International 7-day HungerStrike in Baghdad

international | anti-war / imperialism | press release Thursday July 10, 2003 20:09 by Caoimhe Butterly - Voices in the Wilderness and Occupation Watch masasa73 at hotmail dot com

International activists begin a 7-day hungerstrike in solidarity with evicted Palestinian families living in canvas tents in Haifa Sports Stadium, Baghdad, for the past 3 months.

PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For more information, please contact:
Dr. Anwar Salem Al-Awawdeh, Head of the Palestinian Red Crescent Society, Iraq
Ewa Jasiewicz or Caoimhe Butterly (Voices in the Wilderness; Occupation Watch)
001-914-360-9080 / 914-360-3634 /914 360 9079 or 008821 66 33 22 56 53

International Activists Begin 7 Day Hunger Strike with Palestinian Refugees in Baghdad

BAGHDAD (11 JULY) – Today, as part of a week of protest and activities organized by representatives of the Al-Awda (Right of Return) Temporary Refugee Camp in the Haifa Cultural Centre, in the Baladiyat district of Baghdad, international and local Palestinian-Iraqi activists embark on a seven day hunger strike, beginning 11 July, in solidarity with the camp's demands for permanent homes. Other activities will include a letter writing campaign, demonstrations, and actions to be announced.

Activists from Ireland, Poland, Britain, Iraq, Lebanon, France, Iraq, Palestine, Lebanon and Italy will be maintaining a seven-day solidarity tent and fast inside Al-Awda in an attempt to draw international attention to the deteriorating conditions of the camp. Groups represented include: Voices in the Wilderness, Bridges to Baghdad, Christian Peacemaker Teams, and Occupation Watch.


Following the fall of the Ba'ath regime and the subsequent occupation of Iraq by US and UK dominated forces, approximately 300 families living in Baghdad were evicted by their landlords from their homes. Under Saddam, some Palestinian families living in Iraq were given subsidized housing, which generated resentment within impoverished Iraqi communities. There are a further 600 Palestinian families living in Baghdad which have been given eviction notices and the population of the camp is expected to swell in the coming weeks. It should be noted that not all Palestinian families currently threatened with eviction were receiving subsidized housing.

For the past 3 and a half months, Palestinian families have been living in the Haifa Cultural Center's soccer field in canvas tents, with insufficient water, electricity, medical and food supplies, plus inadequate3 sanitation facilities, in soaring summer temperatures, expected to reach up to 60 centigrade by next month. These conditions are exacerbated by the intensification of security risks throughout Iraq (Al-Kindi Hospital reports a 150-fold increase in violent crimes), such as a drastic rise in cases of rape, kidnapping, and murder following the 'stabilization' of Iraq.

In addition, three members of the Palestinian embassy staff were arrested on May 28 by US Occupation troops. They have been denied access to legal representation, human rights groups or relatives. No reason has been publicly given for their arrest and subsequent indefinite detention.

This, coupled with the increase in targeted attacks against Palestinian in Baghdad as well as escalating human rights abuses by Occupation Forces all over Iraq, demands international action and resolution.

Despite continued attempts at negotiation with the American Occupation Administration, and promises of imminent re-housing, no action has been taken to alleviate the deteriorating conditions in Al-Awda.

The Camp representatives have made the following demands as part of their week of action:

- Secure housing with basic amenities (i.e. running water and electricity) for all the evicted families.
- UNRWA's mandate be expanded to include Palestinian refugees living in Iraq, in addition to the agency's current aid provision for Palestinian refugees living in Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, and the West Bank and Gaza.
- The immediate release of the three Palestinian embassy staff.
- Palestinian refugees all over the world be given their historical and internationally recognized, yet systematically denied, Right of Return to their homeland, occupied since 1948.

The families living in the Haifa Cultural Center have undergone a double experience of forced transfer. From their roots - many of them are from Haifa itself, and other 1948 Palestinian towns and villages - to their current situation, the dynamics of discrimination, racism, and violation of basic human rights are mirrored in the political status and living conditions of their families in Occupied Palestine and the world over.

For further details on the Palestinian and Iraqi struggles, see:
www.electronicintifada.net
www.electroniciraq.net
www.occupationwatch.org
www.vitw.org

Further protest activities to be announced ...