Stop accepting Kurdish refugees deported by force to Kurdistan
To:Mr Kamal Kurkuki, President of Kurdish Parliament
Sir,
We have heard that you were invited by the British Government to London.
While you were here with a delegation from the Kurdish parliament more than 50 IraqiKurdish refugees were forcibly deported to Erbil International Airport.
You seemed to indicate that your Government was taking a stand against theinhumane policies of the European Governments that force people from their
homes in Europe, where many of them have lived for many years, and wherethey have made lives for themselves with family, friends and work here.
In addition, according to media reports and evidence collected by theInternational Federation of Iraqi Refugees, many of those who have been
deported are now living in hiding, in fear of the persecution theyoriginally left Iraq to flee. Some have been assassinated. Others, such
as Hussein Ali of Suleymania, have committed suicide only days after beingdeported. Others, such as Kadir Salih have been kidnapped and killed, while
others have had mental breakdowns. Many more have had to leave the countryand become refugees again.
However, we have been dismayed to see that since initial statements opposing this policy,
the Kurdistan Regional Government has accepted at least 50 people deported from the UK on 17-3-2010,
and the Iraqi Government has accepted 67 people deported from Sweden on 18-3-2010.
This comes after the KRG has accepted more than 3000 people deported from Europe since 2005, and the Iraqi
Government has accepted more than 600 people into Baghdad, after they weredeported from their homes in Europe.
These deportations have regularly violated the human rights of thosedeported and have taken place without any regard for morality. Without any
human principles or respect even for their own European laws they used handcuffs, anesthetic injections, beatings and racist humiliation.
On many occasions they used military flights or cargo planes as though the refugees were war criminals.
By terminating whatever agreements you have made with the EuropeanGovernments, and refusing to allow them to deport anybody to any part of
Iraq, you would back up your principled words, which won you credibility andsupport among the people of Europe, and you would help to stop the injustice
of the detention and deportation of Iraqi people.
We are therefore writing to request you take a stand and make it clear youwill not be party to the unjust and inhumane immigration policies of the UK
and European Governments.
We ask you:
1. To suspend any agreement on accepting forcible returns .
2. To stop accepting deportations into KRG airports
3. To close the airports to such flights,
4. To ask the UK Government to support deportees deported in the last 3 years to Kurdistan.
We look forward to hearing from you.
Regards
-John McDonnell MP
-George Binette, Branch Secretary Camden UNISON
-The Commune
-Karen Johnson, Workers' Liberty
-Revolutionary Communist Group
-Richard Whittell from Campaign to Stop Deportations to Iraq
-The Stop Deportation Network
-Dashty Jamal from International Federation of Iraqi Refugees
-George Nightingale (on behalf of communities of Resistance,CORE)
-Latin America Workers Association
-Stuart Crosthwaite(Secretary SYMAA)South Yorkshire Migration and Asylum Action Group
-Unite, the largest trade union in the UK
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