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Fight to keep Kurdish asylum seeker in UK
25.7.2006
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Supporters of a Kurdish asylum seeker who has
been detained by immigration authorities in Dover
fear he may be killed if he is sent back to Iraq.
Aram Rawf, 24, who has lived in Thanet since
arriving in the UK at the age of 17, claims he was
tortured because he refused to become a suicide
bomber.
Filmmaker Norman Thomas, who is campaigning for Mr
Rawf, said it would be irresponsible to send him
back.
A spokeswoman for the Home Office said it did not
comment on individual cases.
Last year Mr Rawf lost an appeal against his
deportation. |
Aram Rawf has been helping refugees in Thanet
Photo: BBC |
'Much loved'
Mr Thomas is also making a film to highlight Mr
Rawf's plight and added: "Everyone knows Iraq is
incredibly dangerous with hundreds of civilians
being killed every week.
"Even worse, the fundamentalist group who originally
tortured Aram is still active in Iraq and will
undoubtedly seek him out when he returns."
He said that Mr Rawf was a "much loved" figure among
his friends and colleagues in east Kent where he
worked on a voluntary basis helping refugees.
In a statement the Home Office said: "Those whose
claims are refused have the right to an independent
appeal.
"If the appeal is unsuccessful, that means that it
has been judged safe for that particular individual
to return to Iraq.
"We would expect Iraqis in that position to leave
voluntarily. If they do not it is entirely
reasonably for us to enforced their departure."
She added that it was important for the integrity of
the asylum system that any individual who was found
not to be in need of international protection should
be expected to leave the UK.
BBC
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