Welcome for court request to postpone expulsion

THERE WAS a guarded welcome among supporters of Nigerian woman Pamela Izevbekhai yesterday when the European Court of Human Rights requested the stay on her deportation be continued.

However, the court, which last month intervened when Ms Izevbekhai lost her High Court bid to prevent the deportation of herself and her daughters, did not indicate when it would decide whether to hold a full hearing into the case.

Yesterday, Sligo-based Ms Izevbekhai said she did not know how to interpret the new development, and said she was unsure whether she would still be here at Christmas. "I am still waiting," she said. "Everything is on hold. I do not know if they will get back to me today, tomorrow or when."

In a letter faxed yesterday to Ms Izevbekhai's solicitor, Ballinamore based Gabriel Toolan, the court said it had decided to "prolong until further notice" the interim notice under Rule 39, which effectively means Ms Izevbekhai cannot be deported. It had been expected the court would decide yesterday whether to hold a hearing into the case, and on that basis the Department of Justice had agreed not to enforce deportation orders before midnight today.

The department said yesterday that it had "noted" the court's comments. Last week, the mayor of Sligo, Cllr Veronica Cawley, hosted a civic reception in the town hall for Ms Izevbekhai and her daughters in recognition of all that she had done to highlight the practice of female genital mutilation. Ms Izevbekhai had appealed to the court not to deport her on the basis that her daughters aged six and seven would be forced to undergo genital mutilation if they return to Nigeria.

Last night, the Let Them Stay lobby group welcomed the development, saying that it seemed likely

the family would be able to spend Christmas among friends in Sligo.