REFUGEE ADMISSIONS REFERRAL: TAMADHUR KADHIM

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BAGHDAD 000630

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

STATE FOR PRM/A; DHS FOR BCIS HEADQUARTERS; CAIRO FOR
REFCOORD; AMMAN FOR REFCOORD AND CONSULAR

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREF PHUM IZ
SUBJECT: REFUGEE ADMISSIONS REFERRAL: TAMADHUR KADHIM
HAMMAD

REF: STATE 326248

SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED. FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY.


1. (SBU) Embassy Baghdad would like to refer the following
Iraqi with substantial ties to the USG to the US Refugee
Admissions Program (USRAP).


Principal applicant (PA):

NAME: Tamadhur Kadhim Hammad
DOB: February 3, 1956
POB: Baghdad, Iraq
Passport Number: G 1100832
Gender: Female
Marital Status: Married

Dependents:

NAME: Adel Ali Khatea
DOB: December 9, 1955
POB: Baghdad, Iraq
Passport Number: G 1082208
Gender: Male
Marital Status: Married
Relation to PA: Husband

NAME: Zahra'a Adel Ali
DOB: December 23, 1990
POB: Baghdad, Iraq
Passport Number: G 1082675
Gender: Female
Marital Status: Single
Relation to PA: Daughter


3. (SBU) Description of persecution claim, provided by the
applicant herself: Tamadhur has worked for the USG or for
associations funded by the USG since April of 2003. Tamadhur
has been very active in a Baghdad Business Center for Women
and in other organizations and events supported by USAID
grants. She has presented letters of recommendation from
previous USG and US military supervisors. She is afraid that
Sunni insurgents and Shia militias want to kill her because
of her association with the USG. In addition, she has stated
that her husband and her moved out of their neighborhood
because she is a Sunni and her husband is a Shia The
neighborhood they lived in was mostly Shia Tamadhur has also
stated that members of her extended family (the Al-Janabi)
had close connections with Saddam's regime, and that this is
another reason why Shia militias want to kill her.


4. (SBU) Tamadhur reports that a cousin of her, who was a
vice dean in a local university, was kidnapped and never
heard from again. Her husband's cousin was murdered in
November of 2006. Tamadhur also reports that a brother of
her and his wife found a threatening letter (with bullets
attached to it) in their garden. As a result of this threat,
her brother and wife decided to leave the country. In August
of 2006, Tamadhur received a threatening email, criticizing
her for her support and active participation in a
USG-sponsored business conference for women. Tamadhur
reports that she has kept a copy of the threatening email.
In October of 2006, after photographs of her appeared in
local media and the Coalition Forces newsletter, Tamadhur
reports that she received a threatening call instructing her
to stop working with Americans. In December of 2006
Tamadhur's nephew was reportedly kidnapped and later killed.
Tamadhur believes that his murder was in retaliation for her
association with the USG. Since her nephew's murder,
Tamadhur has been afraid of being in public and has lived in
a state of relative seclusion. She states that her husband
has moved to a Shia neighborhood where he feels it is safe
for him but not for her to be in. Tamadhur explains that she
is spending the night in different places throughout the
week, and does not allow her daughter to leave the house
where she is staying with relatives. Tamadhur reports that
she hardly goes out anymore. She explains that she has not
left the country earlier because she needed a new passport,
which she has only finally received on Sunday, February 18.


5. (SBU) Justification for resettlement: Tamadhur is
favorably known to US State Department employees, who called
attention about her case to Embassy Baghdad RefCoord.
RefCoord has met with Tamadhur once and has spoken with her
on the phone frequently. RefCoord believes that Tamadhur has
a genuine fear of persecution because of her association with
the US. The recently established Embassy Baghdad Refugee
Committee is aware of her case, although it has not had an

BAGHDAD 00000630 002 OF 002


opportunity to discuss it in more detail. Tamadhur's
decision to leave for Amman on Wednesday, February 21, makes
it advisable for Embassy RefCoord to submit this referral
without further consultations with the Refugee Committee.


6. (SBU) Financial situation of principal applicant and
family: PA or family does not require immediate financial
assistance to support themselves while her case is being
processed, if accepted.


7. (SBU) Name checks: Conducted on February 19. One minor
hit, "possible NSEER status violator". This hit by itself is
not a reason for refusing admission or benefit. Tamadhur
might have failed to register with DHS following a previous
visit to the US (visitors from some countries are required to
register with DHS when they enter and exit the US). This hit
is easy to overcome by showing the exit stamps or explaining
the failure to register.
KHALILZAD