Iraqi journalist can stay thanks to union and campaigning paper
A journalist who fears he would be murdered if forced to return to Iraq has won a 10-month battle to live in the UK. Mohamad Star Saeed of Bury (above) fled to the UK after terrorists kidnapped his brother, killed two of his colleagues and threatened to kill him and the rest of his family in Kirkuk in the north of the country.
The Home Office wanted to send him back, but, with the support of the NUJ and his local newspaper, the Bury Times, Mohamad won permission to stay in the UK for at least five years.
In May 2005, Mohamad’s friend Saman Abdullah was executed by gunmen, shortly before another of his colleagues was also assassinated. Last August, Jihad U Tawheed, the organisation that kidnapped and killed Liverpudlian Ken Bigley, kidnapped his 12-year-old brother Bilal, who is still missing and is feared dead.
They then ordered Mohamad to help them kidnap the daughter of the local mayor, who was a family friend. Mohamad ignored the order and fled to England.
The Home Office rejected Mohamad’s asylum request, saying his story was hard to believe.
After speaking to the Bury Times in March, Mohamad got help from the NUJ. At a tribunal hearing in Manchester. The judge ruled Mohamad’s life would be at risk in Iraq and granted him asylum.
Due to his technical and linguistic skills, Mohamad, a television presenter, expects to begin work in the media as soon as documentation allows. He said: “I am still getting over this wonderful decision and then I will decide what to do next. I want to thank the Bury Times for bringing my case to light and the NUJ.”
NUJ northern regional organiser Chris Morley said: “We are absolutely delighted that Mohamad is now safe and doesn’t have to worry now about going back into a situation where his life is under threat.”
The NUJ, the UN Refugee Agency and the Information Centre on Asylum and Refugees have launched new guidelines on reporting refugees and asylum seekers. Electronic versions are available at http://tinyurl.com/46g2tb