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THE DAYS of worrying, of not feeling safe
and secure, are starting again. News of Kurdish asylum
seekers being arrested in their houses, workplaces and on
the streets is spreading in Hull's Kurdish community.
Rozh Pavilov
In January 2005, the Kurdish government
in north Iraq signed an agreement with the British
government, saying that the region is safe. So, those
Kurdish asylum seekers whose cases were rejected by the Home
Office will be deported back there.
Kurdish people are now being arrested -
some will return to north Iraq. On 12 February a military
plane deported 45 Kurdish asylum seekers.
Back in Iraq, the government has arrested
members of the Iraqi refugee federation who tried to
interview those deported asylum seekers.
These people left their country because
of oppression for their political beliefs or their
nationality but they will be deported to live under the same
situation.
I interviewed Hassan Ahmad, an Iraqi Kurd
playwright, theatre director and member of the Workers'
Communist Party of Iraq who came to Hull in 2000. He has
been threatened by right-wing Islamic groups who claimed
that his famous play, Bread and Crime, abuses religion.
His life was at risk so he came to live
in England, where his case was rejected by the Home Office
in 2004. He told me: "Several times I was arrested while
directing my plays. I was threatened by Islamic groups in
the theatre. So I had to leave to survive. Now if this
government deports me, who knows what I will face?
"All the doors are locked. Nobody knows
who carries the keys, life has lost its meaning."
The immigration police are watching
Kurdish asylum seekers in Hull. Some have been arrested
whilst signing up at the police stations. But what about
those who are against the current Kurdish government and
have been forced to live in exile to save their own life,
such as Hassan Ahmad?
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