visiting terrible violence upon them and forcing many from their homes.”

The demonstration has been called following a legal ruling in August that means Zimbabweans in the UK now face the possibility of imminent deportation. Despite the UK government’s own very public condemnation of human rights abuses by the Mugagbe regime, the Asylum and Immigration Tribunal found that ‘refused’ asylum seekers no longer automatically face persecution if returned to Zimbabwe.

Greg Mulholland MP said:

“The recent ruling by the Home Office gives rise to the very real fear that those who will be persecuted and victimised when they return to Zimbabwe being forced to do so.

“There are a number of Zimbabwean asylum seekers here in Leeds who are fighting to stay in Britain and I am giving them my full support and representation. I will continue to do what I can, both locally, and in Parliament, to bring about a positive resolution for these people.”

Sakile Mtombeni, of the Zimbabwe Refugee Community Organisation, welcomed Mr Mulholland’s support:

“We welcome Mr Mulholland’s very public support for our cause and wish that other MPs would take a much clearer stand on the issue. Everyone knows that Mugabe’s dictatorship remains firmly anchored in place, so why aren’t more of our representatives speaking out? We seek the solidarity of the British public in order to rally the Blair government not to give up on our fight for justice and democracy in Zimbabwe.”

Tomorrow’s demonstration will hear from a number of speakers, including:

Sakile Mtombeni, Zimbabwe Refugee Community Organisation
Mafungasei Maikokera, former Zimbabwean hunger striker and Women's Co-ordinator of
Detained Zimbabwean Women at Yarl's Wood Removal Centre (see note 3)
John McDermott, Leeds Unison
Richard Byrne, Refugee Council (Yorkshire and Humber)

Members of the Zimbabwean community will be available for media interviews, including Zimbabweans at imminent threat of deportation such as Thando Dube (see note 4).

ends
1. For interviews and information, contact Sakile Mtombeni on 07869215481; to speak to Greg Mulholland MP, contact James Kerry Office of Greg Mulholland, MP Leeds North West , Tel: 020 7219 3833

2. An estimated 7,000 Zimbabwean refused asylum seekers are thought to be in the UK. In the first three months of this year, there were 755 new asylum applications from Zimbabwe.

3. Mafungasei Maikokera, 25, fears persecution if sent back to Zimbabwe. She arrived in the UK in 2002. After being detained for seven months, she went on hunger strike for 39 days. Her application for asylum has been rejected.

4.Thando Dube is known better in Zimbabwe as Thandolwenkosi Mpofu. Ms Mpofu fled Zimbabwe for South Africa in 1994 after being physically abused and persecuted by her parents and neighbours for being a lesbian. Three times she was detained in South Africa as an illegal immigrant, once for almost a year. Trying to escape harassment as a lesbian, she started a relationship with a man by whom she became pregnant. But he became violent when he found out that she was a lesbian and attacked her so viciously she still has a knee injury, which stops her walking properly. In 2003 Ms Mpofu left for the UK, leaving her child with friends. In 2004 she was able to contact her mother who is now caring for her son and has been able to provide documents proving her Zimbabwean nationality. The Home Office continued to dispute this, even after DNA tests proved her relationship to her Zimbabwean family, and as a result she was detained for 12 months at Yarl’s Wood detention centre. She was only released after a media probe.

5. Full statement of support by Greg Mullholland MP

Zimbabwean Statement of Support

I am writing to pledge my full support to the demonstration by the Zimbabwean community today (Saturday 16th September) in Leeds, calling for an end to the detention and deportation of unsuccessful Zimbabwean asylum seekers.

It is shocking and outrageous that Zimbabwean nationals in this country face being sent back to such a brutal regime, one with an appalling human rights record. Over the past few years supporters of the Mugabe regime have terrorised many families who oppose their regime, visiting terrible violence upon them and forcing many from their homes. Yet, the recent ruling by the Home Office gives rise to the very real fear that those who will be persecuted and victimised when they return to Zimbabwe being forced to do so.

No one should be forced to go to a place where they will face persecution and torture. The result of this ruling is that this has become an extremely alarming possibility.

There are a number of Zimbabwean asylum seekers here in Leeds who are fighting to stay in Britain and I am giving them my full support and representation. I will continue to do what I can, both locally, and in Parliament, to bring about a positive resolution for these people.

Signed


Greg Mulholland
Member of Parliament for Leeds North West

You lefties were all in support of Mugabe the Marxist when he took over Rhodesia. Now you're slagging his "workers' paradise".

What hypocrites!

I suppose that last troll comment was meant to be funny.

Hating one evil dictator, i.e., Smith, shouldn't mean we should love another, i.e., Mugabe".

Many people hoped Mugabe, in the forlorn hope he would be better than his predessor. That's why we supported him, much as, we celebrated when Tony Blair replaced years of Conservative misrule.

The poster who calls themself "Smith", is actually, a Nazi troll, who either supports the BNP, or the "now defunkt BPP".

Why, oh, why, do losers and lowlifes, who call themselves "British Nationalists" post on Indymedia?

Get back to Stormfront, you Hitler-loving tosspots!