Legal News
Another Afghan asylum seeker fighting last minute removal (21 May 2013)
Date: 21/05/2013
Deportation of a failed asylum seeker from Afghanistan was being opposed by supporters who are hoping for a last minute victory for him.
Yesterday Abdul Ghafar Rajabali, 23, was moved to a detention centre near Gatwick Airport ready to be flown out of the UK.
As the news came his supporters in Leicester were shocked and at the same time on Sunday afternoon about 60 of his supporters gathered in Victoria Park, Leicester, where they had planned to sing in support of Abdul on a phone.
One of the supporters Colleen Molloy who helped organise the event said it was quite traumatic and all had come together to make a final plea for him and rang him on phone to sing support to him hoping he was still at the detention center in Lincolnshire. But he could not be contacted as he was being moved to a detention center at Gatwick Airport.
Orphan Abdul fled to Leicester when he was 16, in August 2006, to escape being forced to fight for the Taliban rebels in his home country.
He fears that as he has converted to Christianity he would be killed if he was sent to back to his country.
Initially he had gone through the usual channels to apply for asylum but after missing an important appointment he went on the run from the authorities and lived rough, eventually ending up in Leicester.
He was detained on May 10 by the Borders Agency.
Speaking to the Leicester Mercury from the Lincolnshire detention centre last week, Abdul said he was scared to be sent back to Afghanistan, as he would be killed because now he was a Christian.
He said he loved England and he love Leicester. Colleen said immigration lawyers were still hoping to stop Abdul from being deported.
She said a legal team had been working on his case and they were hoping to get reprieve at the last minute.
Talking about Abdul she said he had come alone and was a terrified person who was the sweetest, kindest, gentlest person on could meet and he was feeling just stressed about what he expects could be his impending death if he was to return to Afghanistan.
Supporter Dave Jones, 23, of Leicester city centre, who used to play football with Abdul in Victoria Park every weekend, said that Abdul was really integrated into the society and was one of them. He added that Abdul was let down by the authorities time and again and now they were sending him back which did not make sense.
A Home Office spokesperson said the Government and the courts were satisfied there was no reason to allow Abdul to stay in the UK.