I am Çağrı Güler, from Turkey. I am a socialist. I am aware of the countless injustices in my country and around the world. I have arrived from a country that neither recognises the rule of law nor applies it. Wherever I have lived, I have tried to pursue a life true to my values and to oppose injustice wherever I see it. I have been held in custody on numerous occasions merely for exercising my democratic right to protest against injustice.
I escaped the clutches of the fascist Turkish government and made the treacherous journey all the way here. I arrived in Britain in 2010 and in 2011 I applied for political asylum. In 2012, I was granted five years Leave to Remain. This expired in February 2017 and I applied to the Home Office to extend it. I have not received a response to my application.
I have done everything in my power to get a definite answer from the Home Office. My solicitor has also tried everything and I have even sought the help of my local MP, Catherine West to obtain a resolution.
It was because of the political repression I had experienced and the toll that fascism has taken on me that British state granted me Leave to Remain. However, the Home Office is now citing the same grounds for not renewing my Right to Remain. A resolution to my status should have been achieved in approximately six months; however it has now been over two years without a clear answer. In a letter dated 6 April 2018, the Home Office stated that it was ‘waiting to hear from another country’s agency’ and in a letter dated 19 March 2019, it stated that ‘as a result of the complexity of your case, we require more time. We are anticipating resolving your case on or near 19 July. If, however, we cannot, we will inform you.’ This can only mean that an answer will not be arrived at. Despite stating that they were aiming to resolve my case within 6 months of the correspondence date, I expect to not have any clear answers.
As a result of not having Indefinite Leave to Remain, I am not able to use my rights to nourishment, health and education. I cannot work and therefore my personal health is being compromised because I cannot buy food or items necessary for health and hygiene. I cannot access housing and I am forced to stay at different places every day. My right to travel is curtailed. I want my rights back! And I will get my rights back!
I am not a beggar and I want what I am entitled to. The right of Leave to Remain is not something that the British state can decide on a whim; it is a universal right, which has been historically fought for and established. I want my right to Leave to Remain confirmed!
As my right to Leave to Remain in this country is being taken away from me, I have begun to mount resistance demanding it to be returned to me. I will not accept this injustice. We asylum seekers, who work and struggle, demand our rights!
Please support me by contacting the Home Office and demanding my Leave to Remain is restored: Email: [email protected] Phone 020 7035 4848
Email: çağrıgü[email protected] Facebook: Londra Direniş Çadırı
Çağrı Güler
