Sudanese writer faces imminent deportation

(WiPC/IFEX) – The WiPC of International PEN is concerned over the imminent risk of deportation from the United Kingdom (UK) faced by Sudanese writer Mende Nazer. Mende Nazer, now aged 22, claims that she was forced to work as a slave in the London house of a Sudanese diplomat after having been brought to the […]

(WiPC/IFEX) – The WiPC of International PEN is concerned over the imminent risk of deportation from the United Kingdom (UK) faced by Sudanese writer Mende Nazer.

Mende Nazer, now aged 22, claims that she was forced to work as a slave in the London house of a Sudanese diplomat after having been brought to the UK with false papers, and has written a book about her experiences, which has become a best-seller in Germany. The diplomat in question, Abdel al Koronky, denies her claims, and is said to have produced cheerful letters Nazer had allegedly written home. Nazer has applied for asylum, claiming that she would be under unacceptable risk if forced to return to Sudan. On 17 October 2002, however, the Home Office rejected her application. She now has the opportunity to appeal to the British authorities. If her appeal is unsuccessful she will be required to leave the UK.

While unable to verify her claims, International PEN believes that Nazer would be in grave danger if forced to return to Sudan as a result of her criticism of the Sudanese authorities in her book. The organisation therefore calls on the British authorities to accept her application for asylum.

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Immigration & Nationality Directorate
Lunar House
40, Wellesley Road
Croydon
CR9 2BY
United Kingdom
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