Iraqi refugees have were assaulted by British security guards contracted by the UK Border Agency and Iraqi police on the mass deportation flight that left London for Baghdad on Monday night carrying more than sixty people.

The International Federation of Iraqi Refugees has seen photographs of the injuries inflicted and will be making a formal complaint to the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR).

Sabar Saleh Saeed, who was on the plane, says:

“they took us from the detention centre by coach to Luton airport and put 62 of us on the plane guarded by more than 100 bodyguards. There was one Iranian citizen being deported to Baghdad with us. The flight left at 1.00 am.

When we arrived in Baghdad we refused to get off the plane. One Iraqi policeman came on and said if we did not come down they would make us go down by force but we said we are being forcibly deported: we will not come down.

We stayed where we were but the G4S security guards forced handcuffs on us and started to beat us when they were dragging us off the plane. They were swearing at us, beating us. Four of them grabbed me to force me off the plane. They grabbed my neck and punched me. My eyes went dark. I could not see any light. I saw many other refugees with blood running down their faces.

When I was on the steps on the plane they were still boxing me. There were a lot of Iraqi police there. They took over from the G4S guards when I had got off. Then the Iraqi police beat us with their sticks.

Those of us who had Iraqi ID were released. We had to get across Baghdad to get to the bus station. We felt very afraid: I do not speak Arabic and I had to get from the airport to the bus station. From there I took a taxi up to Kurdistan in the north. Now I can’t sleep. I’m not safe here and all my body is painful after the beating.”

Lokman Hama Amin, who was also on the flight, says:

“four security guards grabbed when we landed in Baghdad. They pushed me down to the floor of the plane. They handcuffed me. I was shouting, asking them to let me go because they were breaking my hand but they carried on beating my shoulder. Now I cannot move my arm: I have put it in a sling.”  

The International Federation of Iraqi Refugees believes many people on the flight are still being held in detention in Baghdad Airport due to problems with their identification.

Dashty Jamal, secretary of the International Federation of Iraqi Refugees says:

“those security guards responsible for physically assaulting the deportees must be brought to justice. We are asking for all the human rights and progressive people in the UK to stop this barbarism and demand an end to this inhuman forcible deportation policy.” 

The flight comes as the Home Office has confirmed that the Kurdistan Regional Government is refusing to accept forcible deportation flights into the north of the country, under pressure from a campaign by the International Federation of Iraqi Refugees.

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Contact for photos and interviews with deportees: 07856032991, 07824996724

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www.csdiraq.com

www.federationifir.com

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Notes for editors

1. The International Federation of Iraqi Refugees campaigns for the rights of Iraqi refugees and against forcible deportations and detention.  It is a member of the Coalitions to Stop Deportations to Iraq (www.csdiraq.com)

2. The UK Home Office has for the first time accepted that the Kurdistan Regional Government will not accept forcible deportations. See http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/aug/31/kurdish-uk-asylum-seekers-iraq

3. The UNHCR’s statement regarding the last flight to Baghdad can be found here:

http://www.unhcr.org/4c0e33e94fc.html

4. Iraqi refugees continue to suffer from the forcible deportation policy. Kurdish media has reported Rebwar Aziz Mohammed Amin, who was deported on the previous Baghdad deportation flight, as suffering from severe mental illness since returning while Osman Rasul committed suicide in July this year after changes to legal aid meant he lost his legal representation to fight his immigration claim (see http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/aug/01/asylum-seeker-osman-rasul-death-legal-aid)

5  Bombings and violence continue in Iraq. See for example:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-11006867

6. The last deportation flight to Baghdad saw allegations of violence and abuse made by deportees against the security guards. See http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/oct/18/iraq-deportees-asylum-seeker-claims

7. To operate a mass deportation flight, the Home Office contracts a range of private companies. Airlines that are known to have been used include Hamburg International and Czech Airlines. Bus companies to drive people from detention to the airport have included WH Tours and Woodcock coaches. Private security companies used to escort deportees include Group 4 Securicor and SERCO.