My name is Suren Khachaturyan. I'm 37 years old from Armenia. I have been living in Great Britain for 7 years now.
As the Home Office describes - I'm a "failed asylum seeker" who does not belong to any group or category of people in the UK. I'm married to a British woman and living together with her and her 10 year old son in Wales.
I don't want to take your time or to waste mine to explain why it is I came to this country, and how I'm getting on with my life - even if it's interesting for you. That is because, I would like you not to concentrate on my asylum case or anyone's case and where they came from.
I would like to bring to your attention - how I've been and still am being treated by the Home Office as a criminal or terrorist or you name it, somebody who does not belong to human nature and has to be vanished away like a ghost!
I arrived in the UK in 2001 and claimed asylum. The Home Office considered my case, but turned it down in 2002 and since then I stopped receiving vouchers (in place of money, to be exchanged at a designated supermarket for food and provisions) and I had to leave the accommodation. I was required to report to Immigration Services and since then I report to Immigration Services regularly.
Since then the Immigration Services detained me a number of times and held me in different detention centres for a few months, then released without giving appropriate explanation even though there was an appeal pending.
I was detained again, "routinely", when I went to report to Immigration Service in 2005. Again I've not been given appropriate explanation.
I was transported to Heathrow Airport to be deported. I refused to board the plane, as I remained fearful of my future. Three escort officers who work for GSL GROUP 4 at Heathrow Airport physically and verbally assaulted me. I was badly cut and bruised and couldn't breathe or speak properly. I was in very bad condition.
An ambulance was called and I was assessed by ambulance service who had been told by GSL officers their account of the event. I was not given medical support at this point and was transferred back to detention centre again. The police were called, and I made a complaint. Even though I stated that I was in a great deal of pain and couldn't breathe or talk properly, I did not receive any medical support and no action was taken by the police or Detention Centre staff that night.
The next day my condition had deteriorated again. The police arrived again and the Detention Centre's medical team and only that time it was decided that I should be sent to hospital.
I underwent tests and was kept in hospital for further treatment, under the guard of officers. It was determined that I had sustained a series of injuries including a punctured lung, fractured ribs and severe bruising.
The following day after treatment in hospital I was discharged and taken back to detention centre again. I was kept in the detention's medical unit for another four weeks then I was granted bail and released by the court.
As the result of the assault I' m still suffering from the injuries, physically and mentally, and can't receive any treatment because of my asylum situation.
Obviously I did complain about the assault to the police. A so called "police investigation" went on, then it was decided by CPS that there was not enough evidence to charge the officers.
It went to compensation, and a huge amount of public money has been spent (not on me). Again, the public money has been spent on solicitors and doctors and has been decided again that the evidence was not good enough to take the case to trial. So the public money has stopped and the case could not go to the trial.
After all this, what has happened to me? I was thrown again into the streets of this country again with no support and no justice and still waiting for Home Office decision.
As I said above the Home Office stopped state support (accommodation and vouchers) after a year when they refused my asylum claim 6 years ago and they gave me my "failed asylum seeker" status and made my life comfortable hell. It means: I'm not allowed to work, I'm not getting any support or benefits from the state or any charitable organisations. The Home Office did not even allow me and my wife to marry according to our religious traditions - my wife belongs to Catholic, and I to Apostolic church - (we had to marry in an Anglican church according to Home Office regulations).
I'm sure they would not like somebody to treat them the way that they are treating failed asylum seekers. You should ask the government or those who have top positions in the Home Office what they want to make your country.
