The Home Office unlawfully deported a Ugandan lesbian and won't let her back in the UK.
The Movement for Justice (MfJ) campaign has accused the Home Office of hypocrisy for flying the rainbow flag while fighting to keep a lesbian they unlawfully deported out of the UK.
Home Office staff joined London’s Pride parade the day after the department appealed against a court decision to return 25-year old Ugandan PN to the UK.
In 2013, PN was one of more than 10,000 deported under the Detained Fast Track system.
This system was declared unlawful in 2017 as asylum-seekers who had their applications rejected had just seven days to prepare an appeal before they were deported.
Appeals against asylum rejections are frequently succesful but the Detained Fast Track system effectively denied asylum-seekers their right to appeal.
After this system was declared unlawful, many of those deported using it applied to return to the UK.
PN was one of them and is the first who the courts have ordered to be returned to the UK.
Instead of accepting this though, the Home Office has sought to appeal the court’s judgement.
First, they asked the High Court for permission to appeal but were told they could not. Then, the day before the Pride parade, they asked the Court of Appeal (which is senior to the High Court) if they could appeal. This court has yet to make a decision.
While this legal process plays out, MfJ says PN lives in fear of discovery and violence and has suffered from serious mental health problems, periods of physical ill-health and homelessness.
Speaking from Uganda, MfJ quote PN as saying: “I didn’t get a fair hearing, the Home Office must do what the High Court judge told them to do. I want my life back. I am a lesbian, I don’t want to live in fear anymore”
MFJ Organiser Karen Doyle added: “Trying to block PN’s return while flying the rainbow flag is rank hypocrisy on the part of the Home Office. It is clear they are trying to cover up the miscarriage of justice that was done to her.”
“By preventing her return they are endangering her life and continuing to deny her right to a fair hearing. If the governments stated commitment to LGBT+ Equality means anything they should be doing everything to bring home PN.”
In 2013, the year PN was deported, a new Ugandan law made repeated homosexual acts punishable by life in prison.
6 Responses to “Campaigners accuse Home Office of hypocrisy on LGBT rights”
Patrick Newman
Bit of a double act. Confirms you are no supporters of Labour. Calling Wadsworth a “Jew-hater” is probably libellous but you characters dont need evidence to ‘convict someone’ of anti-Semitism!