IRAQI MAN Jamel Salman says he’ll be “dead” if he returns to his homeland.
Salman, who fled his troubled country in 2006, has been issued with a deportation notice. His parents and brother have also sought refuge in Ireland and are yet to receive deportation notices, says the Baghdad native.
Salman says he was a member of the Iraqi Army’s special forces – a unit created by coalition forces in Iraq after their invasion – and that his life was in danger from Islamic radicals.
Asked if he’s afraid of returning, Salman replies: “Of course. If I go back to my country I’ll be dead.”
According to the Department of Justice, the safety of a returning person “is fully considered in every case when deciding whether or not to make a deportation order”.
A spokesperson commented: “Each asylum application is considered on the basis of the facts, individual circumstances and merits of the case presented and a final decision is reached following a comprehensive examination and investigation of these facts, merits and circumstances taking full account of the political and human rights conditions prevailing in the country concerned.”
The department uses “up to date country of origin information” and surveys data from organisations such as the UNHCR, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, the UK Home Office, the Canadian International Refugee Board, US State Department and other EU member states “as well as media and internet sources”.
According to latest media reports, the situation remains highly volatile in Iraq.
On Sunday, three coordinated car bombs struck near the Iranian embassy, Egyptian consulate and house of the German ambassador in Baghdad. At least 30 are reported dead and hundreds injured.
MEANWHILE, some 78 people have been deported from Ireland this year, at a cost of €77,838.42.
Of those, 55 people were deported to Nigeria while the remaining 23 were divided between a total of 11 other countries.
A nationality breakdown was unavailable as the low numbers to the 11 countries “might result in the persons involved becoming identifiable”, claimed the department.
