Open Letter from Political Activists to the German Government: End the Deportation of Iranian Refugees

A number of Iranian political activists residing in Frankfurt sent a letter to Nancy Faeser, the Federal Minister of Germany, calling for a halt to the deportation of Iranian refugees from the country. In their letter, published on Tuesday, June 5, they urged Olaf Scholz's government to reinstate the law 'to stop the deportation of rejected asylum seekers' from the country. Behrouz Asadi, a political refugee activist and one of the letter's authors, stated in an interview with Voice of America that returning refugees whose asylum applications have not been successful to Iran is 'a deliberate disregard for reality.' According to this political activist, the German government has not taken any action for months to stop this inhumane and unjust situation. He added, 'In this letter, the German government is asked to consult all states and to immediately halt all deportation processes of Iranian refugee citizens and adopt new laws.' The letter references the implementation of torture, imprisonment, and execution by the Islamic Republic against its critics and opponents, citing documents released by Amnesty International, which reported that over 800 people were executed in Iran in 2023, many of whom were condemned on baseless and false charges such as 'corruption on earth.' The letter further states, 'Anyone who holds political responsibility today and allows the deportation of refugees to Iran is jointly responsible for the deaths of many freedom seekers in Iran.' Human rights violations by the Islamic Republic, torture, arbitrary arrests, sexual assault, and the deliberate shooting of opponents and critics by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, as well as the suppression of women opposing mandatory hijab, are among the issues raised in this letter. The signatories of this letter have called on the German federal government to stand with the people of Iran by stopping deportations and opposing the Islamic Republic's policies with a strategy of 'external tension, internal oppression.' Previously, during widespread protests against the Islamic Republic in Iran and their brutal suppression by the Iranian government, several German ministers agreed to suspend the deportation of Iranian asylum seekers in the country due to the tense situation and widespread repression in their homeland until further notice. Joachim Herrmann, the Minister of the Interior of Bavaria, stated during the severe crackdown on protesters in 2022 that 'we agree that Iranian citizens should not be deported until further notice.' This order expired at the end of last year, after which some federal states resumed the deportation of rejected Iranian asylum seekers. There have been calls for Canada to pay more attention to the situation of Iranian refugees; Atena Daemi explains. A group of Iranians protested in front of the Swedish Migration Agency in Stockholm against the asylum acceptance process. Reports indicate that about 10,000 Iranians applied for asylum in Germany in 2023. The International Organization for Migration reported that 2023 was the deadliest year in the past decade for refugees.