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10:20am Sunday 14th September 2008
A MAN due to be deported back to Uganda is still in the UK after refusing to board his plane this morning.
Campaigners have been trying to save John 'Bosco' Nyombi from being sent back to the East African country where they fear he will be persecuted because of his sexuality.
The 38-year-old was due to fly from Gatwick Airport at 6.40am but the plane took off without him leaving him with the immigration services.
Neil Pugmire, a spokesman from the Diocese of Portsmouth, said: “We received a telephone call from John on a landline in Gatwick Airport telling me he had refused to get on the plane and that they had accepted that decision.
“He’s still being held at Gatwick Airport. I imagine that the immigration services are looking for a detention centre that they can take him to. That, we hope, will buy us some time for his solicitor to take some legal action – an injunction or a judicial review.”
A number of friends, work colleagues and campaigners also travelled up to the airport this morning to protest at his forced departure.
Colleagues at Stonham Housing Association, where he has worked almost since his arrival, launched a campaign and a petition, which they plan to send to the Home Office.
But Neil added that there had been no last minute review of his deportation from the government.
Bosco has been working with mentally ill people in the city for the past six years while his application to stay in the UK has been heard by the immigration authorities.
He fled to the UK from Uganda where homosexuality is illegal and carries a punishment of life in prison.
Bosco, as he is known, was also told his life could be in danger, after his brother, a high profile opposition campaigner, was murdered.
He was unexpectedly taken into custody this week after his last appeal was refused.
Bill-B, DeSoto says...
5:13pm Sat 13 Sep 08
alby123, Southampton says...
5:19pm Sat 13 Sep 08
obelisker, Southampton says...
5:38pm Sat 13 Sep 08
markpsouthampton, Southampton says...
5:59pm Sat 13 Sep 08
markpsouthampton, Southampton says...
6:02pm Sat 13 Sep 08
PaulHSouthampton, southamtpon says...
6:48pm Sat 13 Sep 08
Dr Alimantado, Babylon says...
8:53pm Sat 13 Sep 08
Karen Ambler, Southampton says...
9:32pm Sat 13 Sep 08
Finlay, Des Moines Iowa says...
10:01pm Sat 13 Sep 08
Bright Spark, Stubbington says...
10:51pm Sat 13 Sep 08
Miles Sway, Scotland says...
11:06pm Sat 13 Sep 08
LornaDoone39, Colchester says...
11:27pm Sat 13 Sep 08
Andy1969, Southampton says...
11:51pm Sat 13 Sep 08
markpsouthampton, Southampton says...
9:29am Sun 14 Sep 08
goard, Southampton says...
10:50am Sun 14 Sep 08
obelisker, Southampton says...
10:57am Sun 14 Sep 08
Andy Locks Heath, says...
11:27am Sun 14 Sep 08
Finlay wrote:THe problem is Finlay, people are getting a little tired of laws executed without prejudice. Bad laws are drawn up in the safety of Government committees without any notion of the circumstances in which those laws will be used. More frequently than ever in the UK people are seeing stupid decisions enacted sinply because "it is the law" and in cases like that of Bosco people are entitled to ask just what is the point of enforcing a law that nobody thinks serves any benefit except ss a point of principle? Furthermore as others have pointed out, the law is not executed without prejudice in any case. THis country has a moral cowardice in dealing with internal terrorism because of our politicans fears of being accused of racism, anti islamism, or just plain "causing offence". Marginal consituency politicians like Justice Minister Jack Straw cultivate ethnic votes just to get re-elected, thus we see the law wreaked on immigrant groups with no voting power like Bosco while foreign "clerics" on benefits who seem to afford expensive (Islamic) barristers who know how to play the system mock this country and its justice daily. This is what makes people angry. Blind ignorant justice is stupid justice, but corrupt unequal justice is far, far worse.
Its good to see the laws that are made are executed without predjudice.
The Home Office would have investigated his claim that homos are persecuted before they rejected his application for asylum. I wonder what they came up with?
Homosexuality is a no no in many Caribbean Islands as well and it is not unusual to see homos beaten in the street while in view of an officer who never stops it unless screamed at by European or American tourists to do so.
This isnt a persecuted asylum seeker this is an economic migrant. Uganda has more than its fair share of so called persecuted ones banging on the doors of Britain to get in. Those that pass in are rarely seen again.
Take him to the airport and hold him there till the paperwork is done then boot his sorry *** outta there.
If the company he works for wants him enough they will take him as an international employee just like many companies and countries have done in the past.
So it really is bye bye then Bosco.
obelisker, Southampton says...
12:29pm Sun 14 Sep 08
Bright Spark, Stubbington says...
1:30pm Sun 14 Sep 08
give me a break, canada says...
2:20pm Sun 14 Sep 08
Bright Spark wrote:Not quite sure how many North American Indians run corner shops and drive UK buses ?
Des (above) comes from Iowa, land of Sioux City and the Indians. What did you Americans do to them?(that's you Americans who are all immigrants or children of immigrants, some legal, some not). Those Indians are now over here working in restaurants, corner shops and driving our buses and earning an honest wage, forced over here whilst you Americans stole their land and buffalo. So you lot across the pond aren't the best example to follow when it comes to immigration control, when your own distant fathers (probably British) near wiped out the Indian people.
H.R.H. KING MUSH , WOOLSTON says...
2:28pm Sun 14 Sep 08
Bright Spark wrote:Darn - beat me to it! I must get up earlier.
Good News for Bosco - he has just found out that he was booked on an XL flight! :)
Finlay, Des Moines Iowa says...
3:11pm Sun 14 Sep 08
Old Jester, Butts Ash says...
3:16pm Sun 14 Sep 08
Finlay, Des Moines Iowa says...
3:19pm Sun 14 Sep 08
LornaDoone39, Colchester says...
4:14pm Sun 14 Sep 08
Dr Alimantado, Babylon says...
9:26pm Sun 14 Sep 08
Andy Locks Heath wrote:excellent post
Finlay wrote:Its good to see the laws that are made are executed without predjudice.The Home Office would have investigated his claim that homos are persecuted before they rejected his application for asylum. I wonder what they came up with?Homosexuality is a no no in many Caribbean Islands as well and it is not unusual to see homos beaten in the street while in view of an officer who never stops it unless screamed at by European or American tourists to do so. This isnt a persecuted asylum seeker this is an economic migrant. Uganda has more than its fair share of so called persecuted ones banging on the doors of Britain to get in. Those that pass in are rarely seen again. Take him to the airport and hold him there till the paperwork is done then boot his sorry *** outta there. If the company he works for wants him enough they will take him as an international employee just like many companies and countries have done in the past.So it really is bye bye then Bosco.THe problem is Finlay, people are getting a little tired of laws executed without prejudice. Bad laws are drawn up in the safety of Government committees without any notion of the circumstances in which those laws will be used. More frequently than ever in the UK people are seeing stupid decisions enacted sinply because "it is the law" and in cases like that of Bosco people are entitled to ask just what is the point of enforcing a law that nobody thinks serves any benefit except ss a point of principle? Furthermore as others have pointed out, the law is not executed without prejudice in any case. THis country has a moral cowardice in dealing with internal terrorism because of our politicans fears of being accused of racism, anti islamism, or just plain "causing offence". Marginal consituency politicians like Justice Minister Jack Straw cultivate ethnic votes just to get re-elected, thus we see the law wreaked on immigrant groups with no voting power like Bosco while foreign "clerics" on benefits who seem to afford expensive (Islamic) barristers who know how to play the system mock this country and its justice daily. This is what makes people angry. Blind ignorant justice is stupid justice, but corrupt unequal justice is far, far worse.
kathleend, lyndhurst says...
9:41pm Sun 14 Sep 08
Nod, Southampton says...
10:26pm Sun 14 Sep 08
Big Boy, Hythe says...
5:09am Mon 15 Sep 08
Wydowson, Southampton says...
2:58pm Mon 15 Sep 08
B. L., Springfield says...
11:27pm Mon 15 Sep 08
Snowman, prairies says...
11:49pm Mon 15 Sep 08
H.R.H. KING MUSH , WOOLSTON says...
12:36am Tue 16 Sep 08
Snowman, prairies says...
5:11am Tue 16 Sep 08
Snowman, prairies says...
5:12am Tue 16 Sep 08
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Adrian Smith, Planet Earth says...
4:25pm Sat 13 Sep 08