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The Home Office backed down and Gus is finally safe. This victory belongs to every person who refused to let them deport a scared kid back into the hands of the people who murdered his brother. Stay vigilant because we have to keep fighting until the system stops putting lives …

August 22, 2011

Save Gus

Save Gus

🏆 Won — 253 supporters Verified

Final supporters

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Michelle H.
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Lynne B.
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Rhiannon K.
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Sam F.
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Louise S.
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Maynard O.
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Tina O.
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Scott P.
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Meryn I.
+243 more
Started by Anonymous 15 years, 5 months ago

Gus was born in a small village in Southern Afghanistan, where he lived with his Mother, Father, two brothers and sister.  When Gus was 4 years old his father was murdered, leaving his older brother, Wahid-Ullah to look after the family and farm.

When Wahid-Ullah was 19 years old the Taliban insisted that he join them. When he refused to join them a group of men abducted him in the middle of the night. Gus returned home to find his mother in tears and his brother missing.

They found Wahid-Ullah's body outside their house a month later.

Within the week the Talliban contacted his mother notifying her that they wanted Gus. This time she didn’t wait until they came for her son. With the help of the villagers she fled with Gus and paid an agent to take him away from Afghanistan. She assured him that he would be safe and that people would help him. After a horrific 2 month journey he arrived in the UK and was handed into the authorities where he was given leave to remain.

The UK adheres to the European Convention on Human Rights, which prevents us sending someone to a country where there is a real risk that they will be exposed to torture, or inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. - Home Office UKBA

We pride ourselves on being a civilized society; a society that believes in basic human rights. If Gus is sent back to Afghanistan he risks inhuman treatment at the very least.

Gus is currently studying for his GCSE’s at St Dunstan’s Community School. He is a hard working modal student, who has been elected to be a Deputy Head of House, Senior Prefect and Mentor for younger children in the school.  He is an empathetic young person who is always eager to help others.

“I now feel my situation to be a very valuable asset, as I can relate to new students coming into the school and can spot the signs of somebody being lost or lonely. I have overcome many issues in my time here and really enjoy St Dunstan’s, I have made  many friends and have a good rapport with my elders.”    - Gus

Gus didn’t just learn the language in a short space of time, but the culture, the way of life. His whole demeanor has been affected by becoming a part of our community.

Gus is keen to complete his education, but on the 1st October he will become 18 and has been told he must return to Afghanistan. Sending him back will inevitably make him vulnerable and easily targeted. It is unbelievable that a young person who has escaped from such devastation should then be deported to a Country that threatens his freedom and life.

He is a member of our community; he belongs here and deserves to stay safe under the protection of our Country.

We believe that Gus has a right to remain in the UK; to complete his education; to rebuild his life. 

Updates

Reached 250 supporters

June 26, 2011

June 18, 2011

The groundswell of support is finally forcing people to pay attention to this cruelty. The Home Office thinks they can quietly ship a child back to his death but they are dead wrong because this momentum is proving they cannot hide from us.

Reached 100 supporters

February 17, 2011

6 Comments

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Linda Davis
15 years ago Featured

Keep him safe here. He has nowhere to go back to.

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Mark Espinoza
15 years ago Featured

Absolutely disgusting that the gov would even consider this. He is just a kid who lost his whole family to those monsters.

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Sarah Kennedy
15 years ago Featured

this poor boy has been through enough already. send him back is basically a death sentence. let him stay.

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David Crawford
15 years ago Featured

Seriously? After everything he went through? The UK needs to do the right thing for once and show some heart.

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Emma Klein
15 years ago Featured

i cannot imagine how scared he is. let him stay home.

J
John Fisher
15 years ago Featured

Don't send him to his death. Common sense needs to prevail here. Gus deserves a chance at a normal life away from all that violence.

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