To All Living Things
Last Week's Column

Amnesty Action:
Deportation of Somali Refugees from Yemen
Kathy Gay

his week’s action from Amnesty International is a case from Amnesty's current Refugee Campaign, "Human Rights Have No Borders," and concerns the forcible return of a group of at least 418 Somali refugees from Yemen in August 1995. The number of women and children reported to have been among those deported remains unclear, but it is believed that they had been living in Yemen since fleeing the civil war in Somalia.

Although many individuals in this group of Somalis had been officially recognized as refugees by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), all were forcibly returned by ship to Northern Somalia as part of a campaign by the government of Yemen against so-called "illegal" residents. In a statement issued on August 29, 1995, the UNHCR announced, "According to some reports, police involved in the operation beat refugees, destroyed property, forcibly separated adults from their children, and confiscated documents proving refugee status." This action by Yemeni authorities was in direct contravention to that country's international obligations as a State Party to the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees and the 1989 U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Amnesty International fears that many of these people were forcibly returned to a situation where they could be at risk of grave human rights abuses and has sought clarification from the government of Yemen on the fate of those deported. Amnesty has also strongly urged the government to abide by its treaty obligations.

Background Information

Some of the worst human rights abuses that cause children and their families to flee their homes occur in situations of civil disturbance and armed conflict. Faction fighting in Somalia has caused hundreds of thousands to leave their homeland to escape the torture and ill-treatment, rape, and deliberate and arbitrary killings committed by all sides in the conflict. At the end of 1996 it was estimated that over 1.5 million Somali refugees still remained outside the country.

Yemen was the destination for thousands of these Somali refugees, where many were housed in refugee camps in various parts of the country. However, in August 1995, the government of Yemen began a campaign of deportation against so-called "illegal" residents. Thousands of foreign nationals, particularly Somalis, were arrested and forcibly deported as a result of this campaign. Even people recognized as refugees by the UNHCR were deported. According to Yemen's Minister of the Interior, by January 1997 18,000 individuals had been deported since the campaign began.

By forcibly returning refugees to a situation where they could be at serious risk of grave human rights abuses, Yemen failed to fulfill its obligations as a State Party to two international treaties – one specifically regarding the treatment of refugees and another concerning the treatment of children within its borders.

As a State Party to the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, Yemen is prohibited under international law from forcibly returning any person to a country where he or she may risk serious human rights violations upon return. The deportation of the 418 Somali nationals was carried out in clear contradiction of Yemen's obligations under this convention. Article 33 of that Convention explicitly states:

"No Contracting state shall expel or return (refouler) a refugee in any manner whatsoever to the frontiers of territories where his life or freedom would be threatened on account of his race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group or political opinion."

Yemen is also a State Party to the 1989 U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child. Under this Convention, Yemen is bound to hold the best interests of the child as paramount in any dealings with children, and is also bound to take special care in dealing with refugee children. By forcibly separating the Somali children from their parents and returning them to a country where they or their families could be at serious risk of human rights violations, the Yemeni authorities failed to live up to these obligations.

How you can help

Please send a letter to Minister of the Interior of the Republic of Yemen as soon as possible, but no later than December 28, 1997. You may use the sample letter linked below or use it as a model to write your own letter. If you choose to use the sample letter, please cut off or delete all website information at the very top of the letter. If you prefer to write your own letter, please keep in mind that its intent is to improve the human rights situation in Yemen. Make sure the letter is politely worded, non-partisan (i.e., not used as a vehicle for political expression) and written with respect for the recipient. Be sure to include both your name and address, as well as the date, on your letter.

U.S. airmail postage to Yemen is 60 cents.

Questions?

If you have any questions, just post a message to me (Kathy Gay) on the Activism Board, and I will respond as soon as I can. I greatly appreciate your interest and support.

To see the sample letter for this action, please click here.

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Kathy Gay is a vegan, and has been a member of Amnesty International for nearly 10 years, where she has worked on numerous campaigns. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area and is a business analyst for a leading California bank.

Kathy's column, To All Living Things, is a regular feature of VegSource On-Line Magazine.