PRESS RELEASE

TCAR has just sent out this press release:

Incident at Heathrow

'Raul Ally, an 18 year old Somali refugee from Tyneside, is currently being physically manhandled in Heathrow airport, in a forced deportation to Tanzania, a country he has never even been to before. Raul is due to be deported on Kenya Airways flight KQ101 at 8pm this evening. Raul is obviously in a distressed state and is causing a scene.

Raul (Home office reference number A1359895 detainee number 6139202) has been on hunger strike in Colnbrook immigration prison for nearly a week. He is not in a fit state to travel. Colnbrook immigration prison has been at the heart of another immigration scandal this week in a report in the Guardian on Sunday. Khalid Shahzad was deemed unfit to be detained and hours after been released he died. This happened just two weeks ago in Colnbrook.

See http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2013/apr/14/asylum-seeker-death-investigated for more information

The following numbers may have up to date information 

Heathrow airport policing unit 0203 276 1235

Kenya Airlines: Central Office: 020 8283 1800 Heathrow Office: 020 8759 7366 

Or Home office (Immigration) 020 7035 4848'

If you have any time to phone press to flag up the incident below are some numbers.

National press:

Daily Mirror 0800282591 mirrornews@mirror.co.uk
Guardian 02033532000 national@guardian.co.uk and helen.pidd@guardian.co.uk (IMPORTANT to email her)
Observer news@observer.co.uk
Independent 02070052000 newseditor@independent.co.uk
Telegraph 02079312000 dtnews@telegraph.co.uk

Local press:

Northern Echo 01325505065
Journal 01912016446
Chronicle 01912016446 and 01912327500
Sunday Sun 01912016299
Gazette 01642234255
Sunderland Echo 01915015800
Metro Radio 01914883188
Capital FM 01133085150
Real Radio 01914407555
NE1FM 01912401025
Spark 01915152200
Spice FM 01912739888
Tyne Tees 08448815156 

Metro 02036150600 news.london@ukmetro.co.uk
North News 01912330223