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March 20, 2011
News
30 Kurds have been deported to Iran from the Kurdistan region of Iraq
Kurdishaspect.com
According to numerous unconfirmed reports, at least 30 people were detained this week in Kurdistan of Iraq and illegally handed over to authorities of the Islamic Republic of Iran. According to various rights activist groups, the 30 people were Iranian refugees and many of them had been legally working in the Kurdistan region for several years. The 30 people were detained by Kurdish authorities earlier this week and were held at the Julakaan Prison in Sulemani. They were finally deported and handed over to authorities of the Islamic Republic.
Rights groups, including the US-based International Coalitions for the Rights of Iranian Refugees, condemned the detainment and deportation of the 30 Iranians and stated that the actions were a violation of international law. Since the 30 people may face imprisonment, torture, and possibly execution, at the hands of the Islamic Republic, their deportation could be a violation of the Kurdistan government's international legal obligations.
So far, the Kurdistan government has not responded to requests by activists about why the 30 people were detained and deported. It is unclear whether all of the 30 Iranians were ethnic Kurds, if they had committed any crimes, or how long each of them had taken refuge in the Kurdistan region. The names of nine of the people were published on the International Coalitions for the Rights of Iranian Refugees website.
Neither the Kurdistan government nor the UNCHR-Iraq confirmed whether these reports were true. However, newspapers in the region, including Awene, did report on these events. There are currently thousands of Iranians who are living in Iraq.
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