<![CDATA[Pressat Main Newswire]]> https://pressat.co.uk/rss/ <![CDATA[Pressat Main Newswire]]> https://pressat.co.uk/media/site/logo.png https://pressat.co.uk/rss/ en-gb Copyright: (C) Pressat Pressat <![CDATA[ Married gay couple face Christmas heartache as UK Home Office vows to ‘tear their family apart’ ]]> https://pressat.co.uk/releases/married-gay-couple-face-christmas-heartache-as-uk-home-office-vows-to-tear-their-family-apart-98c43071e1a9eaf5bebcdfa1bd9f9851/ https://pressat.co.uk/releases/married-gay-couple-face-christmas-heartache-as-uk-home-office-vows-to-tear-their-family-apart-98c43071e1a9eaf5bebcdfa1bd9f9851/ Wednesday 28 November, 2018

BRIAN PAGE, a 41-year-old man from North Carolina and his 36-year-old English husband Ben face having their family torn apart just in time for Christmas. The couple of nearly 7 years live in Milton Keynes and were married in New York in June 2014 before moving to England to provide support to Ben’s terminally ill mother.

Ben’s mother lost her battle with cancer in 2016 and shortly after, Ben’s father was subsequently diagnosed with lung cancer in 2017. The couple provide emotional and practical support to Ben’s father while he undergoes a range of treatments including radiotherapy and a course of chemotherapy which is planned for the new year.

Brian and Ben envisaged a very different life together and after Ben’s mother passed away and his father was diagnosed with lung cancer, they hoped to make the UK their home before adopting a child and completing their family. The Home Office claim that having entered the UK as a visitor, Brian cannot expect to remain and settle in the UK despite his being married to a British citizen and their having laid down shared roots in Milton Keynes. The government have said the couple could move to a third country such as Canada despite neither having any connections there or any rights of abode. Brian returning to the US to apply for the necessary paperwork would involve significant further costs and could take up to two years.

The couple have a final appeal at the Upper Tribunal in December. Just days after Brian’s 42nd birthday, the couple will face the Home Office again and due to the £16,000 already spent in legal fees, the couple face the prospect of representing themselves again.

Rob McDowall a human rights advocate and member of the Equality Council shared his scathing criticism of the Home Office in this case.“Yet again we see another case where the inept Home Office are acting with callous disregard, and, in a manner, which is clearly counter to the interests of the UK. Here we see a strong, supportive and stable family who desire nothing more than laying permanent foundations in the UK and giving a loving home to an adopted child.

“The couple provide essential support to Ben’s father and both have been put under such unimaginable stress that they are being treated for depression and anxiety made all the worse with the prospect of their imminent separation.

“Their MP, Conservative Mark Lancaster has met the couple once for 10 minutes. Call me old-fashioned but isn’t this the type of case you’d expect an MP to be jumping up and down on the benches at the Commons to highlight? The Home Office has long been unfit for purpose and the recent Windrush scandal is but the tip of the Iceberg. We can’t keep putting our heads down and walking on by, to deport Brian and split up this couple would be an absolute travesty and would cause untold damage to this family and both parties within it. I call on the Home Secretary to intervene and restore some common sense!”

Press

Media calls to 0843 886 8123 or email brianpage@equalitycouncil.eu.org (auto forwarded to Brian)




Distributed by https://pressat.co.uk/ ]]>
http://www.twitter.com/equalityconcern Pressat email@equalitycouncil.eu.org
https://www.equalitycouncil.eu.org
]]>
https://www.equalitycouncil.eu.org 28 Nov 2018 09:02:23 GMT Government Lifestyle & Relationships Opinion Article Public Sector & Legal
<![CDATA[ EQUALITY AND HUMAN RIGHTS ADVOCATES CALL FOR IMMEDIATE END TO LGBT PERSECUTION IN CHECHNYA ]]> https://pressat.co.uk/releases/equality-and-human-rights-advocates-call-for-immediate-end-to-lgbt-persecution-in-chechnya-1cc1042b2e701d737c5486bdd7ef37ba/ https://pressat.co.uk/releases/equality-and-human-rights-advocates-call-for-immediate-end-to-lgbt-persecution-in-chechnya-1cc1042b2e701d737c5486bdd7ef37ba/ Sunday 16 April, 2017

We have all heard of the insidious campaign of kidnap, interrogation, torture and killing of gay men in the Chechen Republic and as reports develop, the full horror is becoming only too clear. The Chechen Republic is a conservative, federal Russian subject in the Northern Caucasus which is presided over by a Putin-backed leader, Ramzan Kadyrov.

Human Rights Advocate and Member of the Equality Council, Rob McDowall (31) believes the international community must pressurise Russia to halt the commission of these crimes against humanity. 'It is clear we are only seeing the tip of the iceberg, gay men are being beaten and electrocuted by the Chechen authorities in order to solicit the names of other gay people and associates. Another dimension to these reports are of gay men, outed by the authorities, being murdered by their families in so-called 'honour killings'. These men are being kidnapped and detained in secret prisons with the intention of interrogating and torturing them to allow the Republic to jettison its LGBT community.

The notion of human rights and equality in the Chechen Republic is a pipe-dream and history shows us many examples of the Chechen regime's complete and utter disregard for even the most basic human rights protections. What we are seeing in Chechnya are crimes against humanity, pure and simply; the international community need to act in unison and put pressure on Russia to have the Chechens halt the commission of these crimes now! These men have no time left, they don't have time for us to drag our feet. The eyes of the world are watching!'

Vice Chair of the Leicester LGBT Centre, Mathew Hulbert (37) said 'The Leicester LGBT Centre have been horrified to learn of the state-sponsored persecution, torture and death of Gay men in the Russian republic of Chechnya.

Amnesty International is calling for an immediate end to the abduction, persecution and killing of people in Chechnya because of their sexuality or perceived sexuality. We stand with LGBT+ communities in Chechnya and join the increasing number of voices, here in the UK and internationally, calling for an end to the persecution and violence.

This is a salutary reminder of the very real threat faced by many LGBT+ people in all too many parts of the world, just for who they love and who they are. As an LGBT Centre in a proudly internationalist and multi-cultural city like Leicester, we stand shoulder-to-shoulder with all LGBT+ communities around the world and call for an immediate end to any and all persecution of our communities. We stand for love, peace, inclusion, diversity and celebrate our common humanity, as well as what makes us unique.' (1)

Scottish LGBT Advocate, Lee Martin (20) added 'The news coming out of Chechnya is extremely alarming. Gay men are being brutally attacked just for being themselves. Everyone should stand up for LGBT people in Chechnya and around the world in condemning this barbaric action.'

Editor notes

Full statement by Mathew Hulbert available online at http://allequal.xyz/mhLGBT,Rob McDowall, is a Member of the Equality Council and is disabled human rights and anti-poverty advocate from Glasgow and tweets @robmcd85,Mathew Hulbert is Vice Chair of the Leicester LGBT Centre and former Liberal Democrat Borough Councillor and tweets @HulbertMathew,Lee Martin is a Scottish LGBT advocate from Dumbarton in Scotland and tweets at @LeeMartin113,


Distributed by https://pressat.co.uk/ ]]>
http://www.twitter.com/equalityconcern Pressat email@equalitycouncil.eu.org
https://www.equalitycouncil.eu.org
]]>
https://www.equalitycouncil.eu.org 16 Apr 2017 20:42:46 GMT Charities & non-profits Men's Interest