Hanna Must Stay

We, the undersigned, are deeply concerned about the chances of Hanna, a vulnerable young woman, and her baby being forcibly deported to Ethiopia.

Hanna's family are Oromo, an ethnic group in Ethiopia which has historically suffered great political and social discrimination, and is especially threatened under the current regime. In a document of July 2008, The Human Rights Watch, reported that:
“Across much of Oromia, local officials have routinely and for many years used unproven allegations of links to the OLF [Oromo Liberation Front] as a pretext [for subjugation] to arbitrary detention, torture, extrajudicial killing, and other forms of human rights abuse”. (Ethiopia: Government Prepares Assault on Civil Society)

The situation is especially critical for Hanna, since her father was a member of the OLF. He sought an independent, democratic Oromia state, with improved rights for its citizens. Consequently, the family became subject to Government attention.
In 2001, Hanna’s mother was detained, and tortured, for two months by the Ethiopian Security Forces. After being released, she remained seriously ill and weak, until she passed away in February 2002. After the incident, Hanna remained with her father. However, in May 2003, he went out to work and never came back. Hanna has not heard from him since, and doesn't even know if he is still alive.

After her father's disappearance, Hanna was visited by Security Forces officers, who searched her house and removed some of her father’s documents. They came back twice more, on these occasions hitting Hanna and attempting to rape her. They threatened to harm her if she did not give them information about her father. After the third visit, intimidated and frightened, Hanna escaped to her father’s friend’s house, where she hid until he was able to get her out of the country. She was just seventeen when she arrived here alone.

Hanna currently has a life-threatening heart condition and urgently needs an operation. (Such would not be possible for Hanna in Ethiopia). She is the sole carer of her 6-month-old baby, Benet, and has no remaining family ties in Ethiopia. Hanna is afraid for her life if she returns, both due to her country's Security Forces' threats, and because of her critical medical condition.

If they are forced back to Ethiopia, Hanna and Benet will be in severe danger. Hereby, we are asking that Hanna must be allowed leave to remain.