Fifty Iraqi Kurds forcibly deported to Iraq

I am circulating this press release from my friend, Dashty, at the International Federaton of Iraqi Refugees, published today, and would urge all members and supporters of Amnesty to write to the new Immigration Minister to protest the forcible,and apparently unlawful, deportations to Iraq on Monday.

الاتحاد العام للاجئين العراقيين

Fifty Iraqi Kurds forcibly deported to Iraq

Yadga an Iraqi Kurd detained in Tinsley House reported to IFIR that a number of Iraqi Kurdish asylum seekers were taken from Tinsley and Dover House to Stansted Airport yesterday 27October..

Yadga told the Home Office escorts that he was due to be released that day.The escorts however ignored him.Yadga was forced onto a coach with the other Kurdish asylum seekers.Yadga reported there was a convoy of four coaches travelling to the airport. Each asylum seeker as before was accompanied by two escorts. Following phone calls from Yadga’s solicitors he was taken from the holding area at Stansted airport and returned to Tinsley House at 6pm yesterday evening.

Dashty Jamal IFIR Secretary called Awat from Sulaymania.Awat said he and five other Kurdish asylum seekers refused to board the plane and were beaten very badly by their escorts prior to being forced to board the International Hamburg airplane.The filight arrived at Arbil airport at approxiamately 4am the morning of the 28 October. Awat reported that they waited in Arbil for 30 minutes until they were diverted to Sulaymania airport.

This is the sixth time that Iraqi Kurds have been forcibly removed in such large numbers. Generally the UK deports Iraqi Kurds using Royal Jordanian airlines on charter planes. All of these removals are in contravention of the Geneva Convention which states that asylum seekers should not be returned to a war zone.

IFIR asks all Human and refugee rights organisations, Trade Unions and Trade Councils to write letters of protest condemning this flight to the Home Secretary:

Phil Woolas,

2 Marsham St,

London SW1P

Fax:00442070354745

International Federation of Iraqi

Refugees-IFIR

CSDIraq

For more information please contact: , Dashty Jamal 078 5603 2991, Karen Johnson 078 0489 1082

or Samera Ahmad 078 2842 4164 email: sarahp107@hotmail.com, Karen.Johnson@btinternet.com,

d.jamal@ntlworld.com

____________________________________________________________________

POBOX1575,ILFORD IG1 3BZ ,LONDON,UK

Tel:0044 7856032991 ,

00447895636633,0041787557786,004799387599,003584404464905

www.csdiraq.com

www.federationifir.com