Iranian refugees illegally detained in Larnaca and Limassol prisons have been on hunger strike during the past month to protest the egregious violation of their human rights. While the strikes have largely been forced to an end, the detained parents of a child who was illegally taken by the government of Cyprus and given to a local Cypriot family continue – although they have both been hospitalized as a result of the toll the hunger strike has taken on them.
In support of the demands of the Iranian refugees in Cyprus, the International Coalition for the Rights of Iranian Refugees calls for protest at Embassies of Cyprus worldwide on May 7-8, 2011.
The demands of the action are those articulated by the protesting Iranian asylum-seekers in Cyprus:
1- We demand the immediate release of Mr. Hossein Hossein-nejad Seresty (arc : 5506241) and his wife Mrs. Roghayeh Hossein Nezadeh (arc : 5506240) and their immediate unification with their 3-year-old child.
2- We demand the immediate release of all asylum seekers who have been detained on no other grounds than not having a visa or a valid passport.
3- We demand review of our asylum applications, corrections made to our files with the help of a reliable interpreter other than Mr. Khalaj, and new rulings on our cases based on our corrected documents.
Additionally, given recent statements by the Islamic Republic’s General Prosecutor Mohsen Eje’i and others clearly stating that anyone who files for political asylum will be prosecuted for propagating against the regime should they be returned to Iran, we also demand prima facie status for Iranian refugees.
The demands of this action – for the Cypriot government, and by extension the European Union and UNHCR, to uphold the rights of Iranian refugees – extend to all refugees in Cyprus and in the EU, regardless of national origin.
A protest action for Washington DC is confirmed, and activists in other cities who would like to participate are invited to submit their event information to Maria Rohaly (maria.rohaly@gmail.com); this information will be published and disseminated by ICRIR members and our extended activist network.
Participating Cities:
WASHINGTON DC, USA
Embassy of Cyprus: 2211 R St. NW
May 8, 2011
1:00pm
Organizer: Mission Free Iran
Contact: Maria Rohaly – maria.rohaly@gmail.com; +1-240-595-2633
Members of the ICRIR include Action for Democracy and Human Rights in the Middle East, International Federation for Iranian Refugees, Iranian Refugees Action Network, Iranian Refugee Amnesty Network, and Mission Free Iran.
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