The Fate of 1200 Iranian Kurdish refugees in Turkey
                              
Back ground

Since the 1979 establishment of Islamic Republic in Iran (IRI),  the regime has been systematically crush & suppress the Kurdish minority from their basic human rights and  individual liberty. (See the State Department Human rights 2004 report)

More than 9 million Iranian Kurds, whom reside in western part of Iran, have been subject to mass executions*, Public hanging, and massive arrest and torture, public lashing of youths and stoning of women.*(They are many mass grave sites in Kurdistan that UNCHR & IRC need to investigate).

Many of Villages and homes were set on fire as part of punishment for sheltering Pishmorge (Kurdish terminology for freedom fighter) and force relocation of Kurdish families to other parts of Iran.

The violation of human rights by IRI especially on the Kurds led migration of thousands of Iranians to neighboring country Iraq and Turkey.

After opening on UNHCR office in 1991 in Sulaymaniah & Erbil in northern Iraq, thousands of refugees & political asylum seeker, register with those offices and from 1991-98 UNHCR process & resettle many to third country, and some were put into refugee camp such as Al-Tash with more than 5000 refugees.


In 1998 the government of Saddam Hussein due to conflict with UNHCR, and collaboration with IRI, prevented refugees from resettlement and did not issue anymore exit visa.

In Iraq these refugees were subject to more than 80 assassinations by IRI, many were, killed, poisoned & tortured and kidnapped back to Iran. (Iran's Kurdish Democratic Party publish list of victims)

Due to lack of security and fears for their life, from April - September of 2001, for four months more than 1000 whom have receive acceptance as refugee's status, demonstrated a peaceful sit-in, in front of UNHCR office in Erbil, and requesting to be resettle to third safe country.

Mr. Leno Bordo, head of UNHCR in Northern Iraq, asked the refugees to end their sit in demonstrations and inform them UNHCR is unable to do anything for them, but on personal note, he suggested to have them to immigrate to Turkey or Jordan.

In September of 2001, they migrate to city of Van in Turkey and pass through dangerous mountains for new safe home. This journey took between from 5 to 30 days. Upon arriving, they registered with UNHCR and Turkish Police. Some move toward Jordan border, which as of today are living in poor condition in no man's land. (See UNHCR Feb 11th press release).

After 3 years leaving in a poor condition in Van, finally in May of 2004,Turkish Interior ministry with a help of UNHCR were able to give these group a temporally status and disperse them into 16 satellite cities are grant them  temporarily status as refugees.

Under this status, they are not allowed to be process as refugees for resettlement to third country. Many of the refugees receive same status seven years before in Iraq, but were unable to be process for resettlement.

Turkish Interior ministry has forbidden Iranian refugees from working; therefore they have been facing economic hardship. UNHCR is unable even to pay their Turkish mandatory residency Card ( Kimlik) Bi yearly fees. For example one person per 6 months is $180 per person and for family of 4 is about $720 every 6
months.*(February of 2005 for first time UNHCR, made $250.00 payment for family of four)



Turkish government has not yet adopted European Union refugee's reception and practices but, they have been dealing with refugee's problem from Iran since the establishment of IRI in 1979.

From former prime Minster and later President Sulayman Demirel, and all Turkish prime ministers have been confronted the migration of thousands Iranians refugees. According to Turkish Interior ministry reports over 100,000 undocumented refugees reside in Turkey illegally. (See UNHCR 2004 Turkey report)

The Turkish government historically has been adopting Geneva Convention and Protocols, but they are very sensitive regarding issuing exit visa to those emigrated from Iraq, fearing circumstance by granting exit visa to these refugees, they will face wave of thousand other Iranian Kurds living in refugees camps.