RACNSW MEDIA RELEASE Thursday February 5th, 2003 No Forced Deportations - National protests at Department of Immigration
Refugee groups with the National Anti-Deportation Alliance will hold protests outside Department of Immigration offices around the country, this Friday, February 6th, 2003. In Sydney, the protest will be held at Department of Immigration, 26 Lee St, 12.45-2.00pm. The call for the protests came from Port Hedland asylum seekers potentially facing forced deportation to Iran. The protest coincides with a Federal Court case in Perth that will determine whether the Federal government is able to forcibly deport asylum seekers who are mentally ill. "The government is attempting to remove any and all legal obstacles to them forcibly deporting asylum seekers," said Ian Rintoul, spokesperson for the Refugee Action Coalition. "It is the barbarity of mandatory detention that is responsible for creating the depression, mental illness and desperation inside the detention centres. Now the government wants to send ill people back to their tormentors in Iran. It is a violation of their basic human rights," he said. Four striking copper workers were killed by the regime last week. The crackdown by hardliners in Iran continues as the ruling elite banned hundreds of candidates from standing in the forthcoming elections. "We are demanding that the government remove the threat of forcible deportations to Iran," said Rintoul. The National Anti-Deportation Alliance will be maintaining its campaign against the government and against airlines such as Malaysia Airlines and Emirates that have been collaborating with the government to forcibly deport Iranian asylum seekers. Protest: No Forced Deportations, Department of Immigration, 26 Lee Street, City (near Railway Sq, Broadway). 12.45-200pm, Friday, 6 February. For more information contact: Refugee Action Coalition: Ian Rintoul mob. 0417 275 713 . -- Visit the proposed Leftlink web site at http://www.leftlink.net/ -- Leftlink - Australia's Broad Left Mailing List mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Archived at http://www.cat.org.au/lists/leftlink/ Sponsored by Melbourne's New International Bookshop Sub: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsub: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
