Family from Liverpool held in chains and caged at Yarls Wood Detention Centre face kidnap, torture a

Added: (Wed Mar 28 2007)

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Family from Liverpool held in chains and caged at Yarls Wood Detention Centre face kidnap, torture and death if they are deported.

At this time a family is being held in chains and caged in Yarls Wood Detention Centre. The Chowdhury family, from Liverpool, were taken against their will in a surprise move by the Immigration Authorities on Tuesday morning (27th March 2007) and briefly held at Reliance House in Liverpool before being quickly moved to Yarls Wood Detention Centre.
Mrs Chowdhury managed to make a brief telephone call today (28th March 2007) to Ms Pat Towey, Deputy Head of Childwall school, where the two children – Ishtiak and Nazifa aged 13 have been attending. Before the telephone call was cut off Ishtiak was heard screaming frantically for help and shouting that he was being held in chains in a cage – he shouted that he was going to kill himself.
The Chowdhury family fled India due to political persecution and the kidnapping and threat to the lives of the two children, Ishtiak and Nazifa. Mr Chowdhury died while in Liverpool and was interred in Allerton Cemetery. Due to the breakdown in the process of the application for asylum following Mr Chowdhury’s death, the authorities used this hiatus to action the deportation of the remainder his family. The brutal and unexpected seizure of this family happened quickly and without warning.
While in Liverpool Mrs Chowdhury became involved in a great deal of voluntary work with charities and local schools. Ishtiak was studying for A levels at Childwall School, Liverpool, where his sister Nazifa also attended in year 8. Ishtiak visited his father’s grave every weekend.
Mrs Chowdhury suffers with a severe abdominal condition and Nazifa was due to attend Liverpool’s Alder Hey Hospital next week for important medical treatment. All medical treatment and medication have been removed from this family.
Neighbours, friends and fellow pupils of the children are shocked and distressed by the brutal way in which this quiet, almost timid and law abiding family have been treated.
It is believed that the family will be deported on the British Airways flight from Heathrow to Bangladesh on Sunday afternoon (1st April 2007).

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Further information:
Asylum Link, Liverpool – Telephone: 0151 709 7557
Yarls Wood Immigration Removal Centre - Telephone: 01234 821000 Fax: 01234 821152
Childwall School, Liverpool – Telephone: 0151 722 1561 Fax: 0151 737 1698
Reliance House, Immigration and Nationality Directorate, Liverpool – Telephone: 0151 237 0405