arch/ive/ief (2000 - 2005)

Today, 17th December, the iranies without papers at ULB have been expelled from the room where they where from months asking for their rights to the Belgium Government.

Their situation in the country is very difficult, they fled from Iran because of the hard dictatorship, and they arrived here thinking they would have more opportunities.

And the reality is that they can not work or have a normal life here.
We talk with Philippe Claudel, member of "Comite de Soutien aux Iraniens" who explained us what happened: "The police arrived at 6, and all the people has been brought to the police station in Nord Brussel by police cars.

The University of Brussels has been in contact with justice, and they asked for a justice decision.
The decision was taken on Monday to make the expulsion this morning.
Yesterday evening we were in contact with the University authorities and they wanted to give us an appointment for Sunday morning and they said nothing about the judicial procedure.
So, we are protesting against this hipocresy".

The reasons, they explained, are that it is the normal juridicall procedure and they said that exists political agreement, but the truth is that they are divised in their position in that case.
The future of the people is nos sure for the moment.

"All persons are in the police station in Nord Brussels. Some people say that they are going to be free in two hours, and some people say that they are going to be put them in an open center".

But actions won't stopped here, "we will continue, but I can't tell now what we are going to do.
First, at 13 o'clock in front of the Rectorat there will be a demostration, but I can't explain with more details by now the future actions".

We have to remember that more than 200 iranians have been during months inside the ULB University in Brussels, in a room with the most basic things: blankets to sleep and some food that they made there too.
Some of them where in a hunger strike, and people of all ages and childrens where living there waiting for a solution.

Their objectives: to get papers that let them work, study or live quietly in Belgium.
Because they can't go out from the country and they can't back to Iran because they would be killed.

"They have to be realist because they are not illegal people.
They have the Annex 26, the legal permission to stay in Belgium during procedure. So, there is nothing against these people, they can't be put in close center and they can't be send by illegal".

"People here is shocked...it is a very difficult situation and everybody is in a shock".