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In dealing with Iranian refugees, the UNHCR refuses to follow its own mandate and chooses to ignore
its own definition of who is an asylee or refugee. The UNHCR remains silent while Iranian refugees are
abused by Turkish authorities that have illegally incarcerated them, that have bussed UNHCR-
recognized refugees back to the Iranian border and forced them to leave Turkey at gunpoint, and have
even murdered Iranians seeking sanctuary at the borders and buried them in mass graves.
We are asking concerned citizens around the world to write to the UN Refugee Agency in Geneva and
Ankara to demand immediate intervention in the situation in Turkey for Iranians who have fled the
brutal and inhuman Islamic regime in Iran, and for all refugees whose human rights include a right to
asylum. A sample letter is provided, along with email addresses:
I am writing to you to express my grave concern over UNHCR’s violations of the fundamental
human rights of Iranian and other refugees in Turkey.
UNHCR takes far too long to process asylum applications, living conditions for refugees are
untenable, Iranian refugees in Turkey are subject to abuse and violence by Turkish police as well
as agents of the Islamic Republic, and many are denied official status without cause.
I do not accept such violations of the rights of Iranian refugees, and, in support of the demands
of Iranian refugees in Turkey, make the following demands:
1. UNHCR immediately recognize Iranians fleeing their country as prima facie refugees.
2. Until this first demand is implemented, I demand UNHCR takes immediate steps to ensure that
the status determination procedures are efficient, fair, and transparent, and that UNHCR and its
affiliated organizations are accountable to asylum-seekers and those who represent them.
Sincerely,
[your name]
MAIL TO:
Antonio Guterres, UN High Commissioner for Refugees: guterres@unhcr.org
Carol Batchelor, UNHCR Representative to Turkey: turan@unhcr.ch
This is a publication of the International Coalition for the Rights of Iranian Refugees (ICRIR). Members of
the ICRIR include the International Federation for Iranian Refugees, the Iranian Refugee Action
Network, the Iranian Refugee Amnesty Network, Mission Free Iran and TDCAU.