Wednesday, November 10, 2010

A Syrian asylum seeker is to be forcibly deported to Syria tomorrow

Kurdishaspect.com - By Hassan Shahanov

The Danish authorities continue to forcibly return rejected asylum seekers, as the Danish police plans to forcibly deport Abed Mohamad Atto to Syria tomorrow at 6:00 am. Atto is presently locked in the closed section of Sandholm camp and has been there for more than 2 weeks,

The 28 year-old Abed Mohamad Atto was one of the Thirty Kurds from Syria, who went on hunger strike for eighteen days at Christiansborg Castle Square (Danish parliament) last month to stop deportations to Syria.

Abed came to Denmark in August 2009 and sought asylum and was finally rejected in May 2010. He sympathized with the banned Kurdish party PYD and this is confirmed by PYD party in Denmark.

Abed Mohamad Atto `s identity and political point of view is known and have been exposed with photos in Facebook, YouTube, websites, Roj TV, Lorry TV, and many different Danish news papers.

In Syria, the ruling regime threatened the hunger strikers' families among others Abed Atto Muhammad `s family. In case of expulsion of Abed to Syria, we foresee an immediate arrest on arrival for direct incarceration included torture, then he will very likely be convicted by a military tribunal according to paragraphs § 267, § 278, §287 and §288 of the Syrian penal code The 28 year-old Syrian Kurd Abed can thus run the risk of life imprisonment with prosecutors as a member of an illegal organization and to disseminate false and exaggerating information about Syria.

The 20 year-old Syrian Kurd Adnan, who were forcibly deported from Denmark in late September, was led away in handcuffs directly from the airport in Syria, still sits in an undisclosed prison. This fate most likely awaits Abed Atto Mohamad as well.

"We therefore urge the Danish authorities to stop the planned forced deportation of Abed Mohamad Atto, as our experience tells us that especially PYD members and sympathizers face heavy prison sentences for their political work," Says Said Parvin who daily helps asylum seekers and continues "political active Kurds are a very vulnerable group with daily arrests, imprisonment with torture and disappearances in Syria."

With this background, the requirement for the Danish Government is to explain the contents of the agreement on force deportation, signed with the Syrian authorities, to the Danish public and what guarantees the Syrian authorities have given in order not to use torture with this deported refugees?
The Danish authorities have previously (in good faith) expelled rejected asylum seekers, who then in their home once again became victims of a prolonged and cruel torture. So the Danish authorities have made fatal misjudgments and should preferably not come to more of that kind.

Urgent Request concerning; Abed Atto's case is sent to the Ministry of Integration, Refugee Board and the Immigration Service to stop the planned deportation and thereby spare his life.