Dear Supporters
I am contacting you once again with a request for you to take urgent action to stop two deportations today and tomorrow & contact details for the two airlines involved are at the bottom.
The deportation of Beauty T Dlamini today , Tuesday 14th August is on Kenya Airways Flight KQ101, 6.25pm to South Africa
The deportation of EM is tomorrow, Wednesday 15th August is, on British Airways Flight BA75 at 11.20am to Nigeria.
Beauty has been in the UK for 16 years, she is a victim of modern slavery and abuse. She is desperately ill, she has a muscular disease, lower back injury and is on high levels of medication including steroids - she is NOT FIT TO FLY - she has been hospitalised on several occasions in Yarls Wood detention centre where she has been detained for the past few months. She was only given the flight ticket yesterday afternoon giving virtually no time to appeal.
Kenya Airways Conditions of Carriage (point 7.1) state that they can refuse to fly someone if the following applies...
7.1.2 the carriage of you or your Baggage may endanger or affect the safety, health, or materially affect the comfort of other passengers or crew;
7.1.3 your mental or physical state, including your impairment from alcohol or drugs, presents a hazard or risk to yourself, to passengers, to crew, or to property;
Both of these conditions apply in Beauty's case. She will be extremely distressed, the 'escorts' are well known for brutality, given her numerous health conditions she is very likely to be injured. Her distress will impact the health, safety and comfort of other passengers and crew.
EM is the victim of torture at the hands of a cult in Nigeria, when she came to the UK she was forced into prostitution. She has scars all over her body and is very obviously traumatised. She was refused asylum and her lawyer did not show up for her appeal hearing because she did not have the money to pay him.
The judge went ahead with the hearing anyway, handing her the bundle of papers and giving her some time to read them; EM had a primary school education in Nigeria, broken up by abuse and can only read a little, let alone complex legal documents. She is also very visibly dissociated and has difficulties remembering what was said minutes ago, let alone seriously traumatic events of her childhood and her time in the UK being abused and forced into prostitution. She describes how she’s spent her whole life trying to forget everything but it comes back in her nightmares.
British Airways own “ General Conditions of Carriage ” state at 7a) that they have a right to refuse to carry any passenger if any ONE of the following apply (all of thee apply in the case of EM)
7a1) if carrying you or your baggage may put the safety of the aircraft or the safety or health of any person in the aircraft in danger. (EM will be very distressed and afraid for her life, she will not be aware of her surroundings beyond the threat to her life – that puts her and others in danger)
7a2) If carrying you or your baggage may affect the comfort of any person in the aircraft. (EM will be crying, upset, distressed, screaming – this will absolutely affect the comfort of other passengers)
7a6) If your mental or physical state or health is a danger or risk to you, the aircraft or any person in it. (EM has stated that she would rather die than go back to Nigeria, she is a suicide risk on the flight)
British airways CAN refuse to fly on the grounds EM’s presence on the plane would breech their own conditions of carriage putting her life at risk and the lives/comfort of other passengers at risk.
Please note that EM's full name could not be published to protect her safety.
The guards who ‘escort’ people being removed are often extremely brutal. It was on a British Airways flight that Jimmy Mubenga was killed by the brutality of his escorts in 2010. That case led to one of their own flight attendants also suing them in 2015 for the trauma she suffered witnessing this brutal murder on their flight.
This is about the safety of EM but also the health and safety of BA staff, they have the right to refuse to fly!
CONTACT KENYA AIRWAYS:
Phone: 02082831800
Fax: 02082831880
Email: customer.relations@kenya-airways.com
https://m.facebook.com/kenyaairwaysGB/?brand_redir=47572703799
Twitter; @kenyaairways
CEO; @MikoszSebastian
CONTACT BRITISH AIRWAYS:
CALL: 08444930787
press.office@ba.com
https://m.facebook.com/britishairways/
Twitter; @British_Airways
CEO; @alex-cruz
If you know anybody travelling on these flights let them know and ask them to complain and challenge. Flights can't go if passengers don't take their seats and pilots can refuse to fly if any passenger is distressed.
Please use the hashtags if using social media #refusetofly #FreeBeauty #FreeEM #enddeportations
Please include @baracuk and let us know about any responses you get.
Many thanks for your support to stop these deportations.
Best Regards
Zita
Zita Holbourne; National Chair BARAC UK