32 Iraqi asylum seekers, who had been incarcerated in different detention centres, were deported to Arbil, northern Iraq, on 5 September, 2006, on a specially chartered flight from the :: RAF Brize Norton military base in Oxfordshire.
There was a demonstration at the Home Office in London, :: called by the :: Coalition to Stop Deportations to Iraq and the :: International Federation of Iraqi Refugees, but that did not apparently stop the process, and neither did the warnings from international organisations [:: 1 :: 2 :: 3] or the :: legal challenges.
The :: first forced deportation of Iraqi Kurds from the UK took place on 19 November, 2005. 15 men were taken to an airport at night, handcuffed, beaten and forced onto a military plane headed for Arbil through Cyprus. The move then sparked a lot of anger and protest [:: 1 :: 2 :: 3 :: 4 :: 5], and the deportation of Iraqis was halted for a while until resumed this month. Tens of Iraqi Kurds are believed to be interned in :: UK detention centres, while thousands more have been served notice that they will be 'removed' from the country [:: latest report].
Read: :: Iraqi Kurdish asylum seekers recount enforced removal :: initial report :: call-out for demo :: names of deportees :: Home Secretary resumes forced removals to Iraq :: EU-coordinated deportation of Afghani refugees
This article was published first on 08. Sep 2006 at :: UK Indymedia.