The Taste of Freedom

This is the tale of F who came to Britain in November 2009 after  imprisonment  and severe torture  in his country.  University  educated, with a wife and young baby, he  worked as a college teacher, whilst involved in election campaigning .

Upon arrival, Immigration arrested him at Heathrow, placing him in the legally abusive and unjust Detained Fast Track procedure, because ‘there are no  Human Rights abuses in your country.’ (Country experts know this small French speaking nation is amongst the vilest dictatorships in Africa…) Here he stayed, not knowing what the future would bring. A dreadful law firm didn’t document his  torture, didn’t listen , or inspect his evidence, then refused to represent him, and so within two weeks  he lost his asylum 

Tribunal…..Mid February 2010 the guards told him  to pack his belongings for  removal ‘back home’ despite having lodged an imperfect  Judicial Review he wrote himself….. Removal was cancelled at the last minute and he was transferred to another immigration detention centre where he stayed till end March without any advice or support…..We talked almost daily on the telephone because of his rapidly worsening mental health……..

He became dangerously depressed until a very smart young lawyer from a top legal firm , passing him in the prison corridor to visit someone else,  took the trouble to listen to him whilst he told her his story in floods of  tears…. F. later said ..’God took pity on me….‘ So did G. and her colleagues…..Soon a much better prepared  Judicial Review was lodged…..He was released  a week later after five months indeterminate UK detention, and we met at a London  train station, F. wandering around in a daze, unable to grasp he was free. To reflect a while, we entered  a tiny medieval church dedicated to peace and reconciliation. Here, F. fell to his knees, gripped with gratitude, and in the peaceful silence prayed aloud fervently,  thanking God for having freed him and sent him succour.  He received refugee status soon after, and is now retraining to resume his  teaching career in Britain at a leading university. The mental scars will remain…..And his wife and child aren’t here as yet.…

Published with subject’s permission

He became dangerously depressed until a very smart young lawyer from a top legal firm , passing him in the prison corridor to visit someone else,  took the trouble to listen to him whilst he told her his story in floods of  tears…. F. later said ..’God took pity on me….‘ So did G. and her colleagues…..Soon a much better prepared  Judicial Review was lodged…..He was released  a week later after five months indeterminate UK detention, and we met at a London  train station, F. wandering around in a daze, unable to grasp he was free. To reflect a while, we entered  a tiny medieval church dedicated to peace and reconciliation. Here, F. fell to his knees, gripped with gratitude, and in the peaceful silence prayed aloud fervently,  thanking God for having freed him and sent him succour.  He received refugee status soon after, and is now retraining to resume his  teaching career in Britain at a leading university. The mental scars will remain…..And his wife and child aren’t here as yet.…

Published with subject’s permission