UPDATE Dec 2nd: GOOD NEWS! Mustafa was released from Campsfield House IRC yesterday and arrived back in Nottingham late last night. He was released with nowhere to stay, but his friends were waiting. His campaign and Mustafa send many, many big thank yous’ to all the people who have signed petitions, faxed letters, been out in the cold getting signatures and letters signed. He still needs the signatures so he asks that people continue to circulate the petition around their contacts.

UPDATE: Mustafa’s removal flight was cancelled but please sign the petition and continue to email and/or send faxes [attachment=20] to the Home Office as this may only be a temporary delay to his removal (Click on read more for full text of email).

Support the campaign to prevent the second attempt by the government to remove Mustafa Abdulrahim Mustafa, Sudanese cameraman, from the UK. Mustafa Abdulrahim Mustafa from Sudan is detained in Campsfield House IRC and due to be forcibly removed from the UK on Tuesday 2nd December 2008 on BMI flight BD 0997 from Heathrow Terminal 1, @ 16.00 to Khartoum. Please sign the petition, and forward the petition address to others:
http://www.petitiononline.com/MustafaM/petition.html
Click on read more for other things you can do.

UPDATE: Mustafa’s removal flight was cancelled but please sign the petition and continue to email and/or send faxes [attachment=20] to the Home Office as this may only be a temporary delay to his removal.

MODEL EMAIL/LETTER/FAX as follows:

Rt. Hon Jacqui Smith, MP
Secretary of State for the Home Office
3rd Floor, Peel Buildings
2 Marsham St
London SW1 4DF
Fax: 020 8760 3132
Email: indpublicenquiries@ind.homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk

Dear Ms Smith,

Re: Mustafa Abdulrahim Mustafa, Home Office Ref: M1247034, Port ref: DEU/454546
I have made myself familiar with the case of Mustafa Abdulrahim Mustafa and would like you to use your discretion to prevent the removal of Mustafa from the UK on Tuesday 2nd December 2008.
Mustafa was a camera man in Sudan, where he was employed to work in the media unit of the Sudanese army, and earlier, for a television station in Sudan. His ID as a camera man/journalist were handed to the Home Office on his arrival in the UK. Mustafa was required to film military operations and as part of his work, he overheard conversations from a senior military officer (rank of Major General) which caused him some concern. This was in 1997 and the senior ranking officer was talking about the killing of civilians in the military operations in the South. Questioning his senior officer, Mustafa was verbally abused ? both his ethnicity and his profession, and he was then dismissed from the Unit. At about this time another cameraman went missing after questioning the scenes that they were required to film.
Mustafa was detained and tortured for six months in one of the regular and ad hoc ?ghost houses?. ?Ghost houses? sprang up everywhere. Any ordinary house could be commandeered to be used as a small prison or place of imprisonment and torture. This is a normal tactic for silencing the local citizens, as everyone learns that anyone can disappear. Mustafa was detained in a room in which he could touch both walls with his arms outstretched, was required to sleep on a bare concrete floor, not permitted visitors or legal advice, and was beaten severely on many occasions. Mustafa is now having treatment for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, suffers from ongoing pain in his legs, and has visual impairment in his left eye after blood collected in the eye after a beating.
Mustafa was released after six months and threatened. He left the area and tried to relocate from Khartoum ( where his family had moved when he was a child) to Al Fashir to be with extended family. Mustafa is of dual ethnicity ? his father is from the Masseleit tribe and his Mother, Dinka. Subsequently, Mustafa became caught up in the military siege of Tawila in Darfur. Many homes were raided as Government militia raided homes looking for anyone they suspected of being in opposition to Bashirs Government. Thousands of people were thus ransacked and raided, rounded up and imprisoned on the most spurious of reasons.
Mustafa was not at home when his Aunts house was raided, but his camera equipment was confiscated, and so too was footage that he had recorded in Darfur which was to be passed to the Justice and Equality Movement for smuggling out of the country.A neighbour recommended to Mustafa that he leave Sudan.
Mustaf is a very highly respected member of the Sudanese community in Nottingham. He is a gentle and kindly man, generous with the very little that he has, to help and assist others. His experiences and what he has witnessed continue to affect his ability to sleep or to rest. Yet under his coaching the Sudanese went into the semi final of the International football league in Nottingham.
We believe that Mustafa is at risk from the regime of President Basher. We believe that what he has witnessed makes him a target to be silenced. We ask that you do not remove Mr Mustafa.
Yours Sincerely,

.

Name:
Address:
City: Postcode: Country:
Date:

Support the campaign to prevent the second attempt by the government to remove Mustafa Abdulrahim Mustafa, Sudanese cameraman, from the UK. Mustafa Abdulrahim Mustafa from Sudan is detained in Campsfield House IRC and due to be forcibly removed from the UK on Tuesday 2nd December 2008 on BMI flight BD 0997 from Heathrow Terminal 1, @ 16.00 to Khartoum. Please sign the petition, and forward the petition address to others:
http://www.petitiononline.com/MustafaM/petition.html

See below for other things you can do. Please remember to include his Home Office ref: M1247034 and let the campaign know of faxes/emails sent:
Friends of Mustafa c/o omer_babikker@hotmail.co.uk
or friendsofmustafa.campaign@gmail.com
See previous info and download model letters (but note change of immigration minister to Phil Woolas):
http://www.nobordersnottingham.org.uk/index.php?newsid=150
http://www.nobordersnottingham.org.uk/index.php?newsid=151
—
Mustafa Belongs to Nottingham

Mustafa Abdulrahim Mustafa from Sudan is detained in Campsfield House IRC and due to be forcibly removed from the UK on Tuesday 2nd December 2008 on BMI flight BD 0997 from Heathrow Terminal 1, @ 16.00 to Khartoum.

This is the second attempt to remove Mustafa this year, and the third attempt to date. Mustafa believes his life will be in danger if he is returned to Sudan. If you speak to his Community in Nottingham you will see, also, how desperately they believe this too.

Mustafa first arrived in the UK in 2004. He is a Sudanese African of dual Dinka/Massaleit heritage – his mother is from the Dinka tribe of Southern Sudan, and his father is from the Masseleit tribe in the West of Sudan. For family reasons he grew up in Khartoum, where he was recruited alongside many other men, to be trained to work in two man crews as a War Correspondents. Mustafa worked as a War Correspondent and camera man, employed in the Media Unit of the Sudanese Army. The programme that they worked on was a propaganda exercise by the Government. All Sudanese remember this programme: FI SAHAATUL FIDAA. In 1997 he lost his job after overhearing a high ranking military man (Major General), who was in charge of media in the operation zone, discussing the deaths of civilians during military operations. Mustafa questioned what he had heard and was insulted and verbally abused before being dismissed from his job. Another television War correspondent/cameraman disappeared from the same film unit at about this time.

Mustafa continued his filming work, making short films with students critical of the regime. The films were parodies of the regime and produced for distribution abroad. The smuggled films were discovered and Mustafa was arrested and detained for 6 months, during which time he was tortured: beaten and humiliated, confined to a space in which he could reach both walls with his outstretched arms, sleeping on a bare concrete floor. His left eye is seriously damaged due to the beatings during that time, and he suffers from pains in his legs.

On release, Mustafa was warned that if he continued to make films he would be shot on sight. He was told that he could not leave Sudan.

In 2004 the Sudanese army and the Arab militia attacked Tawila in Darfur, near to where Mustafa was staying in Al Fashir. The town was under military siege, with an arrest campaign of anyone opposed, or suspected of opposition, to the Government, including students and others. Ghost houses sprang up everywhere (these are houses turned into torture centres and prisons). Your neighbours house could be a ghost house. They were everywhere. Passing by with his camera, Mustafa heard the shouts and screams coming from within one of the houses and managed to film what he saw by using a zoom camera lens. A couple of months later, after the attack on Tawila, thousands of homes were searched, people were arrested and disappeared. Everyone was accused of supporting the Darfuri in the war in Darfur. Mustafa?s’ home was searched and his footage of a film that he was making about the atrocities in Darfur, (prepared for the Justice and Equality Movement) was seized.
Mustafa had not been at home during the search, but a neighbour warned him that his camera had been seized and advised him to leave.

Mustafa is a gentle reflective man, with a passion for football. Under his guidance his team went through to the semi finals in a local international Football league this summer. He has suffered psychologically because of the events and incidents that he has observed, and his fears that he may be returned to Sudan. He suffers from post traumatic stress disorder and is treated at the local hospital for this. He also suffers from problems with his vision, and pain in his legs.
Those that know Mustafa know him to be a gentleman: an honest, considerate and kindly man, who does his best, within his limited means, to care for others in the Nottingham Community who are suffering from destitution and fear.

Please take the time to help Mustafa

1) Please send urgent faxes to Nigel Turner, Chief Executive Officer BMI Airways, asking that BMI should not facilitate Home Office enforcement policies, Download ‘model letter’ you can copy/amend/write your own version, if you do so, please remember to include the following details: Mustafa Abdulrahim Mustafa, due to be forcibly removed from the UK on Tuesday 2nd December on BMI flight BD 0997 from Heathrow Terminal 1, @ 16:00hrs, flying to Khartoum
Fax: Fax:: 01332 854875 from outside the UK: + 44 1332 854875

2) Ring BMI Head Office and ask to speak to the CEO, Nigel Turner (Tel: 01332 854000). You probably won’t be able to speak to him personally, but you should be able to leave a message, at least to say that you have sent a fax.

3) Please send urgent faxes/emails immediately to Rt. Hon. Phil Woolas, Minister for Immigration, asking that Mustafa Abdulrahim Mustafa, be granted protection in the UK. Please use the attached ‘model letter’ which you can copy/amend/write your own version, if you do so, please remember to include his HO ref: M1247034.
Fax: 020 8760 3132(00 44 20 8760 3132 if you are faxing from outside UK)
Email: Privateoffice.external@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk
Mustafa?s petition may be signed at http://www.petitiononline.com/MustafaM/petition.html
Please let the campaign know of faxes/emails sent:
Friends of Mustafa
C/o omer_babikker@hotmail.co.uk or friendsofmustafa.campaign@gmail.com

End of Bulletin:
Source for this page:
Friends of Mustafa