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18th September 2007
Jannatul Chowdhury,
Ishtiaque and Nazifa were picked up from their home again
this morning. Despite ongoing medical treatment for all the
family, the continuing negligence case, and Jannatul's scheduled
operation the Home Office has once trying to send them to
Yarl's Wood for later deportation.
Jannatul has been seen by the Mental Health Crisis team over
the last months and has ongoing treatment for her mental health
as well as waiting for an urgent operation. She has already
tried to harm herself this morning.
With what the family has already gone through, this is putting
them through the mill again. They tried to phone friends and
supporters this morning but were pervented from doing so by
the snatch squad.
Buy
the Refugee Cookbook and
Raise Money to help the Chowdhurys
and Asylum Link, Liverpool
Follow
this link for details
10-30hrs 4-4-07
NEWS FROM ASYLUM
LINK
Jannatul (Mrs Chowdhury)
arrived back in Liverpool last night. It is hoped that Jannatul,
Ishtiaque and Nazifa will have a bit of time to gather themselves
before getting stuck into more campaigning and building the
legal side of their case.
I think the family
are probably ready for visits from friends and supporters
but I would phone ahead and check first. The Children have
coped remarkably under the circumstances and although Jannatul
was overjoyed to be back last night, she ia absolutely shattered
and the walk from train to car was a slow one.
It's important to bear
in mind that all the torment and expense of the last week
(has it only been 7 days?) could have been avoided if the
Home Office had acted with the minimum of compassion and practicality.
This type of thing is replicated up and down the country every
day and unless we are here to make a fuss about it, it'll
be tucked away under the carpet and the public will go about
their daily lives none the wiser. All I want is for people
to begin to question the actions of the Government, who are
after all, acting on their behalf. We live in a democracy
and if people are happy with this sort of thing then it's
time I packed up and moved away. However I think that the
vast majority of people are completely unaware of the true
nature of the Asylum System and are shocked when they see
the effect it has on people like the Chowdhurys.
So.....................thank you all very much for the time,
effort and support everyone has given to making this happen.
There's a lot of hard work still to go but we wouldn't have
got to this stage without everyone pulling together and standing
up for what they believe in. All the best, Ewan.
+ + +
I've added some links
under Further Reading below that highlight the abuse and brutal
treatment that goes on in these detention centres, including
Yarls Wood where the Chowdhurys have just been held. - Edward
15-30hrs 3-4-07
NEWS FROM ASYLUM
LINK
Jannatul (Mrs Chowdhury) has been allowed to leave hospital
and is on her way back to Liverpool. The pain has lessened
a lot and although she has been given a lot of pain killers,
she thinks she'll be able to get back to Liverpool under her
own steam. Yarls Wood refused to help. The Home Office didn't
really know what to do as this sort of thing hasn't happened
to them before!! - The best they could offer was a lift back
in one of the vans which was taking someone to detention this
afternoon. So Jannatul could have ended up in the snatch van
that took her down in the first place.
I'm not sure what plans
are made for Jannatul's ongoing health treatment but her papers
say she has to report to Reliance House on the 20th April.
21-30hrs 2-4-07
Ishtiak and Nazifa arrived
back in Liverpool this evening after being released from the
detention centre. Mrs Chowdhury has also been released from
custody but is still in hospital in Bedford. It is now hoped
that Mrs Chowdhury will be transferred to Liverpool in order
to have her operation as planned.
This is by no means
the end, however. The family can be seized again at any time
and now we must fight for this family to be granted asylum
and to be allowed to stay in this country without the fear
of being taken away at any time hanging over them.
21-00hrs 1-4-07
NEWS FROM ASYLUM
LINK
Jannatul (Mrs Chowdhury) is still in Bedford hospital, Shuttleworth
ward, and is being observed. She is still in a lot of pain
but is stable. The kids got to see her this evening. Louise
Ellman has been at the immigration authorities and the Yarls
Wood overseers all day.
If Jannatul stays in tomorrow as seems likely, the kids will
have to leave Yarls Wood and either go into social services
care or stay with family and friends – I don’t
have to tell you which of those options is preferable. A family
who helped look after them when Nauchad (Mr Chowdhury) died
have agreed to take the kids in although there were no shortage
of offers.
At some point tomorrow if they are released into the care
of the family someone from Asylum Link will go down and pick
them up. There’s a vague possibility that Jannatul will
also come back to Liverpool depending on what the doctors
say.
On Monday it is all
hands to the pump to renew the fight to keep this family in
Liverpool
13-00hrs 1-4-07
It was announced on
BBC Radio Merseyside News that Louise Ellman MP confirmed
that Mrs Chowdhury would not now fly today due to her condition.
We must now gather our resources, regroup and be prepared
to fight for the Chowdhury family to be granted asylum and
stay in Liverpool.
THE NEXT 3 or
4 DAYS ARE CRUCIAL
Mrs
Chowdhury remains chronically ill in Bedford Hospital Surgical
Ward.
We now have to do all we can to make British Airways aware
that this family will be flown against their will and possibly
even drugged to disguise the seriousness of Mrs Chowdhury's
condition in order that she will be able to walk onto the
flight.
Contact British Airways
on the numbers shown at the bottom of this page or contact
the BA Medical Authorities -
Tel: 020 8738 5444
Fax: 020 8738 9644
Today
(31st March) we took about 100 people from local schools and
community groups and marched to the TUC anti-racism conference
in Liverpool. We were met with open arms by the delegates
who invited 20 of Ishtiaque's Classmates and teachers to take
the stage chanting "Chowdhury family - here to stay,
deportation - no way "
The students addressed the audience about their concerns then
handed out flyers and left to a standing ovation.
At
this time a family is being restrained and caged in Yarls
Wood Detention Centre. The Chowdhury family, from Liverpool,
were taken against their will in a surprise move by the Immigration
Authorities on Tuesday morning (27th March 2007) and briefly
held at Reliance House in Liverpool before being quickly moved
to Yarls Wood Detention Centre.
Mrs Chowdhury managed to make a brief telephone call today
(28th March 2007) to Ms Pat Towey, Deputy Head of Childwall
school, Liverpool, where the two children – Ishtiak
and Nazifa aged 13 have been attending. Before the telephone
call was cut off Ishtiak was heard screaming frantically for
help and shouting that he was being held in a cage –
he shouted that he was going to kill himself.
The Chowdhury family fled Bangladesh due to political persecution
and the kidnapping and threat to the lives of the two children,
Ishtiak and Nazifa. Mr Chowdhury died while in Liverpool and
was interred in Allerton Cemetery. Due to the breakdown in
the process of the application for asylum following Mr Chowdhury’s
death, the authorities used this hiatus to action the deportation
of the remainder his family. The brutal and unexpected seizure
of this family happened quickly and without warning.
While in Liverpool Mrs Chowdhury became involved in a great
deal of voluntary work with charities and local schools. Ishtiak
was studying for A levels at Childwall School, Liverpool,
where his sister Nazifa also attended in year 8. Ishtiak visited
his father’s grave every weekend.
Mrs Chowdhury suffers with a severe abdominal condition and
Nazifa was due to attend Liverpool’s Alder Hey Hospital
next week for important medical treatment. All medical treatment
and medication have been removed from this family.
Neighbours, friends and fellow pupils of the children are
shocked and distressed by the brutal way in which this quiet,
almost timid and law abiding family have been treated.
It is believed that the family will be deported on the British
Airways flight from Heathrow to Bangladesh on Sunday afternoon
(1st April 2007).
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