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| Notts Uni Detainee Innocent But Still Facing Deportation |
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24/05/2008
Hicham Yezza, a popular, respected and valued former PhD student and current employee of the University of Nottingham faces deportation to Algeria on Sunday 1st June. This follows his unjust arrest under the Terrorism Act 2000 on Wednesday 14th May alongside Rizwaan Sabir and their release without charge six days later.
On his release Hicham was re-arrested under immigration legislation and, due to confusion over his visa documentation, charged with offences relating to his immigration status. He sought legal advice and representation over these matters whilst in custody. On Friday 23rd May, he was suddenly served with a deportation notice and moved to an immigration detention centre. The deportation is being urgently appealed.
Hicham has been resident in the U.K. for 13 years, during which time he has studied for both undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in Nottingham. He is an active member of debating societies, a prominent member of an arts and theatre group, and has been writing editorials for the Student Peace Movement magazine for the last five years. He is well known and popular on campus amongst the university community and has established himself as a voracious reader and an authority on literature and music. An application for British citizenship was underway, and he had been planning to make his yearly trip to Wales for the Hay Festival when he was suddenly arrested.
Alf Nilsen, a research fellow at in the school of Politics and International
Relations says "This is a clear case of the police trying to cover up their
completely unjustified targetting of of these two innocent men by making
Hicham look guilty by deporting him. Hicham is entirely innocent and the
rushed and heavy-handed way in which the authorities are dealing with this
matter is outrageous."
Contact: Sam Walton 07814683906, samdreddude@hotmail.com; or Musab Younis: 078901018073, musabz@gmail.com |
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