Morning:
10°c
Kidnapped doctor arrives back at Heathrow
Benedict Moore-Bridger16 Dec 2008
THE NHS doctor freed by the courts after being held captive by her family in Bangladesh, said she was "happy to be home" after arriving in the UK today.
Dr Humayra Abedin, who was on a Malaysia Airways flight, touched down at Heathrow airport at 4.47am.
Dressed in a pink salwar kameez and yellow trousers, she kept her head down as she left the plane, and was escorted to a police car waiting outside the terminal.
The 33-year-old, who was held by her parents against her will in the Bangladeshi capital of Dhaka and put under pressure to marry, said she was relieved to be back in London.
"I'm exhausted but very happy to be home," she said. "The flight was okay but it was long."
Dr Abedin came to the UK six years ago to study for a masters degree in public health at Leeds University.
She had hoped to become a registrar at a GP surgery in east London in August but, after receiving news that her mother had taken ill, travelled to Dhaka where she was held captive by her family.
She raised the alarm when she sent an email to a friend requesting help.
The British High Court issued an order on 5 December under Britain's new Forced Marriage Act - the legislation that allows British courts to prevent someone from being forced into marriage.
She was freed on Sunday by the Bangladeshi high court and handed over to the British High Commission to allow her to fly home to Britain.
Securing Dr Abedin's liberty, Judge Syed Mahmud Hossain said: "Children are not the slaves of their parents. They must have their own freedoms."
Dr Abedin's Hindu boyfriend in London said her parents assaulted her to get her to end their relationship and marry a fellow Muslim. It is now highly unlikely Dr Abedin will be able to return to her home in Upton Park. She will instead be housed at a refuge to protect her from any potential threat from family members.
Her UK lawyer, Anne-Marie Hutchinson, said Dr Abedin had been left traumatised by what had happened.
She told the Standard: "She is in a state of shock. She is having real difficulty in taking it all in.
"She won't go home. I'll be putting her in touch with some women's groups."
Special arrangements were put in place for police officers to escort Dr Abedin from the airport.
She was then expected to be taken to a police station to be debriefed, before meeting with her lawyer.
It is believed Dr Abedin's parents gave her sedatives and admitted her to a hospital under false claims she was suffering from a psychiatric illness.
Ms Hutchinson said she had been surprised by the speed of the legal action. She said: "I had planned to fly out on Thursday. We thought [her parents] would not own up."
A Foreign Office spokesman said: "Forced marriage is an appalling and indefensible practice that the Government is working hard to stop."
Reader views (3)
Spot on Jane. If we were to take a helping in every perceived injustice out there our country would be in an even poorer state than it is currently. I totally agree that this is an abhorrent practice but we would also do well to remember that it is one which has until recently been facilitated by the political correctness which has prevailed in the UK in recent times.
- David Haigh, London, 17/12/2008 07:58
Report abuse
Jane,
Anyone in the UK is expected to obey our laws. Surely a foreign resident in the UK should also enjoy whatever protection those laws can grant?
And in any case, something like this is deeply wrong and abhorrent. Someone has to take a stand, and I'm glad that the UK did. Would you also say that the UK should not have taken a stand against slavery after it was abolished in the UK, because after that none of the slaves, the slaveowners and the slave-traders were UK citizens?
- Nigel, London, 16/12/2008 14:21
Report abuse
I do not understant quite what this affair, no matter how ghastly, has to do with Britain. The woman came here to study and was hoping to practive medicine here. She is not British she is Bangladeshi. Since when do we have authority there? A total waste of tax payer's money.
- Jane Bewick, London, 16/12/2008 12:16
Report abuse
