A GRANDMOTHER fears her orphaned grandson – who has lived in Glasgow from the age of three – would be in serious danger if he is forced to return to the country where he was born.
Ketino Baikhadze became the legal guardian of Girogo, 10, after her daughter Sopio, who was known as Sophie, died in February following a long illness.
She said Sophie had fled to Scotland from Georgia seven years ago, due to her late husband allegedly owing money to gangsters. She was awaiting the outcome of an asylum application in the UK when she died. Now, as they wait for a decision on their applications for asylum, Baikhadze has said she fears Giorgi would be under threat in Georgia.
“Giorgi doesn’t understand a word of the Georgian language,” she said. “He only speaks English and has grown up in Glasgow where all his friends are, so it would be very hard for him to go there.
“Sometimes I use Georgian words and I ask him ‘why don’t you understand?’. He says: ‘Because I am Scottish’.”
Baikhadze has lived illegally in Glasgow for 14 years. She said she always intended to return to Georgia, but she decided to stay after her daughter, a freelance translator who spoke four languages, fell ill.
In a plea to the UK Government and cross-party politicians, she said: “Please help Sophie’s family. Her son is a good boy and she just wanted to give him as normal a life as possible in Scotland.”
Sophie’s funeral was held in Springburn Parish Church in Glasgow. It was led by the Rev Brian Casey, who said the family’s story had touched many people. He said: “He is such a happy wee boy and I could not in good conscience stand by and watch him being sent back to a country he doesn’t know and where his life is potentially in danger.”
“Giorgi is, by all intents and purposes, a Scottish boy, and I would appeal to the Home Office to examine this case with love and compassion.”
Solicitor Andrew Bradley, who is representing the family, said: “For many people, the grieving process takes months or years.
“While trying to recover from the loss of his mum, his future hangs in the balance. He faces the possibility of being taken away from his home and friends in Scotland to what must now be a strange country.”
A Home Office spokesman said: “The UK has a proud history of granting asylum to those who need our protection and every case is assessed on its individual merits.”
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