This short article, about the trials of A Jewish Kyrgystani and her family
seeking asylum in the UK, appeared in the Birmingham POst recently. It is
short and descriptive but still a poignant reminder of how inhumane the
practice of maintaining Britain's boundaries is - and indeed how the
concept of migration controls is itself thoroughly objectionable.
Nick MEgoran
'Home Office lets asylum family walk free from detention centre'
Oct 2 2004
By Emily Andrews, Birmingham Post
A family who fled violence in their home country and were put in a
detention centre while Midland campaigners fought for their freedom have
been released.
Sonia Kaya, aged 32, and her two sons, Khnaize, aged 15, and 13-year-old
Josef, who were refused asylum in Britain last month, have been given an
extra six months to stay in the UK.
They fled their native Kyrgyzstan, formerly part of the USSR, and were sent
back but the Central Asian country refused them entry and returned them to
the UK.
Campaigners in the Midlands took up their cause after they were detained at
Oakington Detention Centre, near Cambridge, for nearly a month and their
plight was highlighted in The Birmingham Post.
But now Mrs Kaya and her sons, who are Jewish, have been allowed to return
to Walsall while their visa application to Israel is being processed.
Mrs Kaya, a choreographer and university graduate who had hoped to train as
a nurse in this country, said her family had been treated well at Oakington
but all the detainees were referred to by number and were subject to
continuous checks.
Breaking down in tears, Mrs Kaya said: "How could they treat human beings
like this?
"As a Jew it was doubly awful because of our history - and even now we were
denied our freedom.
"I'm glad to be released but I feel extremely depressed and I feel that
we've been badly treated.
"I understand that there are many bad people who come to this country, who
commit crimes and could be terrorists, and they must be deported.
"But I did voluntary work in my community, my sons attended school and took
music lessons, and I was studying at Walsall College. My friends in the
Birmingham community have been so supportive and I'd like to thank them for
all their help but they have been shocked at the way we've been treated."
Mrs Kaya's case was taken up by Margaret Jacobi, the rabbi of Birmingham
Progressive Synagogue, and her local MP Bruce George (Lab Walsall South).
She still does not know why the Home Office released her, but said she
would not stay in the UK any longer than was necessary.
Mrs Kaya and her sons originally settled in Dudley when they arrived in the
UK in December 2000 before moving to Walsall.
The first she knew of her imminent removal was when immigration officials
came to her home in New Mills Street, Walsall, on September 3.
Her two sons were dressing for school when police knocked on her door at
7.30am and said her application had been refused.
She said she was put in a car and her sons had time to pack a few clothes
and books before they were taken to Oakington.
Two days later they were taken to Heathrow and put on a plane to
Kyrgyzstan. But on arrival they were refused entry and sent back.
-
|