UNHCR warns against deportations to Iraq
NCADC Blog, 16 June 2011
The United Nations refugee agency re-issued a statement of concern in June 2011 ahead of a planned expulsion of Iraqis from the UK, and agains called for European states to grant protection, particularly for refugees originating from the most violent areas of Iraq.
The UNHCR said their position “reflects the volatile security situation and the still high level of prevailing violence, security incidents, and human rights violations. UNHCR considers that serious – including indiscriminate – threats to life, physical integrity or freedom resulting from violence or events seriously disturbing public order are valid reasons for international protection.”
According to media reports and evidence collected by UNHCR and the International Federation of Iraqi Refugees, many of those who have been deported to Iraq in the past are now living in hiding, in fear of the persecution they originally left Iraq to flee. Some have been assassinated. Others have committed suicide only days after being deported or have been kidnapped and killed, while others have had mental breakdowns. Many more have had to leave the country and become refugees again.
A plea from Josh and his family
“We are a stable, loving English family with four children. The UK Border Agency wants to take one of our children from us and send him to live on his own in Iraq”
Josh (who is not using his own name for protection) has been in our family as our son for 3 years. He is a brother to our three other children, a nephew, a grandson and a great grandson and everyone loves him in our wider family and indeed our friends and the local community in Colchester who know him well. But now, after almost 4 years in England, the UK Border Agency has ruled that Josh should leave us, his family, and return to war-torn Iraq.
Please help the campaign to keep Josh safe at home with his family.
Orphaned and neglected in Iraq
Josh is a teenager from Iraqi Kurdistan. Josh was orphaned at a young age. His father was killed serving in the Kurdish Army when Josh was 3 years old. Three years later his mother died too. He was put into his uncle’s care. His uncle subjected Josh to severe physical and emotional abuse. When he was 9 he was forced to leave school and start work, hard manual labour. He still lives in great fear of his uncle. A friend of his father helped Josh escape to the UK.
Sanctuary and family in UK
Josh arrived alone in the UK in 2007, aged 14. As Josh's family explain “He is now 18 and been in our family as our son for 3 years. He is a credit to himself, our family and our country. He has worked very hard at school, getting his GCSEs after only 2 years of schooling. He went straight in to college, studying mechanics and also a further English course and is now still currently studying. Now he is more English than Kurdish and has embraced our English culture.
We have a family plumbing and heating business where he has an apprenticeship waiting for him. Unfortunately at the moment he is not allowed to work. This is holding him back in so much as he is such a hardworking, ambitious young man. Our son is supported emotionally and financially by us as his parents and receives no welfare assistance from our country. Our son is kind, generous, gentle, warm and friendly. He is a credit to our loving family.
We are a very sporty family. We run a boys football team which both our sons are committed to. Our children are all honest and highly respectful. We feel very proud of them all. As you may know it is not easy to bring up a family. It has been a really bad year for our son, not only does he have all this hanging over him but in May this year he lost his best friend to a life threatening illness. It has been a great shock for the family to deal with as he was such an amazing, kind, positive young man. We have helped our son through this heart breaking time as any parent would.
Having to fight to keep our family with us, this just doesn’t seem fair. Our son needs his family and we need him. We simply do not know how we would cope with our son’s threatened removal. Our other children are already showing signs of fear of the possible threat to deport their brother. They are at an impressionable age and we have to be honest with them. We are a good, honest and stable family who do not deserve to be going through this. The threat to remove our son would rip the hearts out of us as a family, as it would do by removing any child from their home. Our son’s life would be destroyed by this proposed removal and so would ours.”
Iraq and Kurdistan are not safe
Iraq and the Kurdish regional area are not safe. Most people know that. Even the US Government admitted that the security situation is getting worse, not better, in a report a few weeks ago.
The Kurdish Regional Government is currently refusing to take back refugees against their will - they simply do not have the resources to support the thousands of displaced people returning from neighbouring countries, let alone youngsters from Europe. Because of this, the UK tries to deport people to Baghdad, even though there is proof that Kurds dumped there suffer imprisonment and abuse by the authorities. The United Nations refugee agency has called on Britain to halt these removals, and calls on the UK to grant protection for people like Josh.
The UK Border Agency claims that Josh can relocate to any area of the Kurdish Government region, and can seek protection from the authorities. However, an expert opinion submitted to the courts strongly disputes this. The report highlights the high level of corruption, the tribal nature of society and the difficulties imposed on someone without familial or political connections to ensure their most basic rights, such as police protection, housing and employment. The document stresses the importance of family in Iraq. "When there is a breakdown in the family structure and relations individual victims are very seriously hindered in all aspects of life."
Josh's Legal Case
Josh's solicitors have applied for a Judicial Review at the High Court, of the Home Office's refusal to accept his fresh claim. Josh and his family are now anxiously awaiting the Home Office response. Please show your support for Josh and his family during this difficult time by taking the actions that are explained below.
What you can do to help
1) Please show your support by contacting the Home Secretary to ask that Josh be allowed to stay with his family.
You can write a letter to ask the Home Secretary to use her powers to grant protection and leave to remain. It helps if you can write a personal letter, but you can use the wording of the model letter if it helps. Click here to dowload the model letter. Always remember to include Josh's Home Office reference number: R1160079.
You can fax the Home Secretary on fax number 0207 035 4745.
To email, copy to these email addresses:
mayt@parliament.uk
UKBApublicenquiries@UKBA.gsi.gov.uk
CITTO@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk
Privateoffice.external@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk
Or post to:
Rt. Hon Theresa May, MP
Secretary of State for the Home Office,
2 Marsham St London SW1P 4DF
Please remember to include Josh’s Home Office reference number - R1160079
2) Show your support for Josh and his family by visiting and 'liking' their campaign Facebook page
And whatever action you take, please let the campaign know: email joshengland18@yahoo.co.uk