Asylum man sews up mouth, eyes
2004-02-17 06:46
The Hague - The Dutch parliament was set on Tuesday to pass a controversial government bill that would lead to the expulsion of about 26 000 asylum seekers from the country.
The bill, which has been bitterly opposed by large sections of the Dutch population and by human rights groups, has also caused despair among asylum seekers, one of whom, an Iranian, has sewn up his eyes and mouth in protest.
According to the bill, asylum seekers affected by the new law will be forced to return to their home countries within the next three years, even if they have been living in the Netherlands for some considerable time.
The new law will cover all those people who arrived in the country before April 1 2001.
Under the terms of the bill, about 2 300 people whose cases have been judged to be especially serious, will be allowed to stay in the country and will be granted resident status.
Dutch society divided
The bill has deeply divided Dutch society, which has a reputation for easy-going attitudes and policies, and set the government and opposition at loggerheads in a system reknowned for consensus.
Human rights groups, political parties and ordinary Dutch citizens have called for a more generous package but to no avail.
"Many asylum seekers live in critical situations. They have physical and mental problems, their families have been broken up and there is insecurity in their home countries," the Council of Churches, an organisation grouping 18 churches in the Netherlands, said in a letter to Immigration Minister Rita Verdonk.
The Council of Churches predicted "major tension in local communities that have adopted immigrants, where their children go to school and where numerous volunteers are involved in settling them in".
International rights group Human Rights Watch (HRW) said the bill was a "deportation law violating international standards".
HRW said many of the asylum seekers - Somalis, Afghans and Chechens - would be sent back to places that were not safe, "and that is illegal".
HRW said the law "would signal a serious departure from the Netherlands' historic role as a leader in human rights protection in Europe".
Two thirds of the population are in favour of a wider amnesty for asylum seekers who have been living in the country for more than five years, an opinion poll conducted on Saturday revealed.
Demonstrations were held in big cities and near parliament last week to call for a better deal for foreigners.
But Verdonk is not likely to move on the plan, with one survey carried out last week showing that her popularity was growing.
The government has defended its draconian stance by saying the measure is clearly outlined in the manifesto of the ruling Christian Democrats, pointing out that Dutch voters had given the party a large majority in the January 2003 election.
On the Net
www.hrw.org