We all followed with keen interest the case of an unnamed Zimbabwean asylum seeker winning a stay of removel from UK last October, a victory all of us in the Disapora celebrated.
It is with some kind of deja vu that we learn today that the celebration might have been premature and that our brothers and sisters in the UK may have their cases revisited and some might find themselves sent home.
I am, of course, referring to the story; "UK wins Zimbabwean asylum appeal".
Zimbabweans with some form of legal status in whatever country they are exiled, may just shrug, but those still going through the process of seeking asylum in UK, US, Canada, Australia and elsewhere, this is bound to have a big impact on their psych.
I know fellow Zimbabweans who were banking on brandishing news articles of the victory in October in front of immigration officers and judges, as authoritative proof that sending them back home would be a violation of human rights.
I am reliably informed that some here in Canada and the US were actually given stay of removal on the basis of the October decision in the UK.
Refugee judges in the UK, US and Canada, particularly, and other countries too, somehow tend to use cases in each other's courts as precedents and I will not be surprised if immediately an immigration judge in Toronto or Houston will use today's decision in the UK to order an unfortunate Zimbabwean sent back home.
Well, we have a number of representative organizations in all these countries, here is an opportunity to fight for what is right.
We all know that Mutasa and his CIOs are itching to lay their fingers on anybody who is deported to Zimbabwe. What will happen to those people, we all fear.
MDC branches in the Diaspora, this is a cause to fight for.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment