03 September 2010
U.N. refugee agency called European governments on Friday to immediately halt deportation of Iraq nationals
U.N. refugee agency called European governments on Friday to immediately halt deportation of Iraq nationals
A spokesman for U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees said a charter flight with 64 refugees on board landed Baghdad on Wednesday. Three of them are Iranians.
Spokesman Adrian Edwards said the refugees were deported from Britain, Denmark, Norway and Sweden.
"We strongly urge European governments to provide Iraqis with protection until the situation in their areas of origin in Iraq allows for safe and voluntary returns," said Edwards.
"Car explosions, roadside bombs, mortar attacks and kidnapping remain daily threats for Iraqis," Edwards told a news briefing.
"In this critical time of transition, we also encourage all efforts to develop conditions in Iraq that are conducive to sustainable and voluntary return."
The provinces of Baghdad, Diyala, Kirkuk, Nineveh and Salahuddin continue to be plagued by serious human rights violations and security incidents, according to the UNHCR.
"Our position is that Iraqi asylum applicants originating from these five governorates should benefit from international protection in the form of refugee status under the 1951 Refugee Convention or an alternative form of protection," Edwards said.
ANF /
ANF NEWS AGENCY
