Political Refugee in Belgian Custody Facing Deportation
AvEG-Kon
Confederation of the Oppressed Immigrants Of Europe
Fritz-Elsas Str.60, 70174 Stuttgart-Germany
Tel:+49(0)711 227 02 05 Fax:+49(0)711 284 54 70
e-mail: aveg-kon@hotmail.com
Urgent fax and e-mail campaign
We demand the immediate release of Ömer Berber!
Political Refugee in Belgian Custody Facing Deportation
We would like to draw your attention to the fate of Ömer Berber who was accepted as a political refugee in France according to the Geneva Convention. In spite of his status as a political refugee, he was arrested in Belgium. He is now facing the threat of being deported to Turkey. More information about his detention can be found on the second page.
We call for your solidarity to prevent the deportation of Ömer Berber to Turkey. Please send protest faxes to the Belgium Ministry of Justice, demand his immediate release from prison, and protest against this inhuman act of the Belgium officials. A list of addresses to which the faxes can be send is presented below. Please send a copy of the fax to our office as well.
Please stand up for the release of Ömer Berber.
In solidarity
AvEG-Kon
Please write / send faxes and emails immediately to:
Madame Laurette Onkelinx
Minister of Justice
Tel.: 0032 2 233 51 11
Fax: 0032 2 230 10 67
info@laurette-onkelinx.be
Monsieur Patrick Dewael
Minister of Interior
Tel.: 0032 2 504 85 13
Fax: 0032 2 504 85 00 / 504 85 80
Email : patrick.dewael@ibz.fgov.be
Standing committee of Recourse of the Refugees
VAN den BULCK D., (N),
Commissaire gà©nà©ral
Tel.: 0032 2 205 51 11
Fax : 0032 2 205 51 15
E-mail : info.cgrs@ibz.fgov.be
OFPRA – French Office of Protection of the Refugees and Stateless people
Tel.: 0033 15 86 81 010
Fax: 0033 158 6818 99
Copies of the letters can be sent to AvEG-KON
(Address: see letterhead)
Attached a background report and a template letter to the court.
Brief background:
Recently the number of migrants and refugees being controlled by the police is increasing. Official reason for the increased frequency of controls is the “home (interior) security”. On August 5th, 2005, Ömer Berber has been taken into custody during such a police control in Belgium. He and his friends were on the way to a youth camp in Belgium. During the control he had to undress himself in the cold weather and identify himself. Immediately, he was imprisoned. The attorney legalized the imprisonment. The imprisonment is based on the fact, that the Turkish state is searching for Ömer Berber. Now, he is due to be deported to Turkey.
As a political activist, Ömer Berber spent many years in Turkish prisons. After the Turkish state attacked the prisons on December 19, 2000 he was transferred to the F-type isolation prisons. There he joined the protest actions, namely the death-hungerstrikes against the inhuman attacks of the state. Due to his bad health condition he was released from prison. As it was clear that he had to go back to prison he left the country and applied for political asylum in France. On November 5, 2003 his asylum was accepted according to the criteria of the Geneva Conventions and he was protected as a political refugee. At the moment he has a residence permit for the next 10 years.
With the imprisonment of Ömer Berber the Belgian police, government and ministry of justice are disregarding the 1951 Refugee Convention and its additional protocol of 1967 and violating it.
We impeach the Belgian officials and protest against the violation of political asylum. We request the immediate release of Ömer Berber and demand them to respect and fulfil the Geneva Conventions.
Template Fax / Letter / email can be found on the following page
Sender:
_______________
_______________
_______________
To:
Madame Laurette Onkelinx
Vice-Premià¨re Ministre et Ministre de la Justice
Fax 02/542.70.39
e-mail: info@just.fgov.be
Date: ______________
Concerns: Detention of Mr. Ömer Berber and deportation threat to Turkey
Honourable Madame Onkelinx,
deeply concerned I heard that Mr. Ömer Berber, political activist has been taken into custody by Belgium police and shall be deported to Turkey.
Due to his political activities in the past the Turkish state is in search of him. He was for years in Turkish prisons and has only been released due to his health condition. He then left the country and asked for political asylum in France. On November 5, 2003 he received political asylum from the French government according to the 1951 Refugee Convention.
The 1951 Refugee Convention stipulates that refugees should not be returned to a country where he or she fears persecution. The Belgian government has acceded the 1951 Convention and its 1967 Protocol. Hence I demand the immediate release of Mr. Ömer Berber, who has a valid travel document according to the Convention of 28 July 1951.
Regardless of any eventual, additional agreements with the Turkish state, I ask to urgently dismiss Ömer Berber from custody.
Yours sincerely
_______________________
Signatories:
Organisations
AvEG-Kon (Confederation of the Oppressed Immigrants Of Europe)
AGIF (Federation of the Immigrant Workers of Germany)
FGIF (Federation of the Immigrant Workers of France)
IGIF (Federation of the Immigrant Workers of Suise)
GIK-DER (Cultural Association of the Immigrant Workers (England)
VEKSAV Holland (the foundation of the Culture and art Vardiya)
AvEG-Kon (Confederation of the Oppressed Immigrants Of Europe) Belgium
Young Struggle (Re-examined Germany)
Revolt (Re-examined France)
Young Flame (Re-examined England)
Atilim Newspaper the Representation of Europe
Atilim Newspaper the Representation of England
Atilim Newspaper the Representation of France
Atilim Newspaper the Representation of Germany
Atilim Newspaper the Representation of Belgium
Atilim newspaper the Representation of Holland)
Atilim Newspaper the Representation of Switzerland
Committee of solidarity with the prisoniers revolutionist-France
Committee of solidarity with the prisoniers revolutionist-Switzerland
Committee of solidarity with the prisoniers revolutionist-England
Committee of solidarity with the prisoniers revolutionist-Holland
Gik-Der Stuttgart (Association of the Workers Immigrant –Stuttgart)
Arts centre New day of (Nurnberg)
Association of the friendship and the solidarity International (Berlin)
House of Yapi Culture (Dortmund)
Association of the Workers Turkish (Frankfurt)
International Forum of (Hamburg)
Cultural Association of the young Workers (Cologne)
Cultural Association of the young Workers Ulm
Cultural Association of the young Workers (Duisburg)
House of the cultures International (Wuppertal)
Association of the friendship and of solidarity International (Mannheim)
Gik-DER Basel (Cultural Association of Immigrant Workers (Basel)
Gik-DER Zurich (Cultural Association of Immigrant Workers (Zurich)
CENTG ANATOLYA (Cultural Association of Anatolya – Lausanne)
The House of Gà©neve
ACTIT (Cultural Association of the Immigrant Workers of Turkey)
ACPV (Cultural Association of Peoples-Verviers)
DAY-MER Turkish & Kurdish Community Centre London
The Office of the Socialist Party of Cyprus
Kurdish and Turkish Community Centre London (Halkevi)
Hundred Flowers Cultural Centers London
ATIK London
ICAD London (International Committee Against Disappearances)
Carawane – Germany
SPI-NRW (Socialist Party of Iran-NRW)
Turkey Information Centre- Berlin
People:
Haluk Gerger – Author
Ilhan Karatepe (Represent Europe of the Atilim newspaper)
Kamil Çal (Represent of Germany of the Atilim newspaper)
Ali Akgül (Represent of England of the Atilim newspaper)
Özgür Kiliৠ(Represent of Paris of the newspaper of Atilim)
Asiye Güzel Zeybek (journalist)
Dogan sahin (Chair of AGiF
Hatice Güden (Chair of Gik-DER London)
