The 26-year-old Albanian is one of seven asylum seekers who have launched legal challenges at the last minute to avoid a violent flight to the East African country. Others include three Iranians, an Iraqi and a Vietnamese asylum seeker. They all arrived in the United Kingdom in small boats in mid-May. Suspected trafficking victims must fully investigate their cases before they can leave the UK. Activists block road from detention center in an attempt to stop Rwanda flight – video The Albanian said: “I was exploited by traffickers in Albania for six months. I was trafficked to France. “I did not know in which country I was going.” He said that when he was put on a small boat in northern France, he was told that other traffickers would be waiting for him when he arrived in the United Kingdom. “I am in a very bad mental state. I knew nothing about Rwanda. I have never been to Africa and I do not think it will be safe for me. I can not return to Albania because I will be killed by traffickers there. The only safe place for me is the United Kingdom. “How can they send an Albanian to Africa?” The man said he had considered suicide instead of being put on the plane. One of the Iranians to be flown said: “I was expecting support from the UK government, but I did not receive any, so I ask the British people to support me. I have a son in the UK, but if I am sent to Rwanda I will not be able to see him. I’m very stressed and both my son and I have a very bad mental health condition. My family in Iran is very worried about what is happening to me in the United Kingdom. “I always thought there was justice here, but I did not find justice in this country.” Boris Johnson says laws ‘may need to change’ to advance Rwanda’s plan – video A second Iranian, who is also scheduled to be deported, said: “I have been pursuing peaceful, democratic policies against the Iranian regime. The government executed my cousin and detained and tortured my uncle for four years. “If I had lived in Iran, I would have been executed, or at least sentenced to 30 years in prison. I left a brutal regime. I am not a criminal. I want the UK government to know that I just want to live in peace. “Because of the good diplomatic relationship between Iran and Rwanda, I’m worried that if it is sent to Rwanda, the Rwandan government will send me back to Iran.” Subscribe to the First Edition, our free daily newsletter – every morning at 7 p.m. BST Another deportee, a 25-year-old Iraqi Kurd, said he had left Iraq after receiving threats from relatives close to the government. He came to the UK because his sister lives there. Of the 53 people on board the boat, 14 were detained while the rest were placed in hotels. Eventually he found a lawyer who filed an urgent application for precautionary measures. He is a potential victim of trafficking. He said a group of six detainees, all of whom were to be flown on Tuesday night, were being held at the Kνlnbrook’s detention center near Heathrow Airport. “No one can sleep. We all have nightmares if we close our eyes. “We are all mentally exhausted,” he said. “We all feel so bad that we are being sent to Rwanda by force. It’s too much to think about. My message to anyone who hears it is: “Please stop the plane.”
In the United Kingdom and Ireland, you can contact the Samaritans at 116 123 or by email at [email protected] or [email protected] In the US, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 1-800-273-8255. In Australia, Lifeline Crisis Support is 13 11 14. You can find other international helplines at www.befrienders.org.
