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Protest Letter to UNHCR and the Government of Malta
Eritreans for Human and Democratic Rights - UK
London - 1 Oct 2002
We are writing to denounce the deportation of 55
Eritrean refugees on 30 Sep 2002 and another group of 50 on 1 Oct 2002
from Malta under most unusual circumstances.
These young men and women who fled Eritrea were
victimised by the government to the point of losing hope and their will
to live in Eritrea. They voiced their opinions that they were not ready
to go to another war, and neither were they prepared to live under the
yoke of servitude. They
wanted to be free, live in peace and lead their own lives without any
government interference.
Unfortunately, that dream came to an end for 105 Eritreans in the
last two days.
The Eritrean refugees, not only have they been
betrayed by the Eritrean government, but by UNHCR and the government of
Malta. UNHCR, failed to use
the 1951 Geneva Refugee Convention as its major tool, to ensure and
observe the basic human rights of the Eritrean refugees in Malta. Although UNHCR claims that it
stands against the involuntary return of refugees to a country where they
face persecution, it failed to observe and endorse that principle in the
case of the Eritrean citizens who fled their country and sought refuge in
Malta. Malta, although a
signatory of the Geneva Convention, also failed to abide by the spirits
enshrined in the Geneva Convention.
The local UNHCR Office in Malta failed to
recognise the anxiety and concerns that evolved out of misinformation,
misrepresentation and miscommunication and sadly enough, allowed the
Refugee Commission to exploit the confusion which eventually led to
deportation.
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We strongly condemn the forceful deportation of
our Eritrean brothers and sisters from Malta.
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We appeal to all Eritreans, friends of Eritrea,
human rights activists, democratic and progressive groups to mobilise and
send their protest letters to UNHCR and the Maltese Government with the
aim of saving the rest of the Eritreans in Malta.
·
We appeal to all concerned to contact the
Embassy of Malta and register their denunciations on this unjust act.
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We also appeal to Red Cross, Human Rights Watch,
Amnesty International, Journalists and other Institutions to play an
active and interventionist roles in ensuring the safety of those who have
been deported.
Board of Directors
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