Germany rejects refugee protection for LGBT Iraqis [*Corrected]

Correction: LGBT Asylum News contributor Bruce Leimsidor has written to point out that the German text of the German Ministry's interchange with the Greens does not say that special protection will be denied Iraqi LGBT; it states that no further special humanitarian resettlement projects are foreseen.

Says Bruce:

It makes it clear that the former special resettlement projects to Germany for Iraqi religious minorities would not be continued.  There will, in short, be no further humanitarian projects at all; not for religious minorities, not for LGBT, not for anyone. The headline suggests that LGBT are being singled out for denial of protection. This is simply not true.

However, the German Taz article does suggest more clearly than the Google translation that last year's humanitarian action, which was centered around Iraqi refugees from minority religions, and which did not include LGBT, was part of a European Union action, and not specifically a German project. This does not come across very clearly in the Google translation.

At any rate, neither the Taz article nor the Google translation make it clear that it was not a German decision to exclude LGBT from last year's humanitarian action, but rather an EU decision. (In fact, the only reason last year's "humanitarian" action was passed in the EU was that it was an indirect expression of Islamophobia - 'save the Christian martyrs from the Muslim lions!')  It is an EU project that is being discontinued.

Germany never had an independent project to which LGBT could have been added, and there is no precedence for Germany's having an independent project for any special group. Again, to hit the German government on this is unfair and perhaps, given the decent treatment LGBT asylum cases receive in Germany, politically ill advised.

Also, what the article never makes clear is that last years EU project for Christians was a project out of the UNHCR camps in Syria. There was, and still is no capacity for getting people directly out of Iraq.

Source: taz

[Google translation]

The federal government classifies the situation of gay and transgender people in Iraq as a cause for concern, but intends no humanitarian admission procedures specifically for Iraqis who are threatened with their sexual orientation due. This is clear from the response to an inquiry by the Greens.

Once in the situation of homosexuals in Iraq reported August had taz ( "In Outing Murder" ), wanted to open the federal government know of the manner in which the human rights of gay and transgender people in Iraq is committed to. In its response (PDF ) takes the Federal Government that the issue was raised several times with the Iraqi authorities and homosexuality is addressed in government-sponsored training for government and Ministry staff.

The Volker Beck welcomed by the Greens: "It is good that the Federal Government has the situation of human rights of gays, lesbians and transgendered people in Iraq in sight," he says. At the same time Beck criticizes the rejection of a humanitarian program intake, given the dramatic and life-threatening situation as "completely incomprehensible".

Last year the government began 2500 Iraqis in a Europe-refugee humanitarian action. First and foremost, there were refugees who were persecuted for their faith. In Kritierienkatalog the threat was based on sexual orientation is not available.

The government argues that Iraqi asylum seekers "a threat of persecution because of their sexual orientation substantiate" that, even now are generally recognized as asylum seekers or refugees under the Geneva Convention.

It is difficult to prove. The Federal Office for Migration and Refugees does not the reasons the applicant to specify in their application. The Greens and the human rights organization Amnesty International (AI) are therefore no such cases known.

"In principle, in such asylum process often asked the homosexuality of the applicant in question," says Ruth Jüttner of AI. Often, the courts also argued that sexual orientation in the home country could be lived so discreet, no one of them told.

"This is open to criticism. Especially in Arab countries such as Iran and Iraq should be the fundamental threat to homosexuals to be considered," said Jüttner. It'll be about to the police abandoned by ex-partner, as a result there may be arrests, beatings and torture. Militia had abducted to denounce homosexuals, heavily tortured and killed.

Iraq is one of the most dangerous countries for gays and transsexuals. Although since 2003 represent homosexual acts no offense more, but find numerous attacks and killings take place mainly by tribal or family members. AI has documented since the year 2005 five hundred cases, where Islamic militias have gays tortured and slaughtered.

Just in June and July this year, the organization reported Iraqi-LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual Transgender on) which is based in London, from seven cases in which gay men were murdered or kidnapped in Iraq.

As is clear from the response of the Federal Government, are to Germany before the current cases in which gays have been murdered or abducted in Iraq, no information of its own. It was "but anxious to get on the mission of the United Nations in Iraq and related NGOs more information."

• Text of German Greens request [PDF]