UNHCR DAMASCUS FEARS FURTHER DEPORTATIONS OF

C O N F I D E N T I A L DAMASCUS 002634

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

PARIS FOR ZEYA, LONDON FOR TSOU, CAIRO FOR REFCOORD CHEYNE

E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/06/2016
TAGS: PREF PREL SY IR
SUBJECT: UNHCR DAMASCUS FEARS FURTHER DEPORTATIONS OF
IRANIAN AHWAZIS

REF: DAM 2391

Classified By: Charge d'Affaires Stephen A. Seche for reasons 1.4 b/d


1. (C) At UNHCR Damascus' request, poloffs met June 5 with
UNHCR's senior protection officer Dietrun Gunther and
protection officer Tania Pesce about the SARG's treatment of
Iranian Ahwazi refugee Saeed Saki, who has been accepted for
resettlement in Norway. In January, SARG authorities
detained Saki, who was scheduled to leave Syria for Norway in
early April, Gunther said. The SARG went against its normal
practice of releasing detained refugees accepted for
resettlement elsewhere and refused to release Saki to UNHCR,
apparently deporting Saki to Iran on May 14, Gunther said.
UNHCR representatives in Damascus, Geneva and Tehran and
Norwegian diplomats have unsuccessfully sought information
about Saki's whereabouts, hoping that he will still be
permitted to settle in Norway, Gunther said. UNHCR Geneva
planned to hold a press conference June 6 to draw attention
to the plight of Saki, who is at risk of being sentenced to
death for his activities on behalf of Iran's Arab minority,
Gunther said.


2. (C) Given Syria and Iran's flourishing bilateral
relationship, UNHCR officials fear that the SARG may deport
more Ahwazi refugees back to Iran, Gunther said. The SARG
detained seven Ahwazi refugees in early May, releasing three
of them a few weeks later, she said. SARG officials told the
three not to undertake any activities or make statements
against Syria or countries friendly to it, Gunther said. The
SARG has not provided UNHCR any information about the other
four refugees who presumably remain in detention (including
one a Dutch national),responding to a UNHCR diplomatic note
by saying that neither the MFA nor immigration authorities
had any information, Gunther said. Separately, in late May,
another Ahwazi refugee in Damascus received a call on his
mobile phone from a Syrian authority requesting that he go to
the Palestinian Branch of Syrian security for questioning,
Gunther said. The refugee did not show up for the
appointment, instead going into hiding, Gunther said.


3. (SBU) UNHCR Damascus has registered about 30 Ahwazi
refugees, although five potential new cases arrive each week,
Gunther said. Although male Ahwazis most often request
refugee status, many times their wives have even stronger
cases as a result of brutal torture at the hands of Iranian
authorities, Gunther said.


4. (SBU) The executive director of the U.S.-based Ahwaz
Human Rights Organization, Karim Abdian, met earlier this
year with UNHCR officials in Damascus, while here on a
private visit, and has been in communication with Gunther
about the plight of the Ahwazis, lobbying for their
resettlement in the United States, Gunther said. Holland and
Norway have also expressed strong interest in Ahwazi
referrals, Gunther said.


5. (SBU) Together with Regional RefCoord Cairo, we have
advised UNHCR that the U.S. will consider resettlement for
any Ahwazis it can refer to the U.S. Resettlement Program
(USRP) in time for the DHS/CIS circuit ride to Damascus
scheduled to begin July 16.
SECHE