32 Iraqi asylum seekers, who had been incarcerated in different detention centres, were deported to Arbil, northern Iraq, on 5 September, 2006, on a specially chartered flight from the RAF Brize Norton military base in Oxfordshire. There was a demonstration at the Home Office in London, called by the Coalition to Stop Deportations to Iraq and the International Federation of Iraqi Refugees, but that did not apparently stop the process, and neither did the warnings from international organisations [1 2 3] or the legal challenges.
The first forced deportation of Iraqi Kurds from the UK took place on 19 November, 2005. 15 men were taken to an airport at night, handcuffed, beaten and forced onto a military plane headed for Arbil through Cyprus. The move then sparked a lot of anger and protest [1 2 3 4 5], and the deportation of Iraqis was halted for a while until resumed this month. Tens of Iraqi Kurds are believed to be interned in UK detention centres, while thousands more have been served notice that they will be 'removed' from the country. Latest reports, 7 Sept 06
Read: initial report call-out for demo names of deportees Home Secretary resumes forced removals to Iraq EU-coordinated deportation of Afghani refugees
Links: Coalition to Stop Deportations to Iraq International Federation of Iraqi Refugees National Coalition of Anti-Deportation Campaigns Noborders UK communication channels
source: www.indymedia.org.uk
