Sanctuary for Nabi Mehrabi

To return this fragile young man – who is already suffering from Post Traumatic Stress – to a war-torn country, where he knows no-one and will be unable to support himself, would be cruel in the extreme.

Nabi Mehrabi is a young man originally from Afghanistan, who has been living in Wales for almost three years. When he arrived, he was only 15 years old, an orphan seeking sanctuary. Now Nabi is at risk of being sent away from the only home he knows, to a war-torn Afghanistan he left at the age of 10. He needs your help.

Nabi’s family sought refuge in Pakistan in 2001 following the murder of his older brother by a local ‘commander’. He was orphaned when his whole family were killed in the Pakistan earthquake of October 2005. With no one to turn to in Afghanistan and no one to care for him in Pakistan, he managed to find the money to travel to the UK with the help of a family friend.

What followed was a nine-month nightmare for a young man who was already traumatised and grieving for his family. Treated brutally by a succession of agents, he was almost starved, forced to sleep sitting up, unable to even wash himself or change his clothes. He describes the experience as terrifying.

When Nabi arrived in the UK in January 2007, he was still only 15 years old. The Home Office refused his claim for asylum and argued that he was over 18; a position they continued to hold despite a very clear ruling by the AIT Judge in June 2007 that he was telling the truth about his age. Swansea Social Services subsequently assessed him as 15 and supported him on this basis.

The fact that the Home Office did not accept his age meant that Nabi was never granted Discretionary Leave to Remain in the UK, as unaccompanied minors generally are. This now puts him at a great disadvantage as he seeks to be allowed to remain in the UK on compassionate grounds.

Nabi is a kind, thoughtful young man, who was severely traumatised by the loss of his family. A local couple were so touched by him that they tried to adopt him formally but, as he had by then reached 17, it was too late to do so. However the strong family relationship he has established with them has continued and helped him become both happier and more stable.

Despite these strong family-like connections, the Home Office now say that because he was in the UK “unlawfully” he had no right to establish a private or family life here, and that sending him back to Afghanistan would not therefore be a breach of his Human Rights. Had he been granted Discretionary Leave to Remain as an unaccompanied minor – as he clearly should have been in line with the assessments of both the AIT Judge and Swansea Social Services – this argument would not stand.

Nabi has no close family or social connections in Afghanistan, a country where he has not lived since he was 10 years old. His only family there is an uncle who he has had no contact with for over a year, and who has warned him not to return to Afghanistan as both his and his uncle’s lives would be at risk if he did so. The only family Nabi now has is in South Wales. The only home he has is South Wales.

To return this fragile young man who is already suffering from Post Traumatic Stress to a war-torn country, where he knows no-one and will be unable to support himself, would be cruel in the extreme.

Those of us who know Nabi know him as a talented, sensitive young man with a great deal to offer to the UK. He works very hard at college and has learnt English to a high level. He speaks 3 other languages. He is a popular and valued volunteer with Oxfam and has integrated well into his community. He has shown, by his dedication to studying and improving himself, that he would be a great asset to the UK, particularly working in one of the caring professions, if he were allowed to remain.

How you can help:

1) Please send e-mails or faxes to the Home Secretary, Rt. Hon. Alan Johnson MP asking him to exercise his discretion in this case and allow Nabi to remain in the UK. Download “Model letter” (Nabi Mehrabi-SSHD.doc) which you can copy or amend or use as the basis to write your own letter (please remember to include Nabi’s Home Office Reference: M1346884)

Fax:020 8760 3132 (00 44 20 8760 3132 from outside UK)

Emails: Privateoffice.external@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk

UKBApublicenquiries@UKBA.gsi.gov.uk

“CIT – Treat Official” CITTO@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk

2) Download and print NabiMehrabi-Petition.doc and get friends and supporters to sign it.

Please return completed petitions to:

Sanctuary for Nabi

c/o Flat 4 Brockley Court

103 St Helen’s Avenue Swansea SA1 4NW

email: Keith M Ross – Sanctuary for Nabi – keithmalcolm@ntlworld.com