Brake Criticises Government over al-Sarraj Case

2.05.18pm GMT Tue 19th Jan 2010

Tom Brake MP criticised the Government last week over its failure to promptly issue the travel documents that would allow local man, Mr al-Sarraj, to come back to the UK to be reunited with his British wife.

Mr al-Sarraj was wrongly detained in the US Camp Cropper from September 2008 until October 2009 after an Iraqi judge overturned his sentence in April 2009. He was alleged to have made a timing device for a bomb which was in fact an electronic component to measure cardiac output.

However, during the period of his detention, US authorities lost Mr al-Sarraj's passport which contained his spousal visa which granted him the right to live in the UK.

He can not return to his family in the UK until a new visa is issued and is currently waiting for the documents in Turkey. Last Thursday in Parliament Tom called for a debate to be held into the Government's failure to issue the travel documents after more than three weeks.

The Leader of the House Harriet Harman told Tom that she would promptly raise the matter with the Minister for Borders and Immigration.

Tom said of the case, 'The Government have completely failed in the case Mr al-Sarraj's. It is shocking that after months of false imprisonment an innocent man has still not been able to return home to his family.'

Tom continued, 'I have recently learned that the British Embassy in Turkey have made an appointment for Wednesday morning with Mr al-Sarraj but questions still remain for the Government over the length of time it has taken for this matter to be resolved.