18 februari, Utrecht: actie tegen deportatie van Afghaanse vluchtelingen

Op 18 februari organiseren de Facebookgroep “Don’t send Afghans back” en de Studentengroep Utrecht van Amnesty International een protest tegen de deportatie van Afghaanse vluchtelingen, omdat Afghanistan een van de onveiligste landen ter wereld is. De actie wordt ondersteund door New Neighbours Utrecht en Women’s March The Netherlands en maakt deel uit van een breed Europees protest.

Protestactie
Zondag 18 februari
Van 15:00 tot 18:00 uur
Domplein
Utrecht
Facebook

Uit de oproeptekst: “Afghanistan is not safe at the moment. However, EU governments (including the Dutch government) are still sending Afghan refugees back to Afghanistan.We don’t agree with this. Let’s speak up and stand together at 18-02-2018. So what’s the plan? In as many countries and cities as possible people will protest. This event is the local event in Utrecht. We requested a permit to march through the center. We will invite speakers to talk, there will be petitions to sign, maybe music and we will march together. The following reports are showing as well why it is so important to stand up. Amnesty International, 5 October 2017: ‘The conflict gripping Afghanistan is widespread and volatile. Tens of thousands of civilians have been killed or injured, and a wide range of people are at additional risk of other serious human rights violations such as persecution or torture. No part of the country can be considered safe. Amnesty International is calling for a moratorium on all returns to Afghanistan, until they can take place in safety and dignity.’

IRIN, 18 October 2017: ‘Civilian casualties in Afghanistan continue to soar as the country’s security situation deteriorates, according to the latest statistics released by the UN mission. The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, or UNAMA, recorded more than 8,000 civilian casualties this year from January until the end of September, placing conflict-caused deaths and injuries at near record-high levels.’ UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office, 20 July 2017: ‘The overall poor security situation and the ongoing insurgency in Afghanistan continued to limit progress on human rights in 2016. A UN report on the Protection of Civilians showed a 3% increase in the number of civilian victims in the conflict (the highest number since UN records on civilian casualties began), including a 24% increase in the number of child casualties. Concerns around rights of women, democracy, and protection for human rights defenders (HRDs) also remain.’”

Ook in Amsterdam en in Maastricht zijn er die dag protesten.

Harry Westerink