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Forced Return of Kurdish Refugee by
Azerbaijan Criticized
15.11.2006 |
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UNHCR deplores forced return of Kurdish refugee
by Azerbaijan.
New York, November 14, -- UNHCR deplores the
forced return to Turkey by Azerbaijan authorities of
a refugee recognised under the 1951 UN refugee
convention. The refugee, a Turkish citizen of
Kurdish ethnicity who had been granted refugee
status in 1999 in Germany, was forcibly returned to
Turkey on 13 October, 2006. |
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She had spent the last two years in detention in
Azerbaijan, initially and briefly on charges of
illegal entry into the country, and subsequently on
the grounds of an extradition request by a court in
Istanbul.
She was extradited despite UNHCR's and the
Government of Germany's repeated interventions on
her behalf to the Government of Azerbaijan.
The United Nations High Commissioner for
Refugees (UNHCR) yesterday levelled strong criticism
at Azerbaijan authorities for forcing a Turkish
citizen of Kurdish ethnicity, who had previously
been granted refugee status in Germany, to return to
her native country.
“In the absence of indications justifying this
decision, UNHCR considers her forced return to
Turkey to be contrary to Azerbaijan's obligations
under the 1951 UN Refugee Convention and a clear
violation of the principle of non-refoulement,”
UNHCR spokesman Ron Redmond said in Geneva today.
Non-refoulement prohibits States from returning a
refugee or asylum seeker to territories where there
is a risk that his or her life or freedom would be
threatened on account of race, religion,
nationality, membership of a particular social
group, or political opinion.
The refugee in question, whose name was not
reported, had spent the last two years in detention
in Azerbaijan, initially on charges of illegal entry
into the country, and subsequently on the grounds of
an extradition request by a court in Istanbul.
“She was extradited despite UNHCR's and the
Government of Germany's repeated interventions on
her behalf to the Government of Azerbaijan,” Mr.
Redmond said, adding that the agency had only
received only a limited explanation from them
despite persistent inquiries since the 13 October
extradition.
UNHCR, he said, is seeking assurances from the
Government of Azerbaijan that refugees and asylum
seekers from any country will in the future be
treated with full respect of Azerbaijan's
international and national legal obligations
concerning refugees and asylum seekers.
www.un.org
The use of the term "Kurdistan" is vigorously
rejected due to its alleged political implications
by the Republic of Turkey, which does not recognize
the existence of a "Turkish Kurdistan".
Others estimate as many as 40 million Kurds live in
Big Kurdistan (Iraq, Turkey, Syria, Iran, Armenia),
which covers an area as big as France, about half of
all Kurds which estimate to 20 million live in
Turkey.
The Kurdish flag flown officially in Iraqi Kurdistan but
unofficially flown by Kurds in Armenia. The flag is
banned in Iran, Syria, and Turkey where flying it is
a criminal offence"
Southeastern Turkey:
North Kurdistan (
Kurdistan-Turkey) wikipedia
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