PRO ASYL Press Release
6. February 2003
In the case of an Iraq war an humanitarian desaster is threatening
PRO ASYL reminds Federal Government: Iraqi refugees need protection
- Im Falle eines Irakkrieges droht eine humanitäre Katastrophe
- In the case of an Iraq war an humanitarian desaster is threatening
PRO ASYL reminds Federal Government: Iraqi refugees need protection
INFO
(partially translated)
This is a machine translation by the IBM-supported PERSONAL TRANSLATOR plus. It is slightly edited by combining its results with the translation of SYSTRAN. But you should not rely on it. If you want to use a translated text append or reference the original text.
PRO ASYL asks the Federal Government in view of the threatening war danger to correct the palliating Iraq country report of the Foreign Office and to provide to refugees from Iraq the protection, to which they are entitled, finally. In the last year Iraqi refugees have been refused by the Federal Office of the Recognition of Foreign Refugees by the dozen.
Had been the recognition rate in the year 2001 still 65% (Recognitions according to Art. 16 of the Constitution and according to § 51 Aliens Act), it decreased in the year 2002 to only 25%. And the downtrend is continuing: In December 2002 only still 13% of the asylum decisions of Iraqi refugees had been positive.
„This dramatic break-down of the recognition rates is particularly in view of the war danger a scandal. It is part of a cynical humane deterrence policy against refugees“, said Mrs. Marei Pelzer, official of PRO ASYL, on Thursday. Although nothing has changed regarding the disastrous human rights situation in Iraq, the necessary protection would withhold from refugees.
The Federal Office is still asserting, there would exist a so-called „internal flight alternative“ in the North Iraq. This anyway doubtful assertion, that the North Iraq would be „safe“, is becoming in view of the forthcoming war even more insecure. The US Secretary of State, Mr. Powell said in his report of yesterday now even the assumption, that Al-Qaida allies could operate freely in North Iraq. So it can’t be assumed, that North Iraq will be excluded from possible war activities. It is the more incomprehensible, that one will adhere to the assessment, that refugees will be safe in the North Iraq in the foreseeable future.
Even refugees from Central Iraq are always more frequently referred to a flight alternative in the North Iraq – and so „regardless of the fact, whether or not there exist family or social relations in North Iraq“, it is said in a negative decision available to PRO ASYL. Furthermore it is confirmed, that for Iraqi refugees a return to North Iraq is possible and reasonable via Turkey.
This assessment is supported by the current country report of the Foreign Office: „The Foreign Office assumes, that refugees or native people are to a large extent protected from the access of Baghdad security services in North Iraq. … These statements are applicable in principle independently of the ethnic and religious membership,“ says the country report of the Foreign Office.
In the opinion of PRO ASYL an immediate correction of the palliating country reports of the Foreign Office is necessary. The fiction of an internal flight alternative must be given up.
