Deportation of Cameroon journalist delayed after NUJ campaign

A Cameroonian journalist who was facing deportation from the UK yesterday has been given a temporary reprieve – but unions warn his future in the country remains at risk.

A campaign by the NUJ for authorities to drop a deportation order on Charles Antangana, who is based in Glasgow, has been supported by unions and journalism organisations across Britain, including the TUC, the Campaign for Press and Broadcasting Freedom and Amnesty International.

Journalism.co.uk reported earlier this week that the NUJ was preparing a legal challenge against the deportation order, which could force economic and current affairs reporter and union member Charles Atangana to return to Cameroon.

The NUJ held a protest outside the Glasgow Home Office and UK Border Agency offices yesterday, after an application to appeal the deportation order was refused. Today the union announced that it has "temporarily stopped the forced removal of Charles Atangana", after receiving a last minute temporary reprieve.

According to the union, solicitors for the UK Border Agency and the government agreed that he would not be deported as planned at 8:00pm last night and that the removal directions have been deferred.

The NUJ also says it has lodged papers in the high court to renew the leave to apply for judicial review proceedings , originally refused on Friday. The union believes the authorities want to expedite the case to be heard as soon as possible.

"Whenever the application for leave is heard - and it may be on overnight notice - there is no guarantee that a court would find in Charles' favour," the NUJ stated in a release. "In the meantime, it is essential to redouble all our efforts to try to prevent Charles been deported".

Atangana has lived in the UK since he fled Cameroon in 2004. He was claiming asylum citing harassment, detention and threats to his family in his home country.

The union claims his life would be at risk if he were to return to Cameroon, a country referred to by the Federation of African Journalists in May as "one of the worst jailers of journalists in Africa".

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