Iranian refugees in Turkey in imminent danger

Reports coming in from the International Federation of Iranian Refugees (IFIR) in the city of Van in Turkey speak of the imminent danger of deportation to Iran of Iranian refugees detained in raids yesterday by the Turkish police. The detainees include refugees from Pakistan and Iraq, who are also in danger of deportation.

23 of these refugees are from Iran, who had originally fled northern Iraq and have been living here for the past two years.

12 of these detainees have been deported to Iran. Their names are: 1-Jalal Sharifi 2- Ali Azizi 3- Ghader Saeidi 4- Ghafur Soltanfar 5- Rasoul Abasi 6-Khaled Negahdar 7- Sadredin Yusefi 8- voriya tataie 9- shuresh Abbasi 10- Bayazid Ahmadi 11- Kaveh Saeidi 12- Karim shakkak. Reports from familis of two detainees disclosed that Jalal Sharifi and Ghafur Soltanfar now have been taken in Iran ( Rezaeiyeeh )'s jailed by Iranian authorities.
There are currently hundreds of claimants are currently on the verge of deportation. The Islamic Republic of Iran's execution of a deported Iranian asylum seeker, Karim Tujali, two years ago has renewed the real fear of execution and persecution in all refugees and refugee claimants residing in Turkey.
IFIR in Van warns that since these refugees are or have been activists of political organisations opposed to the Iranian regime, their deportation to Iran would put their life in serious danger.

Our colleagues in Van have in repeated contacts with the UNHCR offices in Van and Ankara called on them to intervene. However, no action has so far been taken by the UNHCR in Turkey to stop the deportations.

The International Federation of Iranian Refugees is calling for protest actions outside Turkish embassies and consulates around the world in order to put an immediate end to the planned deportations. We call on all those concerned to join this campaign and to send letters of protest to the Turkish government and UNHCR offices in Turkey.
The UNHCR's resolute intervention against deportations. The UNHCR is responsible for the threats to the lives and safety of deportees;
The immediate resettlement of those recognised as refugees to a safe third country, including those Iranians who have fled Iraqi Kurdistan for fear of their lives and the inactivity of the UNHCR offices in Northern Iraq;
The International Federation of Iranian Refugees call upon all refugees and asylum seekers, progressive political parties, trades unions and civil rights organisations to lend their support to this demands. .
Please fax / email your letters to:

Turkish Ministry of Interior Affairs
Fax no. 0090-312-466-9011
Cankaya@tccb.gov.tr
webmaster@mfa.gov.tr

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
Ankara: corabati@unhcr.ch 0090-312-441-1378 (fax) 0090-312-441-2173 (fax)

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