Treatment of Iraqi asylum seekers condemned

The Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) strongly condemned the treatment of detained Iraqi asylum seekers in Malta in recent days.

Over 100 asylum seekers from Iraq have not yet been released from detention despite repeated reassurances from the authorities that they would be granted temporary protection. And last week, 15 men faced shock and traumatic disappointment when they were released for a few hours only to be locked up again, it said.

"During the well-publicised war and overthrow of notorious dictator Saddam Hussein in Iraq, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) recommended all Iraqi asylum seekers be granted temporary protection. We are informed the national Refugee Commissioner in turn submitted this recommendation to the government.

"We strongly believe people should not be detained if they are granted protection. Iraqi asylum seekers had been assured they would be given temporary protection, and JRS lawyers offering free legal aid were told the same by government officials," JRS assistant director, Katrine Camilleri said in a statement.

"However, no Iraqis were placed in the open centre set up on June 6 for refugees and people granted other forms of protection."

A bungled transfer of refugees out of detention to the new open centre served to fuel the frustration faced by the Iraqis. On June 12, the security forces moved a group of people granted refugee status or other forms of protection to the open centre, including 15 Iraqi men who were sent back into detention after three hours.

"The men had their freedom restored to them only to have it snatched away again. The reason given was that paperwork must be completed. After seven months of waiting for release, they experienced their worst nightmare, to be sent back."

One man was medically treated for shock, Dr Camilleri said.

"Now the Iraqis are back in detention waiting to see what is going to happen. We do not blame the army for the incident; they were only executing higher orders."

Dr Camilleri underlined the deep frustration facing Iraqi asylum seekers, who were left in the dark about what was happening to them or their families.

JRS is also seriously concerned about the health of the asylum seekers, many of whom are crumbling psychologically under the strain.

"Some highly qualified Iraqi asylum seekers ended up in the psychiatric hospital diagnosed with acute depression as a direct result of their indefinite, prolonged detention, which they rightly feel is extremely unjust, Frank Cassar, a lawyer who volunteers for JRS, said.