Dear friends, Please read below email which was sent to me by Laleh Gilani.
Dear Shabnam, "It has been a few months that asylum seekers in Greece have started a campaign to end the unbearable conditions under which they live. In the first protest, Hamid sewed his lips, and six Iranians went on hunger strike. After over two months, they all were granted asylum.
Following this victory, the committee representing Iranian asylum seekers launch a new campaign in order to negotiate a resolution to other pending cases. A Greek attorney working pro-bono is helping this committee to reach an agreement with the Greek government.
I am sending you this email to let you know that the Campaign has been forced to take drastic actions due to the fact that the Greek government has been non-responsive to asylum seekers' requests.
In the last few weeks, a family of asylum seekers has gone to their appointments twice but has not been interviewed. They were told to come back the following week. The reasons given were as follows: The father's file has been lost, and a member of the interviewing committee has been absent. Last Tuesday, once again they were sent home without an interview or an answer. Additionally, a group of asylum seekers who were interviewed on September 21 haven't received an answer.
Consequently, the campaign members met on Wednesday, Oct. 6th and decided to take the following actions:
1. On Monday, Oct. 11, 2010, the asylum seekers together with their attorney will deliver a letter to Greek officials demanding immediate review of thirty pending cases. The letter will be written in Greek, translated into Farsi and English and will be released to the mass media on the same day.
2. The Greek government has three days to review the cases and determine the fate of the applicants. Please note that the asylum seekers are asking for an answer, any answer, in order to move on with their lives. Even if their applications aren't approved,they will be able to apply for asylum to other countries. However, as long as they live in this state of limbo, they are prisoners on Greek soil.
3. If no action is taken, the asylum seekers will go on hunger strike and sew their lips. Tents will be erected on the site of the campaign to house those participating.
The weather is gettingcold quickly, and it has been raining in Athens in the last few days. There will be women, children, and elderly whose health and lives will be in danger when the hunger strike commences, and lips are sewn.
This is the latest news from Greece. I will send you a copy of the letter on Monday and keep you posted on any new developments. On behalf of the committee, I ask you to help during these three days to stand in solidarity with our countrymen. The committee is asking all Iranians worldwide to broadcast the news, protest in front of Greek embassies, and send faxes to the Greek government." Laleh
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این نامه برای کمپین پناهجویان در یونان میباشد Dear friends, Please read below email which was sent to me by Laleh Gilani. Dear Shabnam, "It has been a few months that asylum seekers in Greece have started a campaign to end the unbearable conditions under which they live. In the first protest, Hamid sewed his lips, and six Iranians went on hunger strike. After over two months, they all were granted asylum. Following this victory, the committee representing Iranian asylum seekers launch a new campaign in order to negotiate a resolution to other pending cases. A Greek attorney working pro-bono is helping this committee to reach an agreement with the Greek government. I am sending you this email to let you know that the Campaign has been forced to take drastic actions due to the fact that the Greek government has been non-responsive to asylum seekers' requests. In the last few weeks, a family of asylum seekers has gone to their appointments twice but has not been interviewed. They were told to come back the following week. The reasons given were as follows: The father's file has been lost, and a member of the interviewing committee has been absent. Last Tuesday, once again they were sent home without an interview or an answer. Additionally, a group of asylum seekers who were interviewed on September 21 haven't received an answer. Consequently, the campaign members met on Wednesday, Oct. 6th and decided to take the following actions: 1. On Monday, Oct. 11, 2010, the asylum seekers together with their attorney will deliver a letter to Greek officials demanding immediate review of thirty pending cases. The letter will be written in Greek, translated into Farsi and English and will be released to the mass media on the same day. 2. The Greek government has three days to review the cases and determine the fate of the applicants. Please note that the asylum seekers are asking for an answer, any answer, in order to move on with their lives. Even if their applications aren't approved, they will be able to apply for asylum to other countries. However, as long as they live in this state of limbo, they are prisoners on Greek soil. 3. If no action is taken, the asylum seekers will go on hunger strike and sew their lips. Tents will be erected on the site of the campaign to house those participating. The weather is getting cold quickly, and it has been raining in Athens in the last few days. There will be women, children, and elderly whose health and lives will be in danger when the hunger strike commences, and lips are sewn. This is the latest news from Greece. I will send you a copy of the letter on Monday and keep you posted on any new developments. On behalf of the committee, I ask you to help during these three days to stand in solidarity with our countrymen. The committee is asking all Iranians worldwide to broadcast the news, protest in front of Greek embassies, and send faxes to the Greek government." Laleh
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