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Letter to Observer

Re: UK is sending 11,000 Mugabe refugees back (Sunday 6 July).

Sunday 13 July 2008

Sir –

Zimbabweans who have been refused sanctuary in the UK face a stark choice: destitution here or terrifying persecution at home.

For too long, the government has left this group of Zimbabweans in limbo.

Many are in desperate circumstances. One of our clients, Tibo, has been living destitute in the UK for five years. She shares the facts of her case with her brother and other family members, but in a bizarre outcome of the opaque decision-making process, they have been granted asylum while she has not. She has been forced into prostitution to survive.

Many of the victims of Mugabe’s thugs are professionals. They tell us they want to play a part in rebuilding their country once Mugabe’s regime has crumbled. But tens of thousands of refused asylum seekers from this murderous regime are being denied the chance to work in the UK. Their skills, confidence, and health are being sapped by destitution.

I recently sent a letter with over 700 signatories to Jacqui Smith asking that people like Tibo be granted a protected status allowing them to live productively in the UK until they are able to safely return. I think there is broad popular support for this policy. Survivors of the Mugabe regime deserve to be treated with dignity and humanity.

Sandy Buchan

Chief Executive

Refugee Action