Eritrean asylum seekers forced to leave Sana's airport
Rome/Sana:
An airline official is arbitrarily trying to deport four Eritrean refugees who
were stranded in the airport for a month. This is the first time Yemen has
deported asylum seekers against their will. EveryOne Group, Eritrean Concern,
ICER and other Human Rights organizations are asking the UNHCR to condemn the
action as strongly as possible and ask the Yemeni Government to stop the unjust
deportation of fellow human beings to Eritrea.
We
are also asking the High Commissioner to exercise the necessary diplomatic
pressure to ensure that similar events do not occur again in the future. The
NGOs have also sent to the government of Yemen a condemnation of the action
taken against the four Eritreans, pointing out that, if Yemen is not willing to
accord the right of refugee status according to the 1951 UN Convention, to at
least provide them the opportunity to travel to a nearby third country where
they will be given temporary refuge.
Below, the report we received, describing the
dramatic event.
On Friday December 16th, 2011, four Eritrean
asylum seekers were forced to board a Yemeni flight to Asmara
by the Yemen
authorities. The two Eritreans, who escaped to Sudan,
went to Kenya and from there
via Sana to Istanbul.
They tore up their documents in order to seek asylum in Istanbul,
but were sent back to Sana and again to Istanbul
back to Sana. They had torn up their documents due to the bad situation
and dictatorial regime in Eritrea.
They
had been at Sana's International Airport for over a month. The other two Eritreans – a man and a woman – arrived at Sana's International Airport from Kenya
last week. They have stayed there in view of the fact that they have a
fake visa to Chile.
The
UNHCR Sana's office has been informed of the two Eritreans who came from Sudan, but, the
agency has informed the Yemeni Government accordingly, but has not been
able to gain access from the government to see them. The Eritrean Embassy
in Sana has involved the Yemeni authorities, and a member of the Yemeni Airways
staff, Abdelrahman, at Sana's Airport, has
agreed with the embassy to deport them back to Eritrea.
He
has become involved despite the fact that he is only an airliner
employee. It is not his duty; it is the responsibility of the Yemeni
office of political security and immigration authorities. He has said that the
first two Eritreans to arrive have been at the airport for a month and nobody
had informed him.
They
have asked to see the embassy staff, but they refused to do that. The Yemeni
political security and the UNHCR have called him to stop involuntarily this
repatriation, but he said that the flight has already left, which is not
true.
He
has also been told that if Yemen
will not accept them they could have a chance to be deported to other nearby
countries. However, he has refused to do that and he did it with
cooperation of state security personnel at the airport.
He
has no right to deport them back involuntarily, but, he could make them return
to where they came from. They were threatened and forced on board. Nobody knows
their whereabouts and Yemen
is responsible for their lives. Both the UNHCR Sana'a office and its
partner, the Yemen Government, are not treating the asylum seekers and
refugees, who are now living in Sana, humanely.
Therefore,
please contact and inform the relevant international organizations, Eritrean
agencies, and NGOs. Although this is the first time Yemen has
deported asylum seekers unwillingly, we have to ensure this does not happen
again in the future.
This article was sent in from EveryOne Group based in Italy
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