These letters from a number of Iraqi-Kurdish asylum seeker who were forcibly deported on 5 September, 2006 (see
http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2006/09/350214.html) were received by Dashty Jamal from the International Federation of Iraqi Refugees (
http://www.federasion.org). These letters were passed to the European Council Presidency on 11.10.2006 in European Parliament.
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An open letter to the Home office of the UK government.
My name is Burhan Namiq, I was born on 06/03/1980 and am from Kadamfary in Sulaimanyha City, Kurdistan Iraq. And was deported from the UK in September 2006.
Since returning to Kurdistan I have had a heart attack and it’s from my bed in a Kurdish hospital that I write this letter to you.
I sought asylum in the United Kingdom; stayed and lived there without committing any crime for two years, but you did not accept my claim for asylum and determined that I had no right to stay and was therefore subject to being deported.
That decisions made me depressed, isolated and forced me to consider suicide. I have tried many different ways at different times to end my life; by trying to kill myself using razor, by eating one box of tissues. These attempts did not work and you kept me in the detention centre until myself and others were deported to Kurdistan on the 5th September 2006. The treatment in detention and the deportation can only be described as inhuman and humiliating.
Only 2 days after my removal I was sent to hospital. I had suffered a Heart attack due to depression and the inhuman treatment I received whilst in you ‘care’.
I hold the UK government responsible for my life, for what I have experienced and my future and I strongly condemn the UK government for their inhuman treatment of detained asylum seekers.
I have asked the International Federation of Iraqi Refugees to act as my representative and have asked them to investigate my case.
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To The International Federation of Iraqi Refugees,
We are a group of former UK asylum seekers. We were recently forcibly deported back to Kurdistan. We were forced to leave Kurdistan between 1-8 years ago because of the political economic and social situation in Iraqi Kurdistan.
We Emigrated to the UK looking for a better life free from political persecution. The British Government has justified our forcible deportation by claiming that Iraqi Kurdistan is safe but this is not true. In the last month the Kurdish Authorities have shot at demonstrations against lack of electricity, water supply and fuel and
arrested the organisers of these demonstrations.
We particularly want to draw your attention to the way we were treated in detention centers and the way we were deported.
We were imprisoned for several months prior to our deportation in detention centers in single cells without access to newspapers and magazines leaving us feeling cut off and isolated. On the day of our deportation we were woken up by several security guards coming into our cells. They forced us out of our rooms we were no given time
to change or put shoes on. We were treated like criminals. We were escorted out of the detention centre handcuffed and forced onto a coach. Once on the plane we were given flak jackets and caps to wear. There were two security guards per asylum seeker. We were taken straight to Erbil airport where we were forced onto the tarmac. The plane flew off leaving the Kurdish authorities to pick us up.
We are writing you this letter in the hope that you can prevent others being treated in the way we were treated. We believe the Home Office broke the Geneva Convention and the European Human Rights Convention by forcibly deporting us. We are relying on you to publicize our stories and to take our complaints forward with the Home Office
to ensure the abuse we suffered is investigated. We wish you success in your campaign to stop other Kurdish asylum seekers still in detention from being forcibly deported.
Regards
Name occupation address phone number
1- Balen Sabir Mechanic Sulaimanya
2- Mahmood M Rashid Unemployed Sharbazher
3- Sarkawt Mohammed Unemployed Sulaimanya
4- Bahadin Abdullah Abdul Unemployed Sulaimanya
5- Shamal Hama Student Darbandikhan
6-Karwan Fatah
7-Makwan Farag Amen
8-Kawa Ahmad
9-Burhan Namiq
10-Muhmod Muhamad Ahmad
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For more information in Kurdistan please contact Rebwar Arif on 009647702142843
In the UK please contact: Mobile: 07856032991 Dashty Jamal
d.jamal@ntlworld.com, Burhan Fatah
burhanfatah@aol.com, Jasim
Ghafurjasm_rg@yahoo.co.uk, Mobile: 07877489626 or 07866757213 Office: 0161 234 2784
www.csdiraq.com
Comments
Hide the following 2 comments
Oh what a compassionate society...
11.09.2006 13:07
Sooner or later we as a nation, (not just the compassionate and caring) must realise that we have, and have been voting in bully boys and girls who believe that strong arm tactics are far more productive and feel it is neccessary to always employ thugs to get their own way. History of course will be re-written and covered up as it always has and no one will give a second thought to the thousands of people we have sent back to certain torture and death.
Hum
e-mail: hum.dinger@vodafone.net
Homepage: http://www.humdingermusic.co.uk
More care definatly needed
14.09.2006 14:40
I so hope that one day people will see that we can't leave racism in place becasue it will come back to haunt us time and time again. My heart goes out to all Iraqi's and everbody who wants a life without suffering. Courage to you and lots of love, Toby
Toby
e-mail: Tobyc@mtcp.co.uk