HUNGER STRIKE
on June 19th - 22nd, 2004
at "Gendarmenmarkt" in Berlin/Mitte

against the criminal deportation practises and the persecution of
Togolese and Cameroun oppositional exiles by the German state.

Since the beginning of this year the perscution and deportation of refugees from Togo increased massively. The peak level so far was the mass-deportation of 18 people from Togo and 26 from Cameroun, who were deported from Amsterdam under participation of Germany, The
Netherlands, Belgium, France and the UK. Germany was involved with the deportation of 15 persons.

During the night of May 25th/26th the political refugees from Togo and Cameroon have been forced, against thier protest, to enter a plane (eyewitnesses stated it was a KLM
airplane from the Netherlands) by the use of beating, pepper spray, dogs, plastic shackles and the new model of the "Deportation-Torture-Helmet" (these new models have been presented by the German Home Office, after Amir Ageeb died of suffocation because
of brutalizing by border police and the use of a bike-helmet, during his deportation in 1999). Before that a roll command had allready been entering the deportation section of the JVA Fühlsbüttel, chucked the prisoners out of their bed onto the floor and shackeled them. Right after that the civil servants chose the ones to be deported on the basis of photos. After all four persons from Togo have been deported from this prison in Hamburg.

It was reported, that one prisoner should have first of all received a medical examination, wich was demanded by the northern German Refugee Councils (Flüchtlingsräte) and AIDS-Aid-Stations in cooperation with his lawyer. In the case of another prisoner from Togo, the embassy of Togo had not issued any papers. Both prisoners have been deported in this cloak-and-dagger operation despite of all that. During the two follwing days other
refugees have been deported to Togo. In the meantime the vast majority of applications for asylum have been rejected by the Federal Office and the administrative court. The acceptance of refugees, who have been living in Germany for years and have already been accepted according to §51, has in parts been deprived and they were called on
to leave the country.

Since the middle of last year, many parts of the Togo opposition in exile have been protesting against the German Deportation-Policies and against the dictatorship of Gerneal Gnassingbé Eyadéma. The Caravan for the Rights of Refugees and Immigrants ("Karawane für die Rechte der Flüchtlinge und MigrantInnen") and opposition groups from Togo have launched a campaign against the dictatorship of Eyadéma and against the German collaboration, that includes many public activities for political education, after members of the opposition and civilians have been massacred during the presidential elections in 2003.

The political persons in charge have at the same time been
confronted with Information about the situation in Togo and with the
demands of the Togolese refugees. All political authorities were
adequately or very well informed about the dramatic human-rights
conditions and the persecution of the opposition in Togo. But the
Department for Foreign Affaires and the Home Offices of the federal
states were not willing to prohibit the deportation to Togo and
disclaimed all liabilities. But the Department for Foreign Affaires
claims at the same time to have no tangible indications of the
persecution of Togolese refugees after their deportation. In contrast
to that, Togo opposition parties, lawyers and refugee-organisations
state, that they have transferred a number of proofs for torture and
persecution after deportations, to the Department for Foreign
Affaires.

Barbara Ginsberg, a lawyer from Cologne (Köln) who is specialising in asylum proceedings, for example states: "I met a number of Togolese people, who have been arrested and tortured after their deportation but could afterwards escape to Germany once again.
They were predominantly critically traumatised, in parts there have also been apparent traces of torture. A woman for example, who was 3 months pregnant when she was deported had scars of whippings on her belly, when she returned. She was in her 8th month at that time. A man had constant scars on his belly. These scars did not heal because these cuts had been done with a knife and chilly was sprinkled into them afterwards. Electroshocks and other methods of torture are also exercised "as and when required". Just yesterday I have spoken to a client, who was brought to Africa with an accumulative-deportation
flight. He was then imprisoned for 15 month in Togo, because he'd have befouled the name of his president Eyadéma, when he was in Germany.

But The Department for Foreign Affaires still holds up the lie, that they'd have no information about cases of Togolese, who had suffered from state-repression after their deportation. I've provided evidence to the Department for Foreign Affaires myself, that Togolese have been arrested, tortured, killed or have disappeared without a trace, after
their deportation or unsolicited return to Togo. Even the fact, that some of those who could esape once again to Germany have in the meantime been accepted in their asylum proceedings, can't change the false information of the Foreign Office."

The Togolese opposition member in exile, Tchedré Abdou Gafar, who was visiting relatives in Ghana in March/April, had to hide right there in Ghana, because the bloodhounds of the regime searched for him in the neighboring state. During the search of Mr. Tchedré the militia showed photos of him, that were taken on demonstrations and gatherings in Germany.

On arrival in Lomé the deportees from Germany and Holland on May 26, 2004 were immediately threatened. After extended interrogation about their activities and contacts in Germany they were released and notified that they would be called in the near future and that in the case of absence their families would get "problems". The Cameroun regime opponent who was deported from Germany was arrested at the airport in Douala. Since then no one has had contact with him. A further deportation charter plane to Togo left on the 27.05.2004 from
Langenhagen/ Hannover. One of the deportees and his fiance had applied in Febuary for permission to marry. Instead of extending his residence permit he was arrested at the beginning of May two weeks before his permit expired and deported despite all protests. In this case also the victims complained about being roughly treated by the German security. In Togo they were arrested. It is still unknown whether they were all released.

The demand for an immediate and general cessation of deportation to Togo came after April 14, 2004. On this day a conference of the EU and AKP states took place in Brussels. Subject was the blockade of the Togo regime of Article 9 of the Cotonou Agreement regarding democracy and human rights. The regime accepted a comprehensive catalogue of
commitments which were to be implemented within a pre-ordained time limit. This catalogue makes it clear that in Togo not even a rudementary democratisations processe has been implemented. The country is still governed through absolute dictatorial power. The
commitments include among others, the release of prisoners, the abolishment of torture, the admittance of opposition parties and media, judicial and electoral as well as constitutional reform. The regime has in practise already shown that it will not implement the commitments. The time limit for the release of political prisoners who are incarcerated because of statements they made, was six weeks and has already elapsed. The regime stated that there are no political prisoners. Instead of an immediate suspension of deportation after the Brussels conference there has been an increase of political asylum
denials and forced deportations to dictatorial Togo.

Against this background the Caravan for the Rights of Refugees and Immigrants and sections of the Togo opposition in exile resolved to conduct a four-day hunger strike in Berlin to educate the public about the human rights abuses in Germany and Togo. The German government and it's subordinate organisations are responisble for the fate of the
deportees and we demand accountability.

We demand:

1. the immediate cessation of deportation and issuance of a general deportation stop to Togo.

2. the immediate release of all Togolese refugees in deportation prisons.

3. the unreserved recognition of the right of political asylum for all who have flown from the Eyadema regime.

4. the correction of the incorrect and incomplete situational reports of the Foreign Ministry which are the basis for the crucial asylum decisions of the administrative courts. (The Togolese oppositional exiles and different human-rights organisations offer
their cooperation for these purposes.)

5. that the the political activities of exile oppositional movement for democracy and justice not be hindered; neither through laws in breach of the constitution such as the so-called residence law and other human rights abusive legal regulations which asylm seekers in Germany are subjected to or through discriminating and arbitrary police and other governmental checks and restriction.

6. that the German government takes over the responsibility for any consequences for body and life resulting from the denial of the right of political asylum and deportation.

7. that meeting like the Brussels confernce on the Cotonou agreement not be
used to initiate new relationships with the Eyadema regime.

Points 1 to 6 are to be applied aswell to refugees from Cameroun and South Cameroun.

HUNGER STRIKE
June 19 - 22, 2004
Gendarmenmarkt in Berlin/Mitte
(Begin Saturday, 12°°)

Stop the criminal deportation practises and the persecution of
Togolese and Cameroun oppositional exiles by the German state!

Karawane für die Rechte der Flüchtlinge und MigrantInnen

there is an urgent need for financial support:
Antirassist. Initiative Berlin; Bank für Sozialwirtschaft; Kto: 30 39
606; BLZ: 100 205 00