Norway-Afghan Hunger Strikers

international | racism & migration related issues | other press Tuesday May 30, 2006 11:30 by solidarity

Afghan hunger strikers against deportation

( I saw this posted on UK Indymedia)

Norway: Afghan refugees on hungerstrike

After a demo on 22 of may, afghan refugees are escalating with a hungerstrike their protests against the decision of the norwegian government for their immediate deportaton to afghanistan.

26 May: 23 Afghan refugees started a hunger-strike in a central park in Oslo.
More refugees are expected to join the hunger-strike within the next days.

More than 800 Afghan refugees were marching in Oslo streets. There were also many norwegian, Pakistani, Iranian and Kurdish activists, despite the weather that was so bad and raining.

There were also another 4 demos in the north and south of Norway. Pepole from many refugee camps participated in these demonstrations.

The refuges said:
"We said if the Gov don't comply our demands we will start massive hunger strike.
We will continue the protest until we succeed in our demands.
Our demand is to live safely somewhere in this world.
We need your support."

Initial Declaration

We will prevent the deportation of 2000 afghan refugees

The norwegian government, Afghan government and UNHCR, have recently signed an agreement to send back Afghanistan refugees, and the norwegian government declared that if Afghan refugees do not return to their country voluntarily until 26 of May the norwegian police will deport them by direct flight. There was a similar agreement on August 2005, which resulted in a series of Afghan Refugees demo.

To oppose and condemn this inhuman agreement
and because Afghanistan is not safe and every day tens of people lose their life because of the ongoing war countrywide, because Afghanistan government is made of war criminals, Islamic fundamentalists and big drug dealers, because there is no freedom of thought and belief and the communists and atheists are clearly deprived of their right to life constitutionally , because the women, in the law and daily life, are the zero level citizens , because we do not want to return to the hand of our killers….

And toward reaching these aims:
• Immediately stop of deportation program
• The right to stay here for all afghan refuges that were waiting for so many yeas in the refugee camps
• The right of learning and going to school for all of those who are waiting for their answers,

We will organize the following:
• Boycotting the UDI’s information meeting in all refugee camps around the country
• Demonstrating in Oslo, from communal department toward Afghanistan embassy with a short stop in front of the parliament on 22 of May, 12 to 15
• Playing street theatre during the 22 of may demo

If the norwegian government do not comply with our demands, before reaching the deadline (26 of May), we will start massive hunger strike (hundreds of refugees) with no time limitation.