Lawyers fighting for asylum for gay Leeds woman at risk of deportation to Uganda (Leeds Live) (1 June 2018)

A Ugandan national has had her removal halted after she gained more than 8500 signatures through a petition brought by LGBT campaigners and the Home Office agreed to give her legal team at Duncan Lewis time to prepare fresh claims. Ms Namuzungu fears prison and persecution were she to be removed to Uganda since being gay is considered a criminal offence in her home country. She has instructed Marina Khan, a solicitor in the immigration department, to prepare representations in support of her fresh claim for asylum in light of new evidence. Marina states: “The client exhausted all appeal rights in the UK and thus the Home Office intended to remove the client from the UK. Our client sought our assistance on 24 May 2018 and on 25 May 2018 we were instructed that removal directions were set to Uganda at 21.55hrs on 29 May 2018. Our client required our assistance to send further submissions as a fresh asylum claim owing to a risk under Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights and the Refugee Convention. As we were instructed within 24 hours of her removal representations were submitted to the Home Office seeking a deferral of removal based on Home Office guidance on judicial reviews and injunctions published on 21 May 2018. The new guidance recognises that: ‘Legal representatives need access to relevant documents and case papers in order to properly advise their client.’ We were of the view that the Home Office’s failure to provide the documents would render the removal unlawful as her asylum claim is on the basis that she would be at risk on return because of her sexual orientation. It is evident from Uganda’s country information that homosexual activity is illegal and not tolerated in Uganda. It is deemed illegal and those found to be LGBT persons can face discrimination and legal restrictions in Uganda. We are currently in the process of preparing detailed representations in support of the client’s fresh claim for asylum in light of her new evidences to be considered by the Home Office.”