A victory for Marjorie. A home for Sweetny.

On Friday 13th, in the Asylum and Immigration Tribunal in Islington, London, a victory for common sense and common decency was won: Marjorie Nshemere Ojule was granted the right to be reunited with her daughter, Sweetny, after 7 years of separation, winning her appeal against the Home Office under Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights (the right to family life). The decision was met with great joy and many tears.

Barring a Home Office appeal (which the tribunal judge said would be ‘very unlikely’ to succeed), this decision means that Sweetny could be home within weeks – reuniting a family separated by persecution and giving Sweetny the family life she has longed for and deserves. It’s a victory for Marjorie and for Sweetny – and for a community that has united around this case in their determination to see justice done.

“I was crying, everyone was around me crying too,” Marjorie said after the hearing. “The best present would be to have Sweetny home for Christmas”.

Among the many people who Marjorie would like to thank for their continued support are Yoni Bentovin and Emiliy Harris of Indivision Films, whose video evidence helped establish the emotional truth behind this case – an example of the power of storytelling to make a difference for refugee women and their families. You can see their film about Marjorie’s fight for Sweetny on The Testimony Project website: www.testimonyproject.org/video/marjories-video-testimony

Marjorie would also like to thank Natasha Walter – her ‘rock and support’ – and Women for Refugee Women; Ben Fedder who travelled to Uganda to obtain footage used in the appeal and testified in court about the truth of Marjorie’s case; Christine Bacon and everyone at Actors for Human Rights, and her legal team – barrister Allan Briddock of Mitre House Chambers and solicitors Sutovic and Hartigan, in particular Henry for always going the extra mile.

“And of course, there are my fellow women asylum seekers who have done so much to help me” says Marjorie.

Marjorie would also like to pass on her thanks to the many dozens of you who sent messages of support which she read before the hearing. “I was crying at how many people were thinking of me” Marjorie said, “it made such a difference”.

But the story is not over yet.

Two obstacles remain before Marjorie can be reunited with Sweetny. First, the Home Office could appeal the decision. We will keep you posted on this.

Second is the issue of money.

It will cost £700-£900 for Sweetny’s air ticket and the associated costs of bringing her home to Marjorie. Please, if you’ve been moved by Marjorie’s story, or if you just want to speak out in a small way against the injustices of current immigration policy, give some money. Today we’ve received the first £100. Anything you can add would make an enormous difference.

Send an email to [email protected] pledging the amount and we’ll get back to you with details of how to get the money to Marjorie. Every penny you give will go directly to Marjorie and Sweetny.

Let’s get Sweetny home for Christmas.

Holly Pelham
Director
The Testimony Project

+ 44 (0) 7989 540 704
www.testimonyproject.org