Sukai Jack really doesn't want to be in Salford. She needs to be here, after suffering in the jail of the Gambian Government, following a failed coup that she had nothing to do with (see story here)
In the jail she was tortured and raped before escaping and fleeing to Britain, and finally Salford, where she's been helping as a volunteer in the community (see here). Sukai's case has been taken up by Salford people, while articles about her plight that featured in both the Salford Star and the Salford Advertiser, have been picked up by Gambia's opposition Freedom Newspaper and splashed on the front page (see here).
Amnesty International has found evidence of harm to those Gambians featured in Freedom Newspaper, making it even more imperative that Sukai stays in Salford.
Sukai's first claim for asylum was refused, followed by second claim only two weeks after she handed it in. The Home Office stated that there were `numerous inconsistencies' in her story – she got one date wrong in her story, by one day.
Since June 29th Sukai has been homeless and all support has been cut off. Now she's trying for a High Court Appeal but in the meantime faces deportation at any time.
"If my life was not in danger I would go home" says Sukai "My family's back home and I love my kids and my mother more than anything. But because my life's at risk, and also what I've gone through, I don't want to go through that, that's why I'm just asking them to consider that. To let them know that my life is in danger.
"I'm worried that when I go back, I'm going back to that jail and they're either going to kill me or do what they're going to do to me in that jail. And I don't want to go through that any more" she adds "I want to see my family again and I want to have my life back to be the woman I was before but I'm scared to go back. I know what's going to happen, and the whole world knows what Gambia is, the way he (the President) is. Jail is the smallest thing I'm expecting."
Today, Sukai has to report to Dallas Court at 9am, and she could be deported instantly.
"I don't know what they are going to do but I'm not going to run away" she says "I'm going to stay here and when they are ready to take me they will take a dead body to Gambia, but not me because I don't want him to kill me, I will kill myself."
"It's hard to say what's going to happen today but the chances of Sukai being deported look higher than they've ever been" says a Defend Sukai Jack campaigner "If she says she has to stay with friends because she's now destitute. Proving that she has community ties is now more important than ever…"
Stop Press: 10:30am 6th July
Sukai reported to Dallas Court this morning and now has until September 2010 until she has to report again. But in the meantime she has had all support stopped and is now homeless and penniless.
Stop Press: 8th July
Sukai has just been granted a very rare chance to appeal against the Home Office decision to refuse her application to stay in Salford.
A spokesperson for the Defend Sukai Jack Campaign said:
"This chance is the absolute final stage of appeal - where the Government's decision is independently considered by a High Court. Most people do not get this chance, because it costs several thousand pounds to afford to take it to court, and any funding body would have to think the case has a high chance of winning before they will fund the appeal. It is extremely hard to get this funding, and we were not very hopeful that we would get it. However, we heard earlier today that Sukai's lawyer has secured the funding, which means that they think her case is strong!
"We just want to say thank you again for all your support, and if you can send in any more petitions within the next week, that would be really helpful. Your support is so encouraging to Sukai, and the pressure from your support is obviously making a difference!"
The Defend Sukai Jack Campaign is urging people to fill in petitions. To get hold of one, to send messages of support or for any further information e-mail defendsukai@googlemail.com
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