NETHERLANDS: Iraqi refugees on hunger strike
Topic
Country/Region
01 March 2001
Since 5 February five Kurds from Iraq have been on hunger strike in the Waddinxveen asylum seekers centre in Holland. One has been transferred to a centre in Alphen aan de Rijn. Since the decision by the Dutch government that Kurds from Northern Iraq can be “safely returned”, protests have increased. < br >< br > On 20 November 1998, the Dutch government ended its policy of issuing temporary residence permits for refugees from Iraq. The Court of Justice sanctioned the abolition of this policy on two occasions, 13 September 1999 and 20 March 2000. In an official report dated 12 April 2000, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that the human rights situation in Northern Iraq was improving. < br >< br > On the basis of this report, J Cohen, the former Secretary of State for Asylum and Immigration Affairs, told the Dutch parliament that the abolition of the policy will be maintained. In addition, several judges ruled that Northern Iraq was safe for some refugees from central Iraq with a Kurdish, Turkmenic or Assyric Christian background. The most recent parliamentary debate, on 12 October 2000, did not alter the earlier decisions. In combination with the new Dutch Asylum and Immigration Act, in force since 1 April 2001, Kurds will also be excluded from humanitarian support entitlements from the Dutch authorities. Around 9,000 Iraqi Kurds in Holland are affected by the policies.< br >< br > In protest against the Dutch policy on refugees from Iraq, a few hundred Kurds demonstrated on 29 March in front of parliament in The Hague. Some threw stones at the windows forcing the parliament to temporarily close. Some days later, a Kurd undressed himself in the public gallery of the parliament. Kurdish anger is high because of the declaration of Northern Iraq as a “safe” country of origin. Although direct flights to Northern Iraq are currently not possible due to the internationally binding no?fly zone, they can be deported via Turkey. < br >< br > In late March 1999, a mission from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs visited Turkey and discussed with the authorities the possibility of deporting Kurdish refugees from Iraq via Turkey. Transit visas, logistical matters, and the cooperation of international bodies like the United Nations High Commission on Refugees and the International Organisation of Migration were discussed. In a parliamentary debate on 21 March, E Kalsbeek, the Secretary of State for Asylum and Immigration Affairs, said that Turkey does not allow for large numbers of refugees to be deported via Turkish territory. < br >< br > Under the new Dutch Asylum and Immigration Act, Iraqi Kurds can now be denied access to asylum seekers’ centres. In the past, refugees could claim shelter in the centres on the grounds that they could not return to their home countries. This option is not available in those cases where the government holds that asylum seekers can actually “deport themselves”.< br >< br > One of the hunger strikers, for example, received a letter from the COA, the government department responsible for the reception of asylum seekers, ordering him to leave the centre in Waddinxveen. Another was approached by a COA staff member asking him about his preferences for his own funeral in case he died while on hunger strike. The COA claimed that this was a humanitarian gesture, because the hunger striker was still conscious and able to discuss the details. The government has announced that it will not change its policy because of the hunger strike. < br >< br >< br >< br >
Parool 30.3.01; de Volkskrant 21.4.01; Metro 19.4.01.