Accused of 50 criminal offences, the Albanian from Kosovo manages to block his deportation from England! He wins the battle in the immigration court

A 39-year-old of Kosovo origin, convicted of around 50 criminal offences in Britain, has managed to block his deportation to Pristina, after an immigration judge assessed that he could face ill-treatment because of his Roma ethnicity and the lack of documents proving his citizenship.

Avdi Alija arrived illegally in Britain at the age of 14, having travelled hidden in the back of a lorry in 2002. According to the court, over the years he built up a long criminal record, with around 50 offences, including theft, robbery, possession of cocaine and driving while drunk or under the influence of drugs.

According to the Daily Mail article referred to by Top Channel, Alija had also been convicted for involvement in a kidnapping in 2018. According to the court decision, he was part of a group that forcibly took a person, put him in a car at knifepoint and then held him captive at Alija’s home.

The victim was held hostage for about four and a half hours, was beaten and threatened that he would be stabbed and have boiling water thrown over him if he did not pay 50,000 pounds. He managed to escape by breaking a double-glazed window and jumping from the second floor.

The court had assessed that Alija had played an important role in the kidnapping, by allowing his home to be used as the place where the victim was held prisoner. For this incident, he was sentenced to nine years in prison for false imprisonment and another year for causing grievous bodily harm.

In March 2022, the then British home secretary, Priti Patel, ordered his deportation, considering him a danger to the community. Alija challenged the decision in court, invoking the European Convention on Human Rights.

His appeal was heard again on September 29 by immigration judge Ian Boyes, at a time when Alija had completed his prison sentence and been released on licence.

The court took into consideration the fact that Alija was born in Kosovo to Roma parents who, according to the evidence presented, were killed during the Kosovo war of 1998-1999 and the family home was destroyed.

The judge also assessed that Alija was considered a person who posed a risk to the community and therefore could not benefit from asylum protection under the Geneva Convention.

However, the court accepted the argument that his deportation to Kosovo could expose him to treatment contrary to Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which prohibits inhuman or degrading treatment.

According to the expert heard in court, because of his uncertain citizenship status and Roma ethnicity, Alija would face a risk of discrimination, exploitation and abuse if he returned to Kosovo.

In his decision, the judge emphasized that Alija was considered effectively stateless and that investigations to determine his citizenship had not produced a resolution.

The court also took into account the fact that he had lived in Britain since childhood, as well as the risk of becoming homeless and exposed to exploitation in the event of deportation.

In conclusion, Alija’s appeal was allowed and the order for his deportation was blocked. He will be permitted to stay in Britain, despite his long criminal history and his conviction for involvement in a kidnapping.