An Albanian asylum seeker and suspected victim of trafficking told the Guardian that he was in a “very bad mental state” as he expected to board a deportation flight to Rwanda, a country he “knew nothing about”.
The 26-year-old Albanian is one of seven asylum seekers who began legal challenges at the last minute to avoid forced transportation to the East African country. Others include three Iranians, an Iraqi and a Vietnamese asylum seeker. They all arrived in the UK in small boats in mid-May.
It is assumed that cases of suspected victims of trafficking must be fully investigated before they can be removed from the United Kingdom.
Activists block the way from the detention center in an attempt to stop Rwanda’s flights – video
The Albanian said: “I was exploited by traffickers in Albania for six months. I was transported to France. I didn’t know which country I was being taken to. “
He said that when he was put on a small boat in northern France, he was told that other traffickers would be waiting for him when he arrived in the United Kingdom. “I am in a very bad mental state. I knew nothing about Rwanda. I’ve never been to Africa and I don’t think it will be safe for me. I can’t go back to Albania because the traffickers will kill me there. The only safe place for me is the United Kingdom. How can they send an Albanian to Africa? ”
The man said he thought of taking his own life instead of boarding the plane.
One of the Iranians who had to fly said: “I expected support from the UK government, but I did not, so I ask the British to support me. I have a son in the United Kingdom, but if I am sent to Rwanda, I will not be able to see him. I have a lot of stress and both my son and I are in very poor mental health. My family in Iran is very worried about what is happening to me in the United Kingdom. I have always thought that there is justice here, but I did not find justice in this country.
Boris Johnson says laws “may need to be changed” for Rwanda’s plan to continue – video
A second Iranian, who must also be deported, said: “I was involved in a peaceful, democratic policy against the Iranian regime. The government executed my cousin and detained and tortured my uncle for four years.
“If I stayed in Iran, I would be executed or at least sentenced to 30 years in prison. I escaped from a brutal regime. I’m not a criminal. I want the UK government to know that I just want to live in peace. Due to the good diplomatic relations between Iran and Rwanda, I am worried that if I am sent to Rwanda … the Rwandan government will send me back to Iran.
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Another expected deportee, a 25-year-old Iraqi Kurd, said he fled Iraq after receiving threats from relatives high in the government. He came to the United Kingdom because his sister lives there. Of the 53 people in the boat he was traveling in, 14 were detained and the rest were accommodated in hotels. He finally found a lawyer who filed an urgent request for an order for him. He is a potential victim of trafficking.
He said a group of six detainees, all due to fly on Tuesday night, had been detained at the Immigration Detention Center in Colnbrook near Heathrow Airport. “No one can sleep. We all have nightmares if we close our eyes. We are all mentally exhausted, “he said.
“We all feel so bad that we are being forcibly sent to Rwanda. It’s too much to think about. My message to anyone who will listen is, “Please stop the plane.”
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In the United Kingdom and Ireland, you can contact the Samaritans at 116 123 or by email at jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie. In the United States, the National Suicide Prevention Line is 1-800-273-8255. In Australia, the Lifeline crisis support service is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at www.befrienders.org.
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