New report documents brutal experience of refugees deported to DR Congo

A shocking new report documents the post return experience of 17 Congolese men and women who were forcibly removed to DRCongo from the UK between 2006 and 2011. Eleven of these were clients of Justice First a charity working with refused asylum seekers in the Tees Valley. Nine children were removed with their parents or with their mother.

The returnees trusted the integrity of those associated with Justice First and confided details of their post return experience to them.

A pattern of imprisonment and ill treatment emerged which was corroborated by similar reports from other UK civil society groups that had maintained contact with clients.

A visit was made to DRC in 2011 by the author to verify the current situation of the returnees still living there. At least six returnees had fled the country and others were found to be still living in hiding, fearful of re-arrest and unable to live with their families because of threats. A Congolese Immigration official was interviewed in 2011. He explained that, when UK Immigration passed on the names of those to be removed, the files in the possession of the Immigration authorities were studied to see if the returnee had a 'problem' with the state, such as breach of state security. In such a case the secret services would be alerted to the.

Men and women allege that, after arrest at the airport or at home, they were imprisoned and interrogated about their activities in the UK. Three returnees were tortured to make them confess to their involvement in an attack on one of President Kabila's Ministers in London in 2006 and to name others. The refused asylum seekers were considered to be traitors who had not only betrayed their country but also their President by talking about the human rights violations they had suffered before they had fled the DRC.

They were subjected to ill treatment which amounted to torture: severe beating, electrocution, rape and sexual abuse. Returnees were held without access to a lawyer in prisons where conditions are recognised as breaching human rights conventions. "It's was an awful experience: very bad condition of life because have to pee and to eat, to sleep at the same room and on the floor. No food was been given and sometimes we were forced to drink our own human urine and were beating [sic]." (Male returnee)

Six of the nine children were imprisoned in the DRC. Three siblings were held with their mother and became dehydrated within days. Three other children were held separately whilst their mothers were 'ill treated'.

'Unsafe Return' finds that UKBA's assurance to returnees that it is safe for them to return home and that the authorities have no further interest in them is not sound.

To read the full report on the Justice First website go to http://justicefirst.org.uk/

To sign a petition urging the government to reconsider its policy on deportation of asylum seekers to the DR Congo see: http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/24741