Politicians and Jewish community leaders this
week called on the government for “urgent” help to get one of the last
Jewish families left in war-torn Yemen to London to reunite with
Stamford Hill relatives, according to a Jewish News scoop. It is not clear if the Jews in
question are living in the Sana'a compound, where the 50 or so Jews have
been receiving food parcels. In 2011 MPs Diane Abbott and Mike Freer failed to get Yemeni Jews from Raida in the north admitted to the UK as refugees.
Jews in Yemen
Jews in Yemen
Supporters
of the family say they are “subject to persecution” as efforts build to
help facilitate the arrival of the six family members, including the
mother, father, three girls and the father’s mother, who has just turned
70.
Their plea for help came as the United Nations
said last weekend that the Yemen conflict “has created the worst
humanitarian crisis in the world, a crisis which has engulfed the entire
country”.
Supporters say the family are “living in
appalling conditions and their lives are in danger” and that the Home
Office has advised that the family needs to apply to come to the UK, but
the visa application centre in Yemen is closed.
Jewish News has seen the names and
dates of birth of the six family members, two of whom are under the age
of 18, who are seeking refuge in the UK, as well as copies of legal
opinions discussing how best to help.
A spokesman for the family said: “We
understand that no special procedure will apply to them and that they
need to make a valid application to come to the UK. However, we hope
that, given their particular plight, this will be considered
favourably.”
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