ICRIR PRESS RELEASE: URGENT: 30 Iranian Asylum-seekers in Kurdistan, Iraq Scheduled to be Illegally Deported to the Islamic Republic of Iran TOMORROW

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ICRIR PRESS RELEASE: URGENT: 30 Iranian Asylum-seekers in Kurdistan, Iraq Scheduled to be Illegally Deported to the Islamic Republic of Iran TOMORROW
Posted on March 16, 2011 by missionfreeiran

An ongoing crisis faces Iranian refugees who seek asylum in Iraq: their lives are at critical risk due to being caught between UNHCR’s criminal negligence of Iranian refugees in Iraq, the general crackdowns by the local authorities in Iraqi Kurdistan (the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and the Patriotic Kurdish Union (PKU)), and Islamic Republic of Iran penetration and targeting throughout Iraqi Kurdistan.

As a result, there has been an unprecedented number of illegal deportations of Iranian asylum-seekers from Iraq back into the hands of the Islamic Republic, which is known to detain, imprison, torture, and sometimes execute returned refugees. Thus, the return of any Iranian refugee to the Islamic Republic is illegal under the principle of non-refoulement, which is recognized as jus cogens international law.

Yesterday, a group of 9 Iranians who have lived and worked in Iraq for several years with legal work permissions were arrested without any reason given. They were handcuffed, imprisoned, humiliated and are scheduled to be deported tomorrow (March 17, 2011). They are currently being detained in Julakaan (Jews) Prison in Suleimaniya. Their names are as follows:

1-Sayid Mir-Ahmad
2- Jamil Najmeddin
3- Soran Ablollah
4- Mehdi Badié
5- Hasan Mohammad
6- Mehdi Neemat
7- Ghodrat Eskandar
8- Fateme Ali
9- Kaaveh Baba-Mohamad

In addition to these 9, there are 21 other Iranians, many if not all of whom are asylum-seekers, who are also known to be scheduled for deportation tomorrow. The order for deportation has been given by the authority of Asayesh, the local security apparatus.

The International Coalition for the Rights of Iranian Refugees expresses the strongest possible condemnation of this planned illegal deportation of Iranian asylum-seekers from Kurdistan, Iraq. We demand that UNHCR-Iraq immediately intervene in this crisis, and we call on the Kurdish Regional Government, specifically Dr. Barham Salih, to halt these illegal deportations to Iran.

We ask concerned people to immediately, urgently call the Embassy of Iraq in their country and demand an immediate halt to deportations of Iranian asylum-seekers.

CONTACT:
Soheila Nikpour
Maria Rohaly
Representatives,
International Coalition for the Rights of Iranian Refugees
email: icri.refugees@gmail.com
phone: +1.202.630.0385
###

Members of the ICRIR include Action for Democracy and Human Rights in the Middle East, International Federation for Iranian Refugees, Iranian Refugees Action Network, Iranian Refugee Amnesty Network, and Mission Free Iran.

Letter received by ICRIR from Kurdistan, Iraq regarding the imminent deportations to Iran:

FARSI translation of above letter received from Kurdistan:

خدمت مسئول اقلیم کردستان،جناب آقای دکتر برهم احمد صالح!

با عرض ادب و احترام خدمت شما

امید واریم در قبال مسئولیت و کارهای انجمن وزیران موفق باشید.

مطلعتان می کنیم اسمهایی که در پایین ذکر شده و نامه رو امضا کرده اند بعد از گذشت چند سال و ماندنمان در کردستان عراق مثل کارگران ساختمان سازی اشتاد کاشیکاری برای تمدید اقامت و ماندن هیچ گونه مشکل خاصی نداشته ایم اما در تاریخ 16.02 2011 بعد از گرفتن کد اداره امنیت یا همان آسایش سلیمانیه آزمایش خون و همه مسائل لازم برای ماندن و اقامت 6 ماهه همراه با نماینده کمپانی به اداره مربوطه در شهر سلیمانیه مراجعه کردیم اما در آن اداره بعد از جواب اداره امنیت سلیمانیه بدونه دلیل به ما گفتند که دیپورت میشوید و با نهایت بی احترامی و برخوردهای نا شایست ما را دستبند و به زندان سلیمانیه بردند

از شما خواهش میکنیم که به درد و رنج ما نگاه کنید و آن را بررسی کنید چونکه ما کردهای ایران دلمان به آزادی عراق و کردستان خوش است
1 سعید میر احمد
2 جمیل نجم الدین
3 سوران عبداله
4 مهدی بدیع
5 حسن محمد
6 مهدی نعمت
7 قدرت اسکندر
8 فاطمه علی
9 کاوه بابا محمد

با تشکر فراوان و به امید اینکه هر چه زودتر به وضعیت ما رسیدگی کنید.