ARMENIA FAMILY IS SENT ‘HOME’
Yakub Qureshi
Manchester Evening News, UK
April 13 2007
AN Armenian TV reporter who fled to Britain after raising the alarm
over alleged election fraud is being deported.
Gina Khatchatryan, who has been living with her family in Bury for
three years, says her life will be in danger if sent back after
blowing the whistle on ballot-rigging.
She, her husband and five-year-old daughter were due to be thrown
out today after their asylum appeal was rejected.
But she says she will have to go into hiding on her return having
previously received death threats.
The 30-year-old journalist worked for the country’s public TV station
Armenia 1, but had also supported the campaign of a political candidate
in local elections four years ago. While an observer at a polling
station, she and others spotted ballot boxes being interfered with
and alerted police.
Soon afterwards, she started receiving threats to drop the complaint
and decided to go into hiding.
But when thugs visited her and threatened daughter Elena, she was
forced to flee the country.
The family had been living in Bury while their application was
processed. Elena has been a pupil at Heap Bridge primary school and
English is her first language. Immigration officials accepted the
facts of the journalist’s claim, but believe she had overstated the
danger and rejected her argument.
The family were moved from their home in the early hours of Easter
Monday and taken to Yarls Wood detention centre in Bedfordshire. They
were due to be deported today from Heathrow Airport.
Home Office officials said an initial assessment by immigration
services and subsequent appeal hearings had deemed that the family
did not face sufficient risk.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
