UK Government continues to detain Iraqi Asylum seekers

 The UK Government continues to threaten Iraqi and Kurdish nationals with forcible deportation and continues to detain them for long periods in detention centres. IFIR has received the following appeals from detainees held in Colnbrook & Harmondsworth,detention centres.

Berham Beroon Sadiq  said to IFIR” I am from Sulymania (Pinjwin) the Kurdish area of Iraq.  I have been in the UK for 15 years.  I am married to an American citizen.  I had an interview with the US embassy on the 29 June to apply to move to America and live with my wife.  I was arrested immediately after my interview at the US embassy, and have been held at Colnbook ever since.

Bahman Ibrahimi Iranian asylum seekers said IFIR” I have been arrested again and have been held for 8 months this time. I am from the Kurdish part of Iran.  I have lived in the UK for 8 years.  I arrived in the UK when I was 16 years old. I have a child in this country.  In 2010 I was wrongly deported.  I was told I was being put on a flight bound for Baghdad. I was held by the Iraqi authorities who treated me very badly for two weeks see guardian press release: https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2010/nov/21/iranian-deported-baghdad-torture-allegations.

Omed Sherzad Ibrahimi I am from Erbil I had my finger prints taken in Romania the Home Office want to send me back to Romania.

Alandi Salimi- I have been taken to the airport several times but each time I have been brought back to Colnbrook.

Ali Mudhafar Hamdi Alqois I am from the city of Mosul in Iraq.  I have been detained for 5 months and have been taken to the airport four times.

Taha Ali Ibrahim I am from Sulymania the Kurdish part of Iraq.  I have been detained for almost 3 years in Colnbrook.  I was arrested on the 3 November 2016. I arrived in the UK 18 years ago.  I have a daughter of 16 who is born in the UK.  I have been taken to the airport twice.

Dashty Jamal General Secretary of IFIR says IFIR is an organisation is dedicated to defending human rights.  We are part of a progressive and international movement that fights for the rights of Iraqi refugees across the world, we work to gain solidarity from human rights organisations worldwide.  We will continue to help and support all those held in detention with our assistance some have already been released. We ask that Human and Refugee Rights organisations and trade unions continue to support our campaign, we call on you all to write to the UK Home Office calling on them to:

• Immediately halt the deportation of Iraqi’s

• End the deportation agreement with Iraqi government

• Immediately release all Iraqi refugees in detention

• Give all Iraqis in the UK refugees status

Home Office Address                            Email: public.enquiries@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk

Direct Communications Unit
2 Marsham Street
London
SW1P 4DF

End :

Additional Facts:

 According to guidelines on detention of UNHCR victims of torture shouldn’t be detained and maximum period of detention should be set in national legislation. Yet there is no national legislation in UK.  Article 3 of ECHR strictly prohibits the torture, however forcibly deportations, uncertain periods of time in detention, inhuman conditions of detention centres and detaining victims of torture breach Article 3,  as this approach causes a climate of fear, anxiety and many other mental disorders.  It should be noted that Iraq is a war zone which Iraqi refugees have had to escape from.   Iraq is insecure and unsafe for the lives of the Iraqi citizens, politically and economically.  The deportation of these refugees puts their life under risk and constitutes the breach of International Human Rights under the Refugee Convention 1951 of article 33(1).   There are many examples of refugees who have committed suicide rather than face deportation.[1] Also, the figures of NGOs’ show that in 2015 there were 393 recorded suicide attempts.[2]

Another fact should be considered that after the deportation of people to Iraq & Kurdistan many are unemployed. They have not been offered the opportunity to resume their previous jobs. Consequently they became a burden on their families.

[1] Liam O’Harwe, ‘Death in Detantion; Suicide attempts soar in the UK’ Al Jazeera 12 February 2017 https://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2017/02/death-detention-suicide-attempts-soar-uk-170205114101287.html

[1] No-deportations, ‘ IRCS ‘Self-Harm’ (Attempted Suicide) and those on ‘Self-Harm Watch’ (at risk of Suicide) 2015’ http://www.no-deportations.org.uk/Media-2014/Self-Harm2015.html