- Happy Holidays: Refugee's Christmas reunion

Happy Holidays: Refugee's Christmas reunion

Manchester Evening News - Dec 24, 2008 - A REFUGEE forced to flee his homeland after being battered and tortured has enjoyed a tearful reunion with his wife and son in time for Christmas.

Gazahng Bekele Gonfa, 34, had not seen his family for more than two years before they met up again at Manchester Airport. Now, he is planning his first family Christmas in Ashton under Lyne with wife Alimaze, 30, and 11-year-old son Robera.

Gazahng, from the persecuted Oromo tribe [nation], stood for government office in the May 2005 elections in Ethiopia and won a parliamentary seat.

Eight months later he was accused of inciting students to demonstrate, detained twice and tortured which left him with a dislocated arm. Forced to go into hiding he eventually fled to Nairobi, Kenya, an area often attacked by Ethiopian agents. Read More.