Call for support for Somali hunger striking refugees in Ukraine

Three organisations supporting refugees in Ukraine have issued an alert call notifying the international community of the position of asylum seekers in that country.

The Border Monitoring Project, Ukrainian Refugee Council and Pro Asyl report on the conditions existing in Ukrainian detention centres. It states that refugees exist under a regime of constant harassment which includes "arbitrary detention, extortion, robbery, and beatings". In protest against this treatment a group of 58 Somalis began a hunger strike on 6th January. The hunger strikers  are detained at the Lutsk detention centre in the Volyn region.

The three organisations are circulating the following statement calling for support for the protest. 

What is life like for asylum seekers in Ukraine?

The asylum system in Ukraine is in chaos, the old system has been dismantled and the new system has not been recognised by the judges and it has no staff. The police are profoundly corrupt. Asylum seekers are an easy target for harassmen. Harassment includes arbitrary detention, extortion, robbery, and beatings.

Why are the Somalians on hunger strike?

They want to be released and given refugee status and they want an end to the harassment by the Ukrainian police. Because the asylum system does not function, asylum seekers are in limbo: they cannot even claim asylum and they do not get temporary residence permits which leaves them open to extortion or arrest. The hunger strikers want the Ukrainian Government to issue temporary residence permits.

Why are they detained?

Ukraine law allows the police to detain almost at will. Some asylum seekers have been detained again and again – often re-detained immediately after release. Sometimes the police wait outside detention centres and extort money from asylum seekers who have just been released.

What is the Ukrainian Government saying?

The Government says they are detained to identify them, obtain passports and deport them. But deporting Somalians to Somalia has been declared illegal by the European Court of Human Rights. The Ukrainian Government states that it will not deport Somalians to Somalia - so why have they been detained?

How long have they been on hunger strike?

Since the 6^th January.

How many of them are on hunger strike?

58. 11 of them are women and some of the 58 are minors (under 18). They are detained at the Lutsk detention centre in the Volyn region

What does the UNHCR say the hunger strikers?

The UNHCR says that their detention “....serves no legitimate purpose,” and that it is “...a violation of Art. 5 of the European Convention on Human Rights.”

And what does Amnesty International say?

“The Ukrainian authorities must immediately release all those they have no practical prospect or principled justification for deporting and ensure that they have access to asylum procedures.”

What can I do?

1. Please go to the border monitoring project website http://bordermonitoring-ukraine.eu/storage/faxemail-campaign and use the standard letter to write to officials of the Ukrainian Government (you can find all their fax/e mail details on this page)
2. Ask your Member of the European Parliament (MEP) to write also to the Ukrainian Government of senior EU people like Katherine Ashton. Ukraine is negotiating with the EU right now and is very sensitive to criticism from MEPs
3. If you are member of a human rights, anti-racist or other similar organisation, please ask them to write to the Ukrainian Government expressing their concerns.
4. Please pass this on to your friends.

If you want to see the Amnesty International, UNHCR, Ukrainian Refugee Council documents, or updates on the hunger strike, please see http://bordermonitoring-ukraine.eu