Open
Letter to the Jordanian Government
On
Iranian refugees stranded at its borders
April 22, 2003
Mr. Ali Abu Ragheb
Prime Minister
Amman, Jordan
Fax: 464 - 2520
Mr. Qaftan Majali
Minister of Interior
Amman, Jordan
Via fax: 560 - 6908
Dear Messieurs Ragheb and
Majali:
I am writing on behalf of
the Worker-communist Party of Iran (WPI) and the International Federation of
Iranian Refugees (IFIR) to raise our strongest opposition to the Jordanian
government's refusal to permit the entry of the over 1,000 refugees, many of
them Iranians, and including over 400 children and infants, who are stranded at
the windswept no-man's-land separating Jordan and Iraq at Al Karama. Refugees
who are stranded there have informed us that the numbers are now nearing 2,000
and are increasing every hour. Some of the refugees have been waiting weeks to
enter Jordan.
The stranded Iranian
refugees are mainly political opponents of the Islamic regime in Iran who have
fled Al-Tash refugee camp in Iraq as a result of the USA and Britain's attack
on Iraq and the resulting insecurity or are members of the People's Mujahedeen
Organisation of Iran (PMOI) who have fled the USA attack on their bases in
Iraq. The refugees are currently living in abysmal conditions without proper
shelter and food and no sanitation and health services. Some are critically ill
and need urgent hospitalisation. There are also fears of an impending outbreak
of diseases such as cholera and dysentery. While a human catastrophe is
unfolding and conditions are deteriorating, the Jordanian government persists
in refusing the refugees entry.
By obstructing their entry
into Jordan, the Jordanian government is contravening internationally
recognised norms of providing refuge to persons in need of protection as well
as the agreement reached between the United Nations High Commissioner for
Refugees (UNHCR) and Jordan's Minister of Interior concerning the provision of
international protection and humanitarian assistance to persons in need. The
WPI and IFIR stress that: all the refugees must be granted entry, given the
necessary assistance and protected from deportation, including to Iran.
According to statements by Jordanian officials, the Jordanian government is
contacting respective embassies to 'ensure their repatriation'. The refugees
stranded at the border are persons who have fled persecution by the Islamic
regime in Iran and are opponents of the regime. Upon their forcible return to
Iran, they will likely face execution, torture and other cruel, inhuman and
degrading punishment. They must not be refouled to Iran under any
circumstances. Moreover, their right to asylum must be recognised. While Jordan
is a non-signatory to the UN Convention relating to the Status of Refugees, it
must provide the UNHCR the opportunity to conduct status determinations and
refugee resettlement to safe third countries. From our perspective, all the
Iranians must be granted refugee status and resettlement. The few who have
already been granted refugee status from before must be immediately transferred
to their country of asylum.
The WPI and IFIR call on the
Jordanian government to:
1. Open its borders to
Iranian refugees, among others.
2. Provide the necessary
food, shelter, health care and sanitation to the refugees in cooperation with the
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.
3. Recognise the right to
asylum of Iranians.
We look forward to your
immediate intervention regarding this critical issue. Needless to say, the
Jordanian government is accountable for the lives and safety of the refugees
stranded at its borders.
Sincerely,
Maryam Namazie
On behalf of the
Worker-communist Party of Iran International Relations Office
And the International
Federation of Iranian Refugees
Cc: International human
rights and humanitarian organisations, UNHCR, media.