Fair Justice for Bavwidi Mpanzu ('Djoly')
Feb 2010
Every day in South Yorkshire people seeking asylum are arrested and criminalised for trying to support themselves and others.
On January 28th Bavwidi Mpanzu (or 'Djoly' as his friends know him) was arrested for working illegally. He was sent to Doncaster prison where he remains, waiting for sentencing at Sheffield Crown Court on March 5th.
Since arriving from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in 2001 Djoly has fought for his right to asylum – for 9 years! At the same time he has always supported others in Sheffield: setting up the Africa Time organisation, promoting awareness about African refugees; volunteering at the Centre for HIV and Sexual Health and running a counselling and support service through his role as a pastor in his church organisation.
Now it's time to support Djoly! A campaign to support him has been set up to stop him being imprisoned for working – and to stop any deportation that could follow. The petition in his support says "Here is an example of an asylum seeker forced into illegal working because of long delays in UKBA decision making and the continuous pressure of surviving on minimal income. What we need is fair justice".
Support campaigns for asylum seekers' right to work: TUC campaign
Sign the 'Let Them Work' pledge at Pledge at e-activist.com
Latest news is that campaign meetings for Djoly are being held every Wednesday 6.30pm at Scotia Works, Leadmill Road, Sheffield S1 4SE. To check progress contact Africa Time for more information: Dama Safari: 07904 222467 or Pascal Bongongo: 07908 321788 or James Kazadi: 07961 761899
