A SPECIAL event is being held for people in Bury to show their support for a couple threatened with deportation to Cameroon.

Eagles Wing, a mutual support group of people in Bury and those seeking asylum, is hosting the Evening Of Solidarity for Lydia Besong and Bernard Batey.

The couple, of Kestrel Drive, Bury, fled Cameroon in 2006 and are waiting to hear if they will be given leave to appeal against the decision to deport them.

They say they were persecuted for their involvement with political pressure group Southern Cameroon National Council (SCNC), which campaigns for the rights of the country’s English-speaking minority.

An event supporting the couple will be held from 6.30pm to 9pm on Friday, June 10, at the Mosses Centre, in Cecil Street, Bury.

Mrs Besong is a member of WAST (Women Asylum Seekers Together) and the WAST choir will perform at the event alongside the Bury AcaPeelers Choir and other live musicians.

A DVD will be shown of a play written by Mrs Besong, How I Became An Asylum Seeker, followed by a question-and-answer session.

There will also be international food on offer and a slide show.

The couple are fighting to stay in the UK because they fear for their safety if they are deported to Cameroon.

They say they were beaten, tortured and imprisoned due to their involvement with the SCNC, and that Mrs Besong was raped by a uniformed prison guard.

Actress Juliet Stevenson is also supporting the couple’s plight and took part in a discussion following a performance of Mrs Besong’s play in London.