The first attempted charter flight to Baghdad from UK in October last year was sent back by the Iraqi authorities. Of the 40 deportees, only 8 were accepted, allegedly those who were willing to disembark.

In April this year, The UK Border Agency then tried to deport Kurdish people to the Kurdish Regional Government area in the north. The plane was all set to take off, until word came through of a major protest at Sulaimaniyah International Airport, Kurdistan, with MPs of the Kurdish Government joining protesters and threatening to occupy the runway. The plane did not fly.

Now the UKBA has an agreement with the Iraqi authorities to accept forced removals. This agreement includes allowing Iraqi military officers and government officials to interview potential deportees in the UK before agreeing to accept them. Kurdish detainees have complained of being threatened by these officials. The last deportation charter flight was in June, when handcuffed deportees were beaten by British security officers and many Kurds were detained in awful conditions in Baghdad for several days before being transported north.

As everyone knows, Iraq has to be one of the most dangerous places in the world right now. In June, the United Nations High Commission for Refugees again warned against forcible removals.

In year 2009/10, the UK government spent £10.3 million on charter flight removals to several countries.