The more people that do this, the better chance there is of a success.

At 10pm this evening, Shoman Ahmed Mohammed will be deported back to Darfur, after his application for asylum was turned down. The Home Office claim that he is not Zaghawa, and as such does not face the risk of torture and execution when he returns to Khartoum. It would not be the first time the Home Office has made such a dangerous mistake. In February they denied asylum for Sadiq Adam Osman, which, as the link shows, had horrific consequences.

Clearly in a case like this, where Shoman's fate is at best uncertain, it would make more sense to err on the side of caution and potentially save a life. It remains a mystery to me why the Home Office finds such a risk to be acceptable. Moreover, this is not an isolated case, and quite clearly, current asylum policy regarding the assessment of Darfuri African ethnicity is quite inadequate.

So let's try to do something. Email your MP. Send him or her something like the letter at the bottom of this post. Ask him or her to at least call the Home Secretary and the Immigration Minister to account for this decision. Ask him or her to put pressure on the Home Office to postpone this deportation until a full assessment of the risk to Shoman's life can be made. Ask him or her if, in fact, John Reid and Liam Byrne are happy to accept the consequences of deporting a man, consequences that involve torture and death.

Mass writing has had success in the past, and organisations like the Aegis Trust are attempting to mobilise as many people as possible to do the same again. Shoman has about seven hours.

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Dear MP,

I would like to draw your attention to the case of Shoman Ahmed Mohammed, who recently was rejected asylum in the UK by the Home Office, and is to be deported back to Darfur at 10pm this evening. The Home Office doubts that he is truly Zaghawa and as such will not be at risk of torture and execution upon his return, in spite of strong evidence toward a contrary conclusion. Clearly in a case like this, where Shoman's fate is at best uncertain, it would make more sense to err on the side of caution and potentially save a life. I would like to ask why the Home Office has, instead, decided that such as risk is acceptable to them. I hope you would ask John Reid and Liam Byrne to reverse this decision until a more thorough investigation and assessment of Shoman's case can be made.

I am sure you remember the recent Channel 4 programme about Sadiq Adam Osman, also of Zaghawa ethnicity, who was deported in February, and was brutally tortured by the Sudanese Security Services, and only escaped with his life thanks to the brave work of organisations like the Aegis Trust. His story highlights the insanity of the asylum decisions being made by the Home Office regarding Darfuri refugees. Could you ask the Home Secretary what what specific steps he and his department takes to assess claims of Darfuri African ethnicity, since any current procedures are clearly dangerously inadequate.