UK charter deportation to Baghdad: Iraq returns Iraqi deportees to the UK

gepostet am 17. Oktober 2009 - 16:00 von no deportation

The first deportation to Baghdad deported around forty people early on Thursday the 15th October 2009 on a specially chartered plane provided by Air Italy. We have since learnt that ten of the detained people were taken off the flight in Baghdad while the other detainees were not accepted by the Iraqi government and were flown back to detention in the UK. A Home Office statement has said they will "iron out" the difficulties they faced and "expect to carry out another flight".

The Iraqi refugees who were just deported from the UK have been denied entry in Iraq. The BBC seems to have the only report of this unique debacle.

Britain's border agency told Al Jazeera that out of 39 refugees who were on the aircraft, 10 had got off in the Iraqi capital, but the rest had been flown back after no provision had been made to transport them from Baghdad to Basra...

Guardian report Iraqi army rebuke the UK officials. Iraqi army confronted UK deportation officials on Baghdad plane and warned UK officials not to return Iraqis by force again, as UNHCR condemns removals to Baghdad.

A statements from those who have been returned to Brook House detention centre, Gatwick says:

“when we landed in Baghdad an Iraqi man got on dressed in army uniform, with seven other guards with Kalashnikovs. He asked the immigration officers why they brought us here then asked us if we wanted to come back. He said those of you who want to come back you get off, the rest of you stay where you are.
He told the immigration officers to go away and not try to send people back by force again.
So they took us back to Italy and we had to change planes there. About three people refused to move plane and they were beaten by security guards. They’ve got injuries from that. There were 130 security guards on the plane. Why did they need so many? There were even some arguments between the British and Italian securities.”
‘K’, who did get off in Baghdad, said this morning he did not do go voluntarily and did not want to be there, so more details are needed regarding how voluntary was the process through which the ten people who are now in Baghdad were taken off. He said this morning:
“They forced ten of us to get off in Baghdad. They said the British Embassy would help us but they just gave us $100 and left us. I’m too scared to go to where I used to live. Everything they told us is a lie.”

Protests against deportations to Iraq in London on 14th October and 17th October 2009.

More:
* Protest to stop deportations to Iraq!
* Baghdad deportation flight leaves from Stanstead, 39 people on board
* Iraq returns Iraqi deportees to the UK
* Charter flight to Baghdad
* Update on Baghdad charter flight
* Demonstrate to stop deportations to Iraq - new info
* No Deportations to Baghdad
* Campaign Against Air Italy
* International Federation of Iraqi Refugees

Bilder: 
Protest against deportations to Iraq in London, 14th October 2009

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