TORY leadership contender Sajid Javid must show “moral courage” and grant an orphaned boy security in the only home he knows, it is claimed.
Almost 90,000 people have added their names to a petition calling for Giorgi Kakava to be given permanent residence in Scotland.
The Georgian 10-year-old was brought here at the age of three by mother Sopio Baikhadze, who feared gangsters owed money by her late husband would either kill her son or traffick him.
But Sopio, 35, died from illness in February last year, before the family’s asylum claim had been decided.
Now the schoolboy, who speaks with a Glaswegian accent, is in the care of his grandmother Ketino Baikhadze and his temporary permission to stay in the UK will run out in February 2020.
That deadline is just six months after he begins high school with his friends in August.
Almost 90,000 people have signed an online petition backing the “gentle, thoughtful, intelligent and funny boy”, as described by the family’s chaplain, Rev Brian Casey.
As the Tory leadership contest heats up, Casey has urged contender and Home Secretary Sajid Javid to show “moral courage” and allow Giorgi – who has no memory of Georgia – to stay here for good.
In a letter to Javid, Casey, of Springburn Parish Church, refers to the MP’s own family history. He was born in Lancashire to parents from Pakistan.
Casey said: “The UK is renowned as a land of welcome and opportunity – a fact not lost on you as the son of an immigrant who came to this country and worked every hour he could to ensure that his children had the best.
“Your rise to the top of UK politics speaks volumes about the future immigration aspirations of the UK in seeking talented immigrants from non-EU countries.
“Georgia is one of those countries and I can assure you that Ketino is a hardworking and proud woman, a quality I admire greatly and one which has clearly been imbued in Giorgi.
“I would respectfully ask that you show the moral courage of leadership and urgently review this case and grant Giorgi and his grandmother permanent leave to remain in the UK.”
He went on: “In a year when this amazing boy starts high school, please show the public that you are as committed as your father was to see that those who come from humble beginnings can reach the pinnacle of their potential.”
It was Sopio’s dying wish that her son would grow up as a “Scottish boy”. A memorial tree has been planted in her memory in Springburn.
Giorgi and his grandmother were granted 30-month residency permits last July following a public campaign.
The latest intervention comes ahead of a London meeting between Javid and faith groups next week on immigration and refugees.
Law academic Tracy Kirk, of Glasgow Caledonian University, says Giorgi’s rights are being breached and that the UK is ignoring the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, despite ratifying this. She commented: “The Home Office seems to show an utter disregard for children’s rights at every stage of their asylum and immigration processes.
“Home Office procedures are leading to children feeling scared, anxious and uncertain.We cannot allow this to continue.”
A Home Office spokesperson said: “The UK has a proud history of granting asylum to those who need our protection.
“Ms Batkhadze and her grandson Giorgi have been granted discretionary leave to remain in the United Kingdom”.
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