SUPPORT AND COMPASSION FOR A MODEL CITIZEN

To:  The Right Honourable Jacqui Smith MP. Home Secretary of the United Kingdom

We the undersigned residents of the United Kingdom hereby voice our support for apollin nana chaazou’s application for leave to remain. We believe that there are strong reasons why his application should be reconsidered on compelling compassionate grounds.
Mr. Nana chaazou is a torture survivor from Cameroon who arrived in the United Kingdom in 1999 and made an application for asylum. While in Cameroon he actively participated in the organisation of a students protest at the University of Douala as a leader to demand improved conditions of their studies in August 1999. He was arrested, detained and tortured and following his escape he had no choice but to flee his country because his life was in danger. Upon arrival in the UK he immediately mentioned in his Self Evidence Form (Self completion) and during the course of his asylum interview that he had been subjected to torture and that he bears numerous scars on his body as a result of that. He was admitted to Charing Cross Hospital in Hammersmith-London in 2000 with acute psychiatric problems and diagnosed with PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) linked to the abuses that he suffered at the hands of the Cameroon authorities. Yet his application was refused and Immigration Judges dismissed his appeals because they said there was no medical Report from an expert in Scarring with opinion on the causes of scars he bears on his body although they noted that some of the scars were significant. Mr Nana chaazou has now been examined by an expert in scars and his opinion is that Mr Nana has been indeed tortured. Below is the expert opinion upon examination of Mr Nana; the full report is attached to this petition.

OPINION:
O1) The lesions and residual tenderness of the feet are highly consistent with beatings to them as he described (H5).
O2) The scar on the right shin and hyper-pigmentation of both legs are consistent with beating to that area. (In contrast, the scars on the knees and forehead are of limited evidential value as everyday injuries to those areas of the body are so common from falls and similar accidents that the aetiology is difficult to attribute.
O3) The laceration scar on the abdomen E3a is highly consistent with a cut with a knife or other sharp object as described by him (H7).
O4) The tenderness over the loin and iliac crests and pain on bending (E3b) are consistent with beatings to these areas with a blunt object.
O5) The scar on the right wrist (E4a) is consistent with injuries from handcuffs (H3).
O6) Other scars and areas of hyper-pigmentation on the arms (E4b) are consistent with beatings to those areas.
O7) The loose flap of skin in the armpit and associated scars are precisely the appearance one would expect following traction with pliers. There are few other credible causes of such an appearance. This lesion is therefore typical of such an injury, which is not likely to be sustained by any mechanism other than torture.
O8) Cervical tenderness and limitation of movement (E5b) are not uncommon in the population as a whole, but less usual in a previously fit man of his age. This finding is therefore consistent with his being beaten.
O9) His main psychological symptoms (M4) are consistent with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as defined by the criteria of the International Classification of Disease, 10th edition (ICD-10, please see note 3). In addition he has symptoms which are typical of panic attacks. Both PTSD and panic attacks are common among survivors of torture.
O10) My overall evaluation is that there is a reasonable likelihood that he was indeed subjected to torture.

As Mr Nana chaazou was given permission to take up employment by the Home Secretary 6 months after his arrival while his application is processed, he was encouraged by Psychiatrists to socialise and to find himself a job as part of his therapy and counselling in order to get over his traumatic experiences. He has now been in this country for almost 9 years and, as his employment record released by the Tax Office shows, he has been a consistent taxpayer since his employment commenced at the end of the first semester of year 2000.
Mr Nana chaazou is genuinely too frightened to return to Cameroon where he has been persecuted in the past and is unwilling to return there owing to such persecution and in light of evidence that there has been no major change of circumstances in Cameroon’s Human Rights record;

USA Report on Human Rights Practices: Cameroon released in March 2007
“The government's human rights record remained poor as does it's understanding of human rights, and it continued to commit numerous human rights abuses. Security forces committed numerous unlawful killings; they regularly engaged in torture, beatings, and other abuses, particularly of detainees and prisoners. Impunity was a problem in the security forces. Prison conditions were harsh and life threatening. Authorities arbitrarily arrested and detained Anglophone citizens advocating secession, local human rights monitors and activists, and other citizens. The government restricted citizens' freedoms of speech, press, assembly, association, and harassed journalists. The government also impeded citizens' freedom of movement. The public perceived government corruption to be a serious problem. Societal violence and discrimination against women; trafficking in persons, primarily children;”

We stress that Mr Nana’s case is so exceptional on its particular facts that the imperative of proportionality demands that he be allowed to remain here.
Amongst the many reasons, we would mention the following:

1. Mr Nana chaazou is a victim of torture and has established a reasonable likelihood that he has been tortured; Mr Nana chaazou is a person in need of protection. If returned to Cameroon Mr Nana could be subjected to further persecution by the Cameroon regime.

2. Mr. Nana has been a consistent taxpayer and always lived in rented accommodation in the UK for nearly 9 years and clearly made positive contribution to the country. Mr. Nana is not a burden on the state - there is no logical reason why he was given permission to take up employment unless it was to encourage him to integrate into the British society. In addition it is fairly disproportionate to expect him to leave the country after all this time taking into account his positive contribution to the state.

3. Mr Nana has made considerable effort to integrate and be helpful to the society. He has mastered English to the highest level at school and has successfully completed a Bachelor of Science degree program of studies with distinction. Mr Nana is in his own words “a committed and passionate anglophile who shares and stands up for the very core British values”. He hope to fulfil his dream of joining the National Health Service and serve in the Royal Navy. Here is someone who is desperate to make further positive contribution to the British society.

4. Mr. Nana has a young child aged 2, who was born and has only ever lived in the United Kingdom and clearly regards this country as her home. She is highly intelligent, and is amongst the brightest children of her age in the community. She has never claim any benefit as a child despite her father being a consistent taxpayer. She is also extremely polite and well behaved. Mr. Nana has the full support of his local community. To return Mr. Nana and the child to Cameroon would be cruel in the extreme.

5. Mr. Nana’s Wife who is also from Cameroon is a resident student in this country paying full international fees and has just completed the first year into a fourth years studies program leading to a Master in Business Administration. We believe that to remove this man [who is clearly a model citizen and an asset] from the UK and return him to the Republic of Cameroon where he is likely to be subjected to further persecution would be an unjust act, and would separate the whole family and subsequently have a negative impact on the life of their child. Mr. Nana and his family have integrated well into our society, are highly valued, and are already making a positive contribution in many ways. His Employment record in this country, qualities, abilities and background mean that he is ideally placed to offer much needed skills and service to our society. He has great support from many sections of the local community.

6. We believe that there are compelling reasons for him to be granted leave on the basis of his compassionate circumstances, his strength of connections in the United Kingdom and the length of his residence in the United Kingdom. Accordingly we ask you to exercise your discretion to grant this Model Citizen leave to remain exceptionally outside the Immigration Rules.

Sincerely,

The Undersigned

The SUPPORT AND COMPASSION FOR A MODEL CITIZEN Petition to The Right Honourable Jacqui Smith MP. Home Secretary of the United Kingdom was created by nana must stay Campaign and written by Beatrice Seudieu (bebelaure@yahoo.fr).  This petition is hosted here at www.PetitionOnline.com as a public service. There is no endorsement of this petition, express or implied, by Artifice, Inc. or our sponsors. For technical support please use our simple Petition Help form.