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Returned refugees still in danger in Iraqi
Kurdistan
26.11.2007
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November
26, 2007
UK, -- On
November 20,
2005, the first flight of forcibly returned Iraqi
asylum-seekers left from Brize Norton military
airbase in Oxford. The Home Office has now stopped
flying Iraqi Kurds on military aircraft. Since
September, Kurds have been forcibly deported via a
Jordanian airline to Jordan and from there to Erbil
airport in Kurdistan region in 'northern Iraq'. As
we write, Rozhar Omer is being held at Heathrow by
two bodyguards. He was due to be escorted on to a
plane flying to Jordan and then on to Erbil, the
capital of Kurdistan region.
The International Federation of Iraqi Refugees still
maintains Iraq is not a suitable place to return
"failed" asylum-seekers to.
The United Nations High Commission for Refugees
recently issued a report confirming that northern
Iraq is unsafe. Iraqi Kurdistan's two ruling
parties, the KDP and PUK, regularly imprison and
attack trade union activists, socialists and other
political opponents. Moreover, in addition to the
threat of an Iraqi civil war, there is an external
threat from Turkey and Iran, both of which have
bombarded Kurdish villages in recent months. Those
returned to Iraqi Kurdistan face not only poverty
and unemployment, but the threat of harassment,
torture and death.
That is why the IFIR is calling for the immediate
suspension of all removals to Iraq and the right for
all Iraqis living in the UK to study, work and
access public services.
Dashty Jamal
International Federation of Iraqi Refugees
John McDonnell MP, Karen Johnson
Coalition to Stop Deportations to Iraq
Mick Duncan
No Sweat campaign
Sofie Buckland
National Union of Students executive
guardian co.uk
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