Held at Camden Town Hall on 27 March 2006. (Thanks to Camden Unison, who kindly booked the room in line with their policy of support for asylum seekers and migrants).
NB Minutes are detailed in the hope that this will be useful to those who were unable to attend the meeting.
1. Welcome and Introductions. Apologies received from Sarah Ludford and Estella Schmid.
2. Update on present situation
Dashty Jamal from International Federation of Iraqi Refugees reported on: Problems in Iraq including Kurdistan
Iraqis are facing civil war, dozens of bodies of people who have been executed are found every day, kidnappings and bombings are rife, every sort of torture, honour killings are prevalent, etc etc.Many are killed by the US eg the recent atrocity at Baquba.
N. Iraq is not better, it is controlled by the PUK and KDP, there is no freedom of speech or activity, women are killed with impunity. Protesters are often arrested or even killed, eg students were killed in Kirkuk during a demonstration against high petrol prices recently. Students were shot at during demonstration in Erbil and in Ranya and Khoya recently.
Many writers are having problems, especially since the cartoons. A radical Islamic party issued a fatwa to threaten people who wrote critically of Islam. Dr Qadir, sentenced to 30 years in prison (now reduced to 18 months after a big international campaign) for writing two articles critical of the family of KDP leader Masoud Barzani, is being used to threaten other writers or people who want freedom of speech or political activity.
On 16 March, the anniversary of the chemical attack, there was a demonstration in Halabja by 5 or 6000 local people protesting at lack of services and health care.
PUK police fired on the demonstrators, killing a youth called Kurdo.
Hundreds of youth have been arrested in the last few days since the demonstration, militia are doing raidsto arrest people and to find film footage to identify protesters, Jalal Talabani (leader of PUK and President of Iraq) has threatened to use Baathist laws and apply the death penalty against those who destroyed the Halabja memorial.
A memorial demonstration to mark the destruction of Qala Diza is being planned and the PUK are threatening people they think will go.
On 21 March a student called Bazhdar Ali who was active in Erbil was arrested and beaten very badly by the bodyguards of 2 MPs who were present and did not like his speech on the situation of women. He was later dumped in the street and threatened. This is the reality of the situation in Kurdistan.
No government has yet been agreed since the election. There is a dark scenario in place – division by ethnicity and religion is springing up everywhere, you cannot find any safe place in Iraq.
Problems of the 15 who were forcibly returned in November
Hawar is still in Syria. Even on the Home Office’s own criteria he should not have been returned as he was not from one of the three supposedly safe in some cases northern governorates, but from Mosul, where he was not able to go back.
Another one is reported by his family to have severe mental problems because of his return.
Some returnees were interviewed by KDP police at airport, then invited to police station for further interview and asked to sign forms saying they would not leave Iraq again.
Returns via IOM
Home Office say over 1000 have gone back in last 18 months either via IOM or under their own steam. Home Office is still putting a lot of pressure on people to return via IOM. As part of their plan for the occupation the UK government is forcing people back to Iraq. The 15 who were deported were handcuffed and beaten. . NASS is still pushing asylum seekers to agree to voluntary return. They are offering (theoretically) £3000 to people. Last Saturday 83 people were returned to Sulaimanyah. (Previous returns have been to Erbil).
Problems faced by asylum seekers here
People are getting letters from NASS asking them to go back to Iraq, or to move out of London. Vouchers are being reintroduced. Many people are under pressure from their children to go back, even if it is dangerous for them, because the children are so upset at not seeing their fathers for several years.
Detentions.
Of the 36 detained late last year, 34 are released but forced to sign twice a week
There are 3 people in detention now, who are 3rd country cases. IFIR has some clients who have been tagged and are restricted to certain areas.
3. Reports and discussion on current activities:
Statement and contacts
We have got good support so far and will circulate it again soon and hope to get more. We are trying to set up meetings with Simon Hughes MP and with John McDonnell MP and Jeremy Corbyn MP, all of whom are very busy.
Website: should be up and running from 1 April. We will use it for an on-line version of the petition. We will have links to other campaigns. Saman is working on it, including on some graphics to give it a distinctive identity.
Petition
Is being used in Hull,Manchester etc. Asylum seekers are working with the Federation to collect signatures. We used it on the anti-war demonstration, together with a leaflet based on the campaign’s statement.
Local and individual reports:
Gerry Hickey from Asylum Support Appeals Project explained that her organisation does NASS appeals, and that in particular it may be useful for people who believe there is no safe route to return them to Iraq to approach ASAP for help with their accommodation case. She said that a favourable decision on the non-existence of a safe route so that someone could not be returned and therefore should not lose their accommodation could have a knock on effect on actual asylum cases.
ASAP telephone number is 0208 864 5874, email Gerry@asaproject.org.uk.
She also pointed out that in the case of the Zimbabweans a test case had obliged the IAT to make a country case ruling which had resulted in the Home Office being unable to return people to Zimbabwe and that a similar case would be helpful to Iraqis if one could be taken.
Sawsan Salim from Kurdistan Refugee Women’s Organisation reported on the work of her organisation. In particular she noted that in her experience when the Home Office is given information about the problems of family violence that many women face in South Kurdistan, the Home Office tend to consult the PUK and KDP about whether such information is true, which enables those parties to deny having any responsibility for tolerating a climate where such problems are so rife. Campaigners should be aware therefore that the Home Office is likely to be “checking” information with parties who may be the source of some people’s reasons for not being able to go back.
She is still fighting cases where the Home Office is refusing to protect women who know they will be subjected to honour killing if they go back; 9000 women have been killed in this way since 1991.
She also pointed out that there are no rights for women in the new Iraqi constitution, which draws extensively on Sharia law; and also commented that the media here never shows the real horror of what is going on in Iraq – for example she has seen the shocking conditions in Baghdad and Nasiriya, but little of the reality is shown on TV here.
Jo Benefield gave detailed report on campaigning in Bristol. Bristol Campaign to Defend Asylum Seekers which has been focussing its work on asylum seekers from Iraq as there are many in the Bristol area. The campaign puts out material explaining the situation of these asylum seekers and those from other parts of the world, and helps some people with accommodation problems.She said that trade union support had been central to their campaign, and recommended that the Coalition should do likewise. Dashty noted that we had some support from the T and G and it was agreed that this was an area where we should try to do more. Jo also reported that STAR (Student Action for Refugees) and church organisations have been a strong part of the campaign. The group has worked with the Living Ghosts campaign.
Model Letters for MPs
Still being drafted.
Solidarity Greetings
Dashty sent a solidarity message from the Coalition to the recent Congolese demonstration outside the Home Office
Meeting with Amnesty.
Amnesty will be running a campaign soon around the question of destitute asylum seekers. We were told that Amnesty can sometimes take up individual cases; people need to be referred by their solicitors. They felt that Refugee Legal Centre is probably the organisation best placed to help with legal advice for asylum seekers who have no solicitor.
4. Future plans:
Conference
Dashty proposed that the coalition holds a conference to elect steering committee, get more organisations involved, raise money for the campaign, and to build the campaign. We hope to get more MPs supporting the campaign and working as a group to do lobbying on the issue.
After discussion it was agreed to avoid the 29 April as this was just before the local elections, and to go for the first possible Saturday thereafter. Sarah to contact John McDonnell.
Meet Home Office
Sarah proposed that the coalition send a delegation to meet the Home Office to raise the campaign’s demands and concerns. Agreed to try and do this soon.
Meeting in European Parliament
Dashty reported that Jean Lambert has agreed to host a meeting on the problem of returns to Iraq in the European Parliament in Belgium. She is still trying to get a date.
More public meetings
It is planned to hold more public meetings. First one will be in Manchester on 1 April.
Next campaign meeting:
Will be on April 18.
Help with campaign work
Nicola kindly agreed to help out with campaign work.
Thanks to all who attended, especially to the asylum seekers and those who travelled a long way.
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