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| Odette Sefuko stays in the UK – for now | Odette Sefuko stays in the UK – for now |
| (about 1 month later) | |
| A last minute reprieve has been granted to a Sheffield asylum seeker who campaigners say has been the victim of torture and rape by the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), as reported in the Guardian Northerner on Thursday. | A last minute reprieve has been granted to a Sheffield asylum seeker who campaigners say has been the victim of torture and rape by the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), as reported in the Guardian Northerner on Thursday. |
| Odette Sefuko was due to be deported to Uganda on the evening of Monday 4 March but the Home Office suspended removal after an application for judicial review claim was made in the High Court earlier in the day. | Odette Sefuko was due to be deported to Uganda on the evening of Monday 4 March but the Home Office suspended removal after an application for judicial review claim was made in the High Court earlier in the day. |
| Supporters say Sefuko was on the bus to Heathrow when the official order for deferred removal came through. She was then returned to Yarl's Wood detention centre where she has been held since her arrest on Wednesday 13 February. | Supporters say Sefuko was on the bus to Heathrow when the official order for deferred removal came through. She was then returned to Yarl's Wood detention centre where she has been held since her arrest on Wednesday 13 February. |
| Campaigners staged a rally on Wednesday 27 February to protest against the UK Border Agency's decision to deport Sefuko to Uganda, despite UN expert evidence that she is from the Democratic Republic of Congo. | Campaigners staged a rally on Wednesday 27 February to protest against the UK Border Agency's decision to deport Sefuko to Uganda, despite UN expert evidence that she is from the Democratic Republic of Congo. |
| Sefuko's case is that she fled the DRC in 2005 after her family were murdered and her husband 'disappeared' by government officials. She says she is Banyamulenge, an ethnic group that has been persecuted in DRC for many decades. Campaigners say that Sefuko was interrogated, tortured and raped by Congolese police officers because she was president of a group that helped woman who had been raped. | Sefuko's case is that she fled the DRC in 2005 after her family were murdered and her husband 'disappeared' by government officials. She says she is Banyamulenge, an ethnic group that has been persecuted in DRC for many decades. Campaigners say that Sefuko was interrogated, tortured and raped by Congolese police officers because she was president of a group that helped woman who had been raped. |
| Nadeem Ahmed, Sefuko's solicitor said of yesterday's reprieve: | Nadeem Ahmed, Sefuko's solicitor said of yesterday's reprieve: |
| These last few days have been very tense and today's result has been a relief. We merely want justice to prevail and the UK Border Agency to recognise that victims of torture must be treated humanely and be given a place of sanctuary in this country. | These last few days have been very tense and today's result has been a relief. We merely want justice to prevail and the UK Border Agency to recognise that victims of torture must be treated humanely and be given a place of sanctuary in this country. |
Campaigners hope Sefuko will be allowed back to Sheffield on bail while legal proceedings take their course. Supporter Yo Tozer-Loft said: | Campaigners hope Sefuko will be allowed back to Sheffield on bail while legal proceedings take their course. Supporter Yo Tozer-Loft said: |
| Obviously we are all delighted that Odette wasn't on that plane, but we feel so strongly that this courageous woman needs to be able to live her life. She must not be traumatised as she has been by this detention and threatened deportation any more. | Obviously we are all delighted that Odette wasn't on that plane, but we feel so strongly that this courageous woman needs to be able to live her life. She must not be traumatised as she has been by this detention and threatened deportation any more. |
| After nearly 8 years of waiting, Odette Sefuko's case must be carefully reconsidered and her permanent right to remain granted as soon as possible. Odette needs to experience safety in order to begin healing psychologically and physically. | After nearly 8 years of waiting, Odette Sefuko's case must be carefully reconsidered and her permanent right to remain granted as soon as possible. Odette needs to experience safety in order to begin healing psychologically and physically. |
| Given a decent life in the UK after all she has been through here, as well as in DRC, Odette is the sort of person who will use the difficulties she has experienced to help others. She is an incredibly brave, hard working and inspirational person. | Given a decent life in the UK after all she has been through here, as well as in DRC, Odette is the sort of person who will use the difficulties she has experienced to help others. She is an incredibly brave, hard working and inspirational person. |
| Supporters say that Sefuko's sister and children in Uganda have been recognised by the UNHCR as refugees from the DRC. They are now hoping to organise a DNA test with the children to prove she is from the DRC and not Uganda - the nub of the anti-deporation case. | Supporters say that Sefuko's sister and children in Uganda have been recognised by the UNHCR as refugees from the DRC. They are now hoping to organise a DNA test with the children to prove she is from the DRC and not Uganda - the nub of the anti-deporation case. |
| Peter Rowe, one of Sefuko's supporters, said: | Peter Rowe, one of Sefuko's supporters, said: |
| Odette's case is what our asylum laws were designed for. I'm shocked that the UK Border Agency doesn't care about the merit of her case and tried to deport her quickly before the DNA evidence was available. Odette has known injustice and imprisonment in Africa, I wish she hadn't had the same experience here in the UK and I'm proud of the 2000 angry people who are fighting for justice for her. | Odette's case is what our asylum laws were designed for. I'm shocked that the UK Border Agency doesn't care about the merit of her case and tried to deport her quickly before the DNA evidence was available. Odette has known injustice and imprisonment in Africa, I wish she hadn't had the same experience here in the UK and I'm proud of the 2000 angry people who are fighting for justice for her. |
| Marishka Van Steenbergen is a freelance multimedia web journalist. She writes articles and makes films for the Guardian, the Guardian Northerner and her own websites Sheffield Unchained and Unheard Voices as well as other publications. You can follow her on @marishka_vs | Marishka Van Steenbergen is a freelance multimedia web journalist. She writes articles and makes films for the Guardian, the Guardian Northerner and her own websites Sheffield Unchained and Unheard Voices as well as other publications. You can follow her on @marishka_vs |
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