Open letter to Mr Masud Barzani, the President of Kurdistan Democratic Party and
Mr Nechervan Barzani Deputy President
Gentlemen,
It has been approximately three years since an Australian family decided to return to Iraq. The family’s decision to return to Iraq was supported by the mother’s father, AZAD MIRAN, who is a military general, a former Kurdistan Democratic Party parliament member and an adviser to the former Kurdish President. Shortly after their return Azad Miran commenced interfering in his daughter’s private life, which resulted in conflicts between her and her husband. Consequently, on the 25th December 2018, after almost two years of continued struggle, the couple divorced in the Iraqi courts. The couple have two children; a daughter, 12, and a son, 8, both whom were born in Australia and hold only Australian citizenship. Both children are unwell and require ongoing medical care. Neither their treatment nor their medical specialists were available in Iraq. Their father continued to send them their medications until he lost contact with them on 18th March 2018.
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.
The International Federation of Iraqi Refugees’ (IFIR) publishes its demands for World Refugee Day
United Nations’ World Refugee Day has been held on 20 June every year since 2001, the 50th anniversary of the UN’s 1951 Refugee Convention. World Refugee Day commemorates the strength, courage and perseverance of millions of refugees. This year, it also marks a key moment for the public to show support for families forced to flee. IFIR, together with all organisations working worldwide to protect refugee rights, welcomes this important day.
1 June 2018 IFIR Press Release;
IFIR calls for international action to end violence and overcrowding in Greece’s refugee camps
Following recent racist violence at a refugee camp in Greece, the International Federation of Iraqi Refugees (IFIR) calls for the governments of Greece, European Union countries, UNHCR and other international bodies to eliminate overcrowding and create secure humane conditions for refugees in camps.
Dana Mhamed Abdula, an Iraqi Kurd, is currently on hunger strike in Colebrook Detention centre. Dana, a 34 year old father, has been living in the UK for 17 years and has 4 children here. He has been repeatedly refused refugee status. On Thursday morning, Dana stitched his mouth in protest against his treatment.
5 May 2017
Appeal to stop the forcible deportation of Assan Yaba Assan 6PM tomorrow 6 May.
Assan is threatened with forced deportation tomorrow, 6 May, at 18:00 from Heathrow Airport to Baghdad on a Turkish Airlines flight via Istanbul.
1 May is a day of international working class solidarity and unity. Workers around the world set aside their false religious and nationalist identities and come forward as a united class with a common future, against oppressive capitalist system and the barbarism it imposes on humanity. It is the day we stand up to oppression; discrimination; war; destruction; hunger and unemployment. It is the day in which we start to gather our forces and capabilities to overthrow the current system of inequality and oppression and build a free, equal and prosperous world.