Ay family
Encyclopedia
The Ay family were Kurdish
asylum seekers who became the centre of a controversy in 2003 surrounding the policy of locking up children in high security detention centres in the United Kingdom
.
Salih and Yurdugal Ay were Kurds seeking asylum who came to the UK to escape persecution in Turkey
, it being alleged that Mrs Ay had been locked up and raped by Turkish militia. They brought their four children with them and settled in Gravesend
in Kent
where the children attended local schools. Salih was deported to Germany and from there further deported back to Turkey where he disappeared.
In 2002, Yurdugal Ay and her children were suddenly removed from their home by immigration officials and taken to Dungavel
detention centre in South Lanarkshire
, Scotland. They were all put together in one room where they lived for a year inside a razor wire surrounded compound. Yurdugal could not speak English very well so it was up to her eldest daughter, Beriwan Ay aged 13, to negotiate for her mother and her sisters. The family were threatened with deportation but appealed. It was claimed by the authorities that they had brought the long stay at Dungavel
upon themselves by this appeal.
Conditions in the privatised detention centre, run by an American company, were far from satisfactory. There were no proper education facilities for the children.The children were treated as prisoners with just 2 hours exercise outside allowed each day.There were very limited play facilities.The Children's Commissioner for Scotland described the situation there as 'morally distressing' and threatened to report the UK Government and Scottish Executive
to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child . The British Home Secretary at the time David Blunkett
appeared to disregard various conventions on human rights requirements about not imprisoning children claiming that the other alternative — separating the children from their parents and putting them into care — was also undesirable.
Bishop John Mone
met Beriwan Ay on a visit to Dungavel
and was appalled by what he discovered. During a later visit he smuggled a video camera into the centre [clergymen not being searched there],interviewed Beriwan to camera and released the video to the media.This was shown on BBC televisions' Newsnight
programme.
A media storm ensued. The Scottish Executive
had responsibilities for children's welfare in Scotland
but was clashing with a non devolved act from the UK parliament in Westminster
.
Eventually the Ay family lost their appeal against deportation and were forcibly deported via Stansted Airport to Germany
where they were granted asylum.
BBC Radio 4
broadcast a play by Frank Deasy
called Broken English about the case on October 27, 2006 from Beriwan Ay's point of view.
Kurdish people
The Kurdish people, or Kurds , are an Iranian people native to the Middle East, mostly inhabiting a region known as Kurdistan, which includes adjacent parts of Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey...
asylum seekers who became the centre of a controversy in 2003 surrounding the policy of locking up children in high security detention centres in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
Salih and Yurdugal Ay were Kurds seeking asylum who came to the UK to escape persecution in Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
, it being alleged that Mrs Ay had been locked up and raped by Turkish militia. They brought their four children with them and settled in Gravesend
Gravesend, Kent
Gravesend is a town in northwest Kent, England, on the south bank of the Thames, opposite Tilbury in Essex. It is the administrative town of the Borough of Gravesham and, because of its geographical position, has always had an important role to play in the history and communications of this part of...
in Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
where the children attended local schools. Salih was deported to Germany and from there further deported back to Turkey where he disappeared.
In 2002, Yurdugal Ay and her children were suddenly removed from their home by immigration officials and taken to Dungavel
Dungavel
Dungavel Immigration Removal Centre is an immigration detention facility in South Lanarkshire, Scotland, near the town of Strathaven that is also known as Dungavel Castle or Dungavel House...
detention centre in South Lanarkshire
South Lanarkshire
South Lanarkshire is one of 32 unitary council areas of Scotland, covering the southern part of the former county of Lanarkshire. It borders the south-east of the city of Glasgow and contains many of Glasgow's suburbs, commuter towns and smaller villages....
, Scotland. They were all put together in one room where they lived for a year inside a razor wire surrounded compound. Yurdugal could not speak English very well so it was up to her eldest daughter, Beriwan Ay aged 13, to negotiate for her mother and her sisters. The family were threatened with deportation but appealed. It was claimed by the authorities that they had brought the long stay at Dungavel
Dungavel
Dungavel Immigration Removal Centre is an immigration detention facility in South Lanarkshire, Scotland, near the town of Strathaven that is also known as Dungavel Castle or Dungavel House...
upon themselves by this appeal.
Conditions in the privatised detention centre, run by an American company, were far from satisfactory. There were no proper education facilities for the children.The children were treated as prisoners with just 2 hours exercise outside allowed each day.There were very limited play facilities.The Children's Commissioner for Scotland described the situation there as 'morally distressing' and threatened to report the UK Government and Scottish Executive
Scottish Executive
The Scottish Government is the executive arm of the devolved government of Scotland. It was established in 1999 as the Scottish Executive, from the extant Scottish Office, and the term Scottish Executive remains its legal name under the Scotland Act 1998...
to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child . The British Home Secretary at the time David Blunkett
David Blunkett
David Blunkett is a British Labour Party politician and the Member of Parliament for Sheffield Brightside and Hillsborough, having represented Sheffield Brightside from 1987 to 2010...
appeared to disregard various conventions on human rights requirements about not imprisoning children claiming that the other alternative — separating the children from their parents and putting them into care — was also undesirable.
Bishop John Mone
John Mone
The Right Reverend John Aloysius Mone was the third Roman Catholic Bishop of the Diocese of Paisley.-Early life:John Mone was fourth of the six children of Arthur Mone and Elizabeth Dunn...
met Beriwan Ay on a visit to Dungavel
Dungavel
Dungavel Immigration Removal Centre is an immigration detention facility in South Lanarkshire, Scotland, near the town of Strathaven that is also known as Dungavel Castle or Dungavel House...
and was appalled by what he discovered. During a later visit he smuggled a video camera into the centre [clergymen not being searched there],interviewed Beriwan to camera and released the video to the media.This was shown on BBC televisions' Newsnight
Newsnight
Newsnight is a BBC Television current affairs programme noted for its in-depth analysis and often robust cross-examination of senior politicians. Jeremy Paxman has been its main presenter for over two decades....
programme.
A media storm ensued. The Scottish Executive
Scottish Executive
The Scottish Government is the executive arm of the devolved government of Scotland. It was established in 1999 as the Scottish Executive, from the extant Scottish Office, and the term Scottish Executive remains its legal name under the Scotland Act 1998...
had responsibilities for children's welfare in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
but was clashing with a non devolved act from the UK parliament in Westminster
Palace of Westminster
The Palace of Westminster, also known as the Houses of Parliament or Westminster Palace, is the meeting place of the two houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom—the House of Lords and the House of Commons...
.
Eventually the Ay family lost their appeal against deportation and were forcibly deported via Stansted Airport to Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
where they were granted asylum.
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
broadcast a play by Frank Deasy
Frank Deasy
Frank Deasy was an Irish screenwriter. He won an Emmy Award for the television series Prime Suspect and was also nominated for his works, Looking After Jo Jo and The Grass Arena...
called Broken English about the case on October 27, 2006 from Beriwan Ay's point of view.