Prossy
says, "A BIG thank you to everyone who has taken the trouble to
sign the petition and write to the minister on my behalf. It makes such a
difference to know that so many of you are concerned enough about my
situation to help in this
way."
Prossy Kakooza is a 26-year-old woman seeking asylum in the
UK. She fled Uganda after suffering vicious sexual, physical and
verbal attacks due to her sexual orientation.
Prossy had
been forced into an engagement when her family discovered her
relationship with the girlfriend she met at university. Both women
were marched two miles naked to the police station, where they were
locked up.
Prossy’s inmates subjected her to gross acts of
humiliation. She was violently raped by police officers who taunted
her with derogatory comments like ‘’we’ll show you what you’re
missing’’ and ‘’you’re only this way because you haven’t met a real
man’’. She was also scalded on her thighs with hot meat
skewers.
Click on the image for a
full-size version
See this articlein Pink News describing how the
Red Pepper Uganda newspaper is continuing its outing
strategy targeting lesbians and gay men in
Uganda.
Click on the image
for a full-size version of this article from Red Pepper
Uganda
Prossy was
eventually taken out of prison after her father bribed the guards.
Her family had decided they would sacrifice her instead, believing
this would ‘’take the curse away from the family’’.
Whilst
her family were making arrangements to slaughter her, Prossy managed
to flee to the United Kingdom to seek asylum.
When Prossy
went for treatment to her local GP’s surgery in the UK they were so
shocked by the extent of her injuries they called the police.
She was taken to the St. Mary’s Centre in Manchester, and
she is still receiving counselling there for Post Traumatic Stress
Disorder.
Prossy’s asylum application has been refused by the Home
Office, who acknowledge she was brutally raped and burnt because of
the medical evidence, but have dismissed these appalling attacks as
‘’the random actions of individuals’’, and state she can be returned
to a different town in Uganda.
This judgement ignores the
clear danger to gay people throughout the country where the penalty
for homosexuality is life imprisonment.
Also, in Uganda, you
cannot settle in a new town without a reference from your previous
village, and on the basis she is a lesbian, Prossy would be
subjected to similar persecution wherever she went.
We
consider that if Prossy is sent back, she faces the continuing
threat of incarceration, and further sickening attacks - which next
time may be fatal.
Click on the image
for a full-size version of this article from Red Pepper
Uganda
Click on the image
for a full-size version of this article from Red Pepper
Uganda
Prossy is a highly educated woman who can be a productive
member of society.
She has a right to be free with her
sexuality, which is causing no harm to anyone, and she has a right
not to be raped, attacked, or murdered.
Please see below to
discover how you can help Prossy to live a valued and productive
life in safety and security.
News Update 1 - 3rd July 2008 -
Prossy Kakooza today won the latest
fight in her battle for asylum in the UK. A senior Immigration Judge
dismissed a previous Immigration Tribunal ruling which denied Prossy
asylum, calling the judgement "a mess".
Today's ruling allows
Prossy to present her claim afresh to an Asylum Tribunal. This hearing is
likely to take place in the Autumn where Prossy's claim will be looked at,
the possibility of "internal relocation" in Uganda examined and her
identity as an out and proud lesbian in the UK considered.
News Update 2 - 7th August 2008 -
Prossy's appeal in an Immigration Court against the Home Office's decision
to deny her asylum will be heard on Friday 5th September at the Asylum and
Immigration Trribunal in Manchester. Prossy's solicitor is busy
finalising the written submissions and is collecting various witness
statements which will be submitted. A number of Prossy's friends
have volunteered to write statements and give evidence in person in
court. A barrister has been instructed to represent Prossy in the
case she, like her solicitor is a specialist in immigration matters.
Whilst the case will take place on the 5th September the normal practice
in the Asylum Tribunals is for the judge to reserve judgement. This
means that the judgement is issued by post some weeks after the
hearing. Sometimes there can be quite a long wait after the hearing
to get the judgement. Please keep Prossy, Ruth, her solicitor, and
Melanie, her barrister, in your thoughts and prayers over the coming
weeks.
News Update 3 - 5th September
2008 - Prossy's appeal against the Home Secretary's
decision to refuse her asylum was heard today, 5th September, in the
Asylum and Immigration Tribunal in Manchester. The case lasted all
morning, included evidence from 10 people and arguments by the Home Office
Presenter and by Prossy's barrister, the excellent Melanie Plimmer.
The Judge must make her decision in the next 10 days but it will take
three to four weeks before the Home Office let Prossy know this
decision. Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers during this
stressful time.
Prossy's video story
How you can help
1.Download the petition, print it off,
get it signed by yourself, your family, friends, work colleagues, drinking
buddies and anyone else you know! Please return the petition to us
so we can send it off to the Home Office - our address is at the
bottom of the petition.
2. Sign the online petition and promote this to
your friends and contacts via your emails, blog or personal
website.
3. Write to Liam Byrne, the Minister of State for Borders
and Immigration within the Home Office, copying the letter to us and any
reply you receive. (Email address for copies: revandy@mccmanchester.co.uk Postal
address for copies: MCC Manchester, PO Box 19, Manchester, M34
3XF.)
[Background information on Mr Byrne:
Liam Byrne joined the Labour Party when
he was 15 and was elected to the seat of Birmingham Hodge Hill in the
by-election in July 2004. He lives in Birmingham with his wife Sarah and
three children. Liam was educated at Manchester University where he
graduated with first class honours and was elected leader of the Student's
Union, and Harvard Business School where he was a Fulbright Scholar. He
advised the Labour Party on general election organisation between 1996-7
before managing Labour's national business campaign. Liam began his
career at Andersen Consulting and worked for NM Rothschilds before
starting a venture-backed technology company in 2000. Liam is the author
of Local Government Transformed (1996); Information Age Government (1998);
New Strategies for Full Employment (2001); and Britain in 2020
(forethought, 2003). He was also co-editor of Reinventing Government Again
(2004). Liam is a member of Amicus, the Christian Socialist
Movement, the Fabian Society and was formerly an Associate Fellow of the
Social Market Foundation. You may wish to bring in his
Christian commitment and background in student politics in your own
letter. His own website makes it clear that he doesn't want to be
contacted about immigration issues due to "strict parliamentary
protocols" but it is entirely appropriate to write to the minister to
express concerns about how policy is being enacted. He has a strong
record on voting for gay rights.]
Please ensure you put FAO Liam Byrne,
Minister in the subject line. You could base the content of
your email message on the sample letter provided via the
link above.
Or fax your letter to him on 0870 336
9034,
or write to him at:
Mr Liam Byrne
MP Minister of State for Borders and Immigration Home Office 3rd
Floor, Peel Buildings 2 Marsham St London SW1 4DF
4.
You may want a poster - we have them in A5,
A4 and A3
size. These could be used at Pride stalls (the larger posters) or
given to people to explain Prossy's plight (the smaller ones).
Additional photos in a large format can be downloaded via the thumbnails
shown below.
5. You can download Prossy's story as an
mp3
file(9 Mb), and download a copy of her video(wmv format, 33 Mb), by
right-clicking on each of the preceding underlined links and
choosing 'Save target as...' You can
also promote the YouTube version of her video to your friends and
contacts by directing them to this link: http://www.youtube.com/v/H3doJs98PD0
Options to embed the YouTube video within your own webpage or blog are
given on the YouTube page.
