Bishop joins church in defence of asylum seeker -3/12/04
Bishop joins church in defence of asylum seeker -3/12/04
The Bishop of Ripon and Leeds John Packer has spoken in defence of Elvis Nduhukire, who is at present in detention awaiting deportation. Bishop Packer has signed an open letter from St George’s Church, Leeds, calling on the Home Office to reconsider Mr Nduhukire’s claim for asylum. A supporter of opposition candidates in Uganda, he fled after he and his wife were badly beaten and his sister was raped in front of him. His wife, who has stayed in the country, was so badly injured that she was kept in hospital and suffered a miscarriage. Members of the church have been supporting him, raising money to pay a solicitor to work on the case and pressing the Immigration Service to allow him to stay. Recently local MP Fabian Hamilton appealed to David Blunkett to overturn a decision to deport Mr Nduhukire but he was arrested last week. Jonathan Clark, rector at St George’s Church, said: “The Human Rights Watch Report of April 2004 contains a specific section detailing six cases similar to that of Elvis, of people who supported the opposition presidential candidate, Dr Col Kiiza Besigue.
Bishop joins church in defence of asylum seeker -3/12/04
The Bishop of Ripon and Leeds John Packer has spoken in defence of Elvis Nduhukire, who is at present in detention awaiting deportation. Bishop Packer has signed an open letter from St George’s Church, Leeds, calling on the Home Office to reconsider Mr Nduhukire’s claim for asylum. A supporter of opposition candidates in Uganda, he fled after he and his wife were badly beaten and his sister was raped in front of him. His wife, who has stayed in the country, was so badly injured that she was kept in hospital and suffered a miscarriage. Members of the church have been supporting him, raising money to pay a solicitor to work on the case and pressing the Immigration Service to allow him to stay. Recently local MP Fabian Hamilton appealed to David Blunkett to overturn a decision to deport Mr Nduhukire but he was arrested last week. Jonathan Clark, rector at St George’s Church, said: “The Human Rights Watch Report of April 2004 contains a specific section detailing six cases similar to that of Elvis, of people who supported the opposition presidential candidate, Dr Col Kiiza Besigue.