التحاد العام اللاجئين العراقيين

THE INTERNATIONAL  FEDERATION OF IRAQI REFUGEES

An open letter to UNHCR in Turkey

You are responsible of assassinating Khidir Muhammad Musa!

 

It was necessary to attract your attention to the effect of your anti refugees stance. We would like to show how this caused tragic incidents and how people are killed because of your indifference towards those who had no where to go but your offices just to save their lives. But by deciding to close their files you faced them with death!

You certainly have, in your archive, the file of Khidir Muhammad Musa, whose file number was M5337. You know he came with his family in October 1998 and in 19th.of the same month he registered himself to your office. After a year you rejected his application and then you closed his file. He could no longer stay because he had to leave Turkey since the Turkish authority decided deportation. His family could not stay illegally and returned to Kurdistan. To save his life and get the asylum status, Khidir had nothing to do just to change the city and live somewhere else illegally. Consequently, he was caught by the Turkish police in the beginning of 2003 and was deported. There is no doubt that he was well known even by many of your staff. And most of the asylum seekers know him as an activist of the General federation of Iraqi Refugees especially among those who lived in Chorum city. He was very faithful to the asylum seekers and ever tried to solve their problems. Khidir was among those asylum seekers that The IFIR insisted on his refuge right because his life was extremely threatened as a political activist. It is worth mentioning to remind you of some of our insistence.

Concerning the situation of the Iraqi asylum seekers in Turkey, a delegation of IFIR had a meeting in Geneva with Leclair and Muhammad Deri, in the Iraqi department, in 07/04/2000. We spoke about the hard situation of the Iraqi asylum seekers in Turkey and the pressure of UNHCR against them, our delegation delivered a list of 196 names to reconsider their cases and grant them asylum. One of the names was Khidir Muhammad Musa. Also another delegation of IFIR and the Turkey branch, Iraqi Refugees Council in Turkey, had a meeting with the Ankara branch of UNHCR in 10/01/2000 with Mr. Larrw and Akiff to talk about and defend the Iraqi cases. We repeatedly insisted on his critical situation and beard UNHCR the responsibility of his life and future. Although the heads of UNHCR promised to reconsider these cases, but still neglected the file of Khidir. Then the Iraqi Refugees Council in Chorum city sent you two different protest letters first in 05/12/2001 and the second in 05/1/2002 concerning him. But all these attempts were not enough to convince you to stop your anti refugees stance! When he was deported, he lived in a very hard and insecure situation. And a few weeks ago he was killed by some unknown armed persons!

It is shameful that after killing thousands of women, political activists and known persons, you still go on your firm stance and still say that Iraq and Kurdistan are safe! It seems that you spread security all over Iraq! By repeating this old saying, you have encouraged the European countries to declare the decision of deporting the Iraqi asylum seekers while the asylum seekers are not saved even under your control. Was not Mahpara Rostemzada killed by her old husband in front of your office in April 2000? Was not Sabiha killed by her mail relatives in front of Van office during the attack against Iraq?

Not only these incidents but also it is noticeable that persons like Khidir Muhammad and Farhad Faraj are killed after they had been rejected by you and being deported to Kurdistan. But still you dare to say that this area is safe. Besides, after the collapse of the dictator regime of Ba’ath and because UN’s being adjunct to the aims of USA, we have seen that returning hundred thousands of Iraqi asylum seekers has become a de facto. Under the so-called free and secure situation in Iraq, the numbers of those who are killed are more and more among which the case of Khidir.

We, as IFIR, protest the indifference of UNHCR towards the lives and future of the asylum seekers and allowing the deportation of Khidir Muhammad Musa. At the same time we confirm that if UNHCR is faithful to the Geneva resolutions of 1951, they are supposed to reconsider the cases of all the Iraqi asylum seekers and grant them asylum.

Rebwar Arif

General Secretary of

International Federation of Iraqi Refugees

17th.June 2003

Address: PL 3                                                                                                    fediraq@welho.com

00391 Helsinki - Finland                             Fax : 00 358 9 2419493