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Finland: Iranian Kurd protected by church
to be deported
4.9.2007
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Finnish protectors fear that decision could prove to
be a death sentence
September 4, 2007
Finland, -- Naze Aghai, an Iranian Kurd who
had been given refuge by a Finnish church, is not
being allowed to stay in Finland.
Naze Agha requested help from two churches in Turku
and Kaarina at the beginning of June. She was
provided with accommodation.
According to Monday's decision by the Directorate of
Immigration, Aghai's application for asylum is
"obviously without foundation", and she will not be
allowed to enter Finland or any other Schengen
country for the next two years. She is to be sent
out of the country next week.
Naze Aghai has operated as a courier in a leftist
guerrilla movement, which is banned in Iran. The
second reason for the flight is an arranged forced
marriage with an informer of the Iranian secret
police. |
Naze Aghai |
"She is afraid, and she is crying. The decision
deeply depressed Maze, and she is not able to
speak", says Raija Ala-Lipasti, Aghas's support
person.
"Naze's story was not believed, nor was our
expertise. Officials also rejected the guide on the
church as a sanctuary", said a shocked Jouni
Lehikoinen, Vicar of the Congregation of St. Michael
in Turku.
His congregation offered Aghas room and board for
several months until last week when she was detained
by the police after an interview with the
Directoraye of Immigration.
The Finnish Ecumenical Council published the guide
on churches as places of asylum in the early part of
the summer. It gives practical advice on how
congregations can offer protection for asylum
seekers in cooperation with officials.
"The decision was like being smacked in the eye. The
officials don't want to engage in any cooperation",
Ala-Lipasti laments.
Earlier in the spring, Naze Aghai spent several
months hiding from officials, when her first asylum
application was rejected.
The parishioners who protected her now fear that the
deportation could amount to a death sentence.
Aghai's supporters still plan to file a complaint on
the decision by the Directorate of Immigration to
the Helsinki Administrative Court.
hs fi
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