Zimbabwe asylum seekers in UK hunger strike

Zimbabwean asylum seekers in UK hunger strike

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By Mduduzi Mathuthu

HUNDREDS of Zimbabwean asylum seekers in detention camps around the UK have gone on hunger strike in protest at forced removals back to their country where they say they face torture.

The 72-hour strike immediately got the backing of prominent Labour MP Kate Hoey who told BBC Radio 2 on Thursday: "(Home Office Minister) Charles Clarke should order a stop to the deportation of Zimbabweans. He should say 'we are not sending any more Zimbabweans home until the current dictatorial regime is replaced by a democratic one'."

Hoey, an outspoken former minister sneaked into Zimbabwe last weeek with a crew from ITV news to witness first-hand the on-going destruction of homes in the so called 'Operation Restore Order'.

A spokesman for the striking detainees told the Jeremy Vine show on Thursday: "The British government is exercising double standards. They condemn human rights abuses by the (Robert) Mugabe regime on one hand yet they continue to deport people to Zimbabwe. This is totally inhumane."

The spokesman, identified as Jerry Moyo, said he was an ex-pilot who flew President Robert Mugabe on several occasions and faced certain persecution if deported back to Zimbabwe.

He said many Zimbabwean detainees in detention were "totally depressed", adding that some of them had been placed on 24-hour suicide watch.

The hunger strike had spread to seven detention centres on Thursday, namely Harmondsworth, Tynsley House, Haslar, Lindholme, Colnbrook, Dungarvel and Yarls Wood.

The Home Office insisted in a statement that cases were being looked at on an individual bases, adding that it would not remove any individual to a country where they were in danger.

“Regular country assessments are carried out in order to ascertain the current country situation and ensure the safety of returning people to their country of origin who have no legal basis of stay in the United Kingdom," the Home Office said.

“In light of this we would not remove anyone to a country where their lives would be in danger. We are returning people to Zimbabwe where it is found to be safe to do so.”

Hoey, however, painted a picture of confusion within government, saying the Home Office's view of the current situation in Zimbabwe was totally at odds with that of the Foreign Office.

"The Foreign Office feels differently from the Home Office," Hoey said.

Early this week, British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw was berating Africa leaders for failing to act to stop the "horro" in Zimbabwe. He said: "The problem that we face is a lack of real commitment by all of Africa's leaders to recognise the scale of the horror that is taking place in Zimbabwe."
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