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The General
Secretary of the United Nations
Dear Mr BanKi-moon
The plight of
Kurdish and Iraqi Refugees
It
has been six years since the American led invasion of Iraq,
yet killing, poverty, unemployment and lack of basic
services continue in Iraq. Iraqi refugees fleeing the
country, remain the highest percentage of any nationality
entering neighbouring countries, Europe, America and
worldwide.
The
situation with the Iraqi refugees in Lebanon, Egypt,
Pakistan, Iran and Europe is a tragedy unprecedented in
human history. Many thousands have resorted to begging,
prostitution and child labour. Many work 16-hour days to
make enough money for basic necessities. There are hundreds
of Iraqi people in foreign prisons, having been arrested for
exceeding their limited leave to remain in a country. There
are hundreds of disabled people from war injuries or
suffering shock after bomb explosions. There are hundreds
of "war widows" with no male to provide for them. Hundreds
are falling into the hands of "people traffickers" and
forced to take difficult and dangerous routes to unclear
futures. Even in European countries, Iraqi refugees are
victims of detention, deportation and add to the
international group of people without any identity.
To
date the British government has forcibly deported seven
groups of Iraqi Kurdish refugees to Kurdistan, using
military planes and other inhuman methods. This has led to
several young people attempting suicide a number of them
have died.
To
prevent further suffering, the International Federation of
the Iraqi Refugees calls upon you to consider making the
following demands out of a regard for compassion and human
dignity:-
1.
An immediate end to the policy of enforced deportation of
Iraqi Kurdish refugees by all European countries.
2.
Require all European governments to recognise that previous
agreements, between the Iraqi Kurdish government and
European countries regarding the deportation of refugees, as
invalid because their safety simply cannot be guaranteed.
3.
Require the release of all Iraqi refugees from prisons and
detention centres, who have been detained because of illegal
entry or their leave to remain, has expired. Those who have
committed a crime should be charged and tried in the country
where the crime was committed not forcibly deported.
4.
Demand that Kurdish and Iraqi asylum seekers, be allowed to
work to support themselves and have the right to family
reunion.
5.
Those asylum seekers who are disabled, ill, or destitute and
cannot work should be treated with compassion.
6.
Asylum seekers who are destitute in countries outside Europe
should be supported with health services and education or
transferred to a European country.
7.
The United Nations should require European countries to
fulfil the above demands and stop enforced deportations of
refugees.
The Secretariat for International
Federation of Iraqi Refugees.
25/2/2009
Kopi: European
Union Human Rights Commission
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