Thousands of Migrants Forced to Leave Israel, Rights Group Says

[Purveyor]

Source: New York Times


African asylum seekers at a protest in the Negev desert in southern Israel in June. Credit Finbarr O'Reilly/Reuters

JERUSALEM — Thousands of Sudanese migrants to Israel and hundreds of Eritreans have returned to their home countries this year as a result of an Israeli policy that amounts to “unlawful coercion,” Human Rights Watch said on Tuesday. The group said the migrants had been left few other options even though they were at risk of imprisonment or abuse at the hands of repressive governments back home, and despite protections Israel is obligated to provide under international treaties.

The New York-based human rights group said in a lengthy report that it had documented seven cases in which citizens of Sudan were detained and interrogated in the capital, Khartoum, on their return.

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While four of the seven were released after short periods, the report said, one was tortured, a second was put in solitary confinement and a third was charged with treason for visiting Israel, which does not maintain diplomatic relations with Sudan. The group said that under Sudanese law it is a crime to visit Israel, punishable by up to 10 years in prison, and that at least 6,400 Sudanese had returned between January 2013 and the end of June 2014.

The report also said 367 Eritreans had returned home after reaching Israel, but neither Human Rights Watch nor the representative of the United Nations high commissioner for refugees in Israel had any confirmed information about them.

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/10/world/middleeast/thousands-of-migrants-forced-to-leave-israel-rights-group-says.html?_r=0

[ann---]

1. Does anyone

expect anything different from Nutandyahoo?

[alfredo]

2. Is there something all these people have in common?

[sadoldgirl]

3. From the picture I can only

see men. No women or children?

[azurnoir]

4. Here-

http://amirlevy.blogspot.com/2014/01/female-african-asylum-seekers-and-their.html

[sadoldgirl]

5. Thanks, that clears it up for me.

[christx30]

6. What the hell is wrong

with those tyrannical assholes in Sudan? They don't seem to be happy unless they are screwing up someone's life.

[MrNJ]

7. So now Israel is at fault for abuses by Sudan government.

[leftynyc]

8. Of course

All the evil in the entire world can be laid at the feet of either the US or Israel. Have any of the much larger countries in the region accepted any refugees? No, of course not but we're not to talk about that.

[liberalhistorian]

9. No, but it is at fault

for not fulfilling its treaty responsibilities. But I would expect nothing less from its current government and dangerously crazy and racist ruler.