5:33am Monday 4th June 2007
By Chris Wickham
Twickenham's MP has launched a campaign to prevent the deportation of a man from Niger, who was a slave and now wants to work and pay taxes in Britain.
Baba Bari, who lives in Whitton, south-west London, escaped from the west African country and reached the UK but was arrested for working without permission. He was put on a plane back to his native country but has been sent back on two occasions, once from Niger, once, in transit, from Algeria.
Mr Bari, who is described as an illegal immigrant, is now in limbo and destitute and does not want to return to Niger, where slave ownership is not uncommon and was only made illegal a few years ago.
Vincent Cable, MP for Twickenham, has taken up the case and has appealed to the Home Secretary to review it and, while it is ongoing, allow Mr Bari to support himself and pay taxes.
Dr Cable said: "It is extraordinary that when the British Government is commemorating the 200 year anniversary of the abolition of the slave trade - with John Prescott swanning off to Barbados for a celebratory party - that it should be deporting someone back to slavery in one of these countries where this appalling practice still goes on.
"The Government is even arguing that fear of return to slavery does not constitute persecution in terms of asylum law.
"The most touching part of this story is that Baba, who was forced to work as a child and frequently beaten by his owner, now wants to work to support himself.
"I come across many asylum cases which vary from the highly sympathetic to the seriously fraudulent; but this is a genuine case with a mass of supporting testimony to substantiate his case."
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