Hessen (Germany) deports 26-year-old Rom to Kosovo

28 May 2009 – According to information by his lawyer, police officers arrested the 26 year-old Elvis A. on Monday, 26 May 2009, around midnight at his home in Fuldatal, to deport him back to Kosovo. His life-time companian and the two small children of the couple are left alone in Germany.

28 May 2009 – According to information by his lawyer (see press release on our website), police officers arrested the 26 year-old Elvis A. on Monday, 26 May 2009, around midnight at his home in Fuldatal, where he lived together with his life companion and their two small children, one and a half year and three weeks old, to deport him back to Kosovo, where he has no other family members. According to the same source, Elvis A. arrived in Germany, in September 1999, together with his parents and other siblings, in the aftermath of the Kosovo conflict.

Instead of receiving asylum, Elvis A. was merely granted a “tolerated status” (“Duldung”), which offers but a limited protection against deportation. Moreover, under this status, Elvis A. was not allowed to receive professional training or take up a regular job. Arriving in Germany 82 days too late, he missed the deadline for having his case to be considered by the so-called “Härtefallkommission”, which deals with cases of exceptional hardship among asylum seekers.

One month ago, Elvis A. received a letter, asking him to leave Germany on a “voluntary basis”. Referring to his family situation and social integration, his lawyer requested a residence permit. There was no response to this, until his deportation to Kosovo. According to his lawyer, there was no time to introduce legal remedies.

The German federal government has recently concluded a readmission agreement with the Kosovo authorities which allows for the forced repatriation of people originating from Kosovo, regardless their ethnic background. This agreement stands in contrast and de facto violates the UNHCR position on the continued international protection needs of individuals from Kosovo, according to which Kosovo Roma and Serbs continue to be at risk of persecution and should be granted asylum or subsidiary protection.

The deportation of Elvis A. coincides with the publication by Minority Rights Group International of a report highlighting the continued discrimination of ethnic minorities leading to their departure from Kosovo. The same day, the Council of Europe Commission against Racism and Intolerance, ECRI, issued its fourth country report on Germany in which it expressed its criticism regarding Germany’s restrictive policies towards asylum seekers.

In this report, ECRI devotes an entire section to the situation of people who have been admitted in Germany on the basis of the “tolerated status”. While praising Germany’s efforts to provide a provisional residence status to persons who have been staying in Germany for many years, which is referred to as “Bleiberechtsregelung”, provided their fulfilment of certain conditions, ECRI encouraged the German authorities “to work towards a solution which is humane and respectful of human rights for all persons, including those who will not benefit from the present provisions, who have been living in Germany with tolerated status for a long time and have developed close ties with Germany.” Elvis A. would certainly have fallen under this category.

Chachipe a.s.b.l.

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Letter of Protest from the Lager in Möhlau (Germany)

The voice and the caravan members of Mohlau, Lutherstadt Wittenberg had united together as refugies to discuss their strugles and surferings to which the following protocol were made,on 05/04/2009.

1. The discussions of deportation treats and the denied of " Aufenhaltsrechts" for refugies who merited to be regulated, such as for the case of Stolla from Kosovo, who have been living in Mohlau since 1999, Saifa from Kosovo, who equally live in möhlau with his several children since 9 years, Toure who have been equally living in Möhlau for almost 11 years now, Ali has been living in möhlau for the past 7-8 years, Kahlaf als from syria has been in germany for the past 15 years and she equally had Diabete and eye problem, also victim of "Gutschien", Alsaid there since 1999 and his chldrens were born here in Germany, Fernando has been living in mohlau for the past 5 years with his familly, from Guinea Bissau, Liu from China has been living in mohlau for the past 13 years and her child were been born here in Germany also "Gutschein" victim and many others.Especially africains are favoured victim in this matter why?

2. The manipulation of the foreing office and social office of lutherstadt Wittenberg concerning "Gutscheine". The use of "identität" as an objet to touture and practice inhuman treatement to innocent refugees, to which some of them had totally lost kontact to the country of residence or their old documents had been destroyed and expired or are Stateless and had no families any moor.

3. The deniyal of working permitte by the same forigne office of lutherstadt Wittenberg to innocent refugees were been discused while other Local governement were now according working permits to refugees living in there local governement.

To all these points mentioned the refugees in Mohlau wittenberg are expressing their anger and protest because thier lives were been systematically destryoyed despite the fact that they were innocent they were angry because of the negetive interpretation of their innocent law as far as it concerns refugees. They were calling for support The voice refugees forum and the caravane for the right of refugees for a public demonstration in Lutherstadt Wittenberg.

Letter of protest

The voice and the karavane for the right of refugees Mohlau, Lutherstadt Wittenberg were definitely angry and are denoucing the inhuman practices accorded to them by the forigne office and social office of lutherstadt Wittenberg, therfore are calling for their right to be respected and be giving to them because they have had enough patient in these matters, however, the refugees lives were been destroyed instead of the neccessasry proctection from which the law defines in a positive way.

Refugees in mohlau lives in an isolated area, to which integrating themselves into the society is very very difficult never the less they were been tortured, intimadated, abused by some civil servant because of hatred, ignorance etc. Refugees are calling for the abolishment of all these practices.

They were demanding for the abolishement of the so called "Gutschien" . With this practice the lives of innocent refugees were been totured and Luterstad wittenberg knew that it was an inhuman treatement but they applied it, that is racism and non tranperency of democracy.

he refugees were demanding for their right of existence, to compromise that, the german law makers defined what we called "Aufenthaltsrecht" So that refugees can work and contribute to the development of germany.Therefore the refugees were strongly demanding the director of the foreing office to take positive position now! So that the refugees live will be saved instead of destroying their lives.

The refugees in mohlau lutherstadt wittenberg have the right to work , however this has not been permitted because of racial intent, hatred why? So therfore we the refugees were demanding today Lutherstadt wittenberg to abolish all these inhuman treatements and recognise the human dignity, existence.

We the refugges of Mohlau lutherstadt wittenberg were basing on all these reasons mentioned to informe the "Burgermeister", The director of the foreing , the administrative office, Gemeinde rat , and the citicens, indigenes of lutherstadt wittenberg to reforme their hatredness toward refugees and recognise the right of thes refugees and respect the human right and diginity.

German

10th of March 09, "GUTSCHEIN" -- STOP IT NOW! Call from Salomon, Möhlau and pictures from the Lager where he must live read more (htm)
6th of Februrary 2009, The Protest of The VOICE Refugee Forum, By Salomon W. from the Refugee Heim in Möhlau (Sachsen-Anhalt) the voice forum
9th of November 2008, Saxony-Anhalt: Salomom Wantchoucou's deportation threat the voice forum
29th of Sepember 2008, Stop the colonial heritage! Nigerian Activists Protest Against Deportation the voice forum

Prison for Freedom of Movement in Thueringen Germany

Felix Otto, a Camerunian protest against his imprisonment in Suhl

The VOICE Refugee Forum protests the arrestment of our friend Felix Otto. Felix Otto, a member of The VOICE Refugee Forum for many years was arrested on […] as the result of a police control as a consequence of a police control on the highway A4 where he was travelling together with a friend. Later, he was taken to the prison in Suhl-Goldlauter.

The arrestment was connected with a sentence against him suspended on probation for having violated the German residential restriction law for asylum seekers. Felix Otto had been accused of having violated the conditions of the foreigner’s authority. Because of that the suspension was cancelled. Now he has to serve a prison sentence of eight month.

He is now imprisoned for making use of his natural right to live as a free human being, a right that is denied asylum seekers in Germany.

He had refused to accept the Asylum lager as his permanent stay, a lager which is situated some few kilometers from the next bigger village in a forest near Juchhöh in the county of Schleiz at the Southern border of Thüringen. He had eluded the foreigner’s office totalitarian control of his person, wanted to evade the forcefully imposed social isolation.

Felix Otto simply took what according to basic human rights every human being is entitled to – except an asylum seeker in Germany: freedom of movement and a live with a minimum of dignity.

But the German asylum proceeding laws make it a crime to simply cross the borders of the landkreis without permission of the foreigner’s authority. Whoever does not accept this prison of landkreis to which every asylum seeker is sentenced to for years without any crime, will be put into prison of bars and walls. This is a scandal.

Once more The VOICE Refugee Forum protest this German special law of residential restriction that subjects the people concerned to a racist system of controls, discrimination, exclusion and deportation and deprived them of their human liberty, dignity, hope and perspectives for the future.

We demand the immediate release of Felix Otto from detention because the arrest is based on a racist special law.

We demand the immediate abolition of the residention restriction law!

German Text: *Gefängnisfür Bewegungsfreiheit - Protest gegen die Inhaftierung von Felix Otto

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Katzhütte makes you sick

The authorities of Saalfeld (Thüringen/East Germany) are forcing a pakistani women to life with her two sons in the isolation camp of Katzhütte since many years . Ameen her younger boy suffers from autism and needs special care. But the authorities ignore the medical attestation and dump the child in the mountain.