Rescue is a Human right! court decision in Italy on the 7/Oktober

PLEASE TAKE ACTION! REFUGEE SAVERS AT ITALIAN COURT

Friends,
The German Captain Stefan Schmidt and his first mate, Elias Bierdel,
 were navigating their ship, the Cap Anamur, towards Basra, Iraq, in
 2004 with a load of humanitarian supplies when they spotted a group
 of 37 refugees lost at sea in an inflatable raft.
 
 The Cap Anamur is equipped with an on-board hospital and has spent 30
 years running humanitarian missions around the world.
 
 After bringing the refugees on board, the Captain and his crew
 directed the ship to land in a Sicilian port. This was denied by
 Italian authorities.
 
 After ten days at sea, the Cap Anamur landed in Italy and both,
 Schmidt and Bierdel were arrested. The ship was impounded and the
 refugees were deported.
 
 The Italian government is currently prosecuting both Schmidt and
 Bierdel and is asking for a four-year prison (4 years!) sentence and
 400,000 EUR fine.
 
 The trial, the threat of a possible conviction and the prospect of
 further legal proceedings have been a heavy burdens for the accused
 for three years now.
 
 Their livelihood and reputation are at risk.
 The International League for Human Rights nominated Captain Schmidt
 for the decoration by the Carl von Ossietzky Medal 2009 for his
 courage and outstanding contribution to the defense, implementation
 and further development of the universal human rights including the
 universal right to asylum.
 The celebration will take place on 13 December 2009 in the central
 hall of the House of World Cultures in Berlin.
 
 Please take action.
 The wearing trial against the Cap Anamur enters its decisive stage
 now.
 
 The Italian court in the region of Agrigento (Sicily) intends to
 pronounce the judgmenton 07 October 2009.
 
 The International League for Human Rights raises a sharp protest
 against the attempt of the Italian government to criminalize the 
humanitarian aid of Captain Schmidt and Elias Bierdel.
 We call for an EU-wide solidarity with the accused.
 
 We demand to drop all charges against them and to fully restore their
 reputation and will not accept any other judgement!
 Please distribute the attached PR (French, Italian, Spanish, German)
 widely. Please do develop your own solidarity activities in your
 country and additionally EU-wide.The widespread deaths in the
 Mediteranian sea has to be stopped. All EU member nations have to
 initiate a change of thinking concerning asylum seekers and
 immigration.It is hight time to take committed responsibility for the
 universal human rights and elementary humanitarian obligations in the
 territories of the EU!
 
 Please let the media and authorities in your country know:
 
 The real scandal is the loss of life at the gates of Europe.
 Aid and rescue at sea are no crime but a humanitarian imperative!
 Berlin, October 2009
 The Board
 Prof. Dr. Fanny-Michaela Reisin (President)
 International League for Human Rights - FIDH/AEDH Germany
 Internationale Liga für Menschenrechte (ILMR)
 Haus der Demokratie und der Menschenrechte>
 Greifswalder Str. 4> 
 Fon: ++49+30 396 2122
 Fax: 2147
 email: Vorstand@ilmr.de>
www :ilmr.de\>\>

FRANCO-BRITISH "CHARTER" TO KABUL

FRANCO-BRITISH "CHARTER" TO KABUL: The ODIOUS SHOW CONTINUES


A Franco-britannique deportation "charter" is scheduled for October 6 flying to Kabul. While the humanitarian situation and security continue to deteriorate in Afghanistan, that there has more civilian casualties than ever, and NGOs such as the Secretary General of UN expressed particular concern about the situation, France and Great Britain are trying, as they did in November 2008 with a joint operation. Afghanistan is a country at war. It is unacceptable to refer those that have fled to seek protection in Europe.

In France the Minister of immigration is mocking the decision of different courts to release 130 OF the 138 Afghans who had been arrested on September 22, for their removal, with the spectacular closure of the the largest “jungle” in Calais

These courts have highlighted the inanity of this media operation recalling the respect of the people rights and fundamental freedoms Several courts have cancelled the papers obliging the migrants to leave the French territory (APRF) with the motivation of the non respect of the right to claim asylum . the government has not remedied this.

.The government remains locked in his rhetoric about the magnetic effect of the jungle, according to which Afghans, Eritreans, Iraqis, Iranians, Sudanese, etc.. don’t come to Europe to save their lives and their freedoms, but for reasons of pleasure and comfort. According to this rhetoric, the current raids are supposed to carry disincentive messages in the countries of origin. So it like this that the Afghans of Calais are being taken hostage to try to terrorize their fellow victims of violence in the country.

These "cleaning operation” are continuingas well as the placement of Afghans in detention .

The joint charters which are contrary to the principle of collective deportation . They are leading to arbtitrary discriminatory and inhuman practices , in defiance of peoples fundamental rights

We call upon the French and the Britsh authorities to waive any project of deportation to Afghanistan which would seriously endanger the lives of the Exiles

We reaffirm the urgency of making sense of asylum in Europe by providing a mechanism for all refugees to seek protection in the country of his/her choice. In the meantime, that France can and must suspend the application of the Dublin Regulation so it may host on its territory those who continue to flee conflict and take refuge in Europe.



PRESS CONTACTS:
Cimade Julie Chansel 06 82 24 03 47
julie.chansel @ lacimade.org
HYPERLINK "mailto: @ julie.chansel lacimade.org"
julie.chansel @ lacimade.org

we need our rights - drawings from minor refugee

Noyan a young afghani refugee, staying in the villa azadi in agiasos, lesvos.
most of the minors have had some weeks in prison in pagani.
they know to apreciate the freedom , but do not forget .

http://villaazadi.jogspace.net/

Demands of freedom from the minor prisoners in pagani

this demands were handed out of the pagani prison during the noborder camp in august.
the demands are still aktual. the people that wrote them are not any more in the prison.
but new coming minors refugees are still inprisnonned in pagani everyday.
close pagani ! and all prisons.
freedom of movement !

Call to come to Calais, France (need help urgently)

CALAIS CALL OUT
Call to come to Calais, France (need help urgently)
At this point, Calais is becoming a hell. The "jungles" and squats Calais
are being destroyed. The immigrants are being arrested, detained and then
sent back to the streets with no place to sleep and constant fear of
police violence.

The police and their dogs are preventing immigrants can
return to their previous shelter to pick up their few possessions.
Children as young as 8 are roaming the streets without a home.
As a result, some immigrants have begun a hunger strike and
need our support. Since the No Borders camp in June in Calais we have had
a constant presence, with activists and migrants working together in
solidarity taking action against Besson´s repressive regime of border
control.  At the moment there are very few activists in Calais we need
more!

Come to Calais and if you can´t take action and mobilise.
For more information: http://calaismigrantsolidarity.wordpress.com
calaisolidarity@gmail.com

interview from calais: two homeless refugees explain their situation

2pm, Wednesday 30th August 2009. Parc Saint Pierre, Calais

Benjamin: This is Benjamin, I am from Iran. I just came in Calais, like, three weeks ago. From three weeks ago the police authority and French government I think they decide to destroy the jungle. First they destroy the Pashtun jungle, after that they destroy the Kurdish jungle. All people, they moved to the town from jungle. Now we are in town. And Iranian jungle they destroy as well. Now we are in town and the police disturb us every morning every night.

Ali: Four O'Clock in the morning. And at night, 2 pm.

Interviewer: Where are you sleeping?

Benjamin: In the parks, under the bridge.

Ali: They are all the time taking us in detention for a few hours. They want to make us crazy. What are they doing? We don't know. Nothing.

Benjamin: They just trying to disturb us to leave Calais. And now we start to have a hunger strike to get help from other countries. We ask for other Western countries to come and help us. And we start hunger strike from today 12, at noon. We need help. We need help actually. And we don't want to stay any more in France because of police and because of government. They don't respect anybody. They don't respect anyone in Calais and in Paris it is the same. Our situation is very bad. We have no good food. All the time we are getting is the same food, same as yesterday, usually only bread and bananas. We have nowhere to sleep. We are looking for somewhere safe at least to sleep, to get some respect from people, from government, from policeauthorities. Actually I can tell you about one day, the police come, just like five days ago, they come, they talk with us; they hit a friend of mine next to me, they hit him with a stick into his head, and we have witnesses and evidence of this too. We said stop this, they say they dont care, they will do anything we we want. And they searched our bags and baggage and (interview pauses, as two police vans and more police on foot appear from around the corner, gesturing; Video ends here, as interviewer, friends and migrants are asked for ID and dispersed for being a larger crowd than three people)

good news from Molivos

We all know that "shit happens" but sometimes good things happen too.

A few days ago the management of one of the large tourist hotels in
Molyvos invited a group of refugees who were passing by on the way to
the village to enter the hotel premises. The local baker, who is also
providing us (Proti Stasy) with bread for the refugees, was called in
to bring them something to eat.

Even though this may be a one-time event, we, the people from the
refugee support group in Molyvos, wanted to let you all know.