Currently there is an explosion of violence in some Iraqi provinces. According to the UN 2013 was the bloodiest year in Iraq since 2008. Rejected asylum Iraqis in The Netherlands find themselves in a difficult situation, they don’t want to go back because it is too dangerous. Iraq wants to stimulate rejected asylum seekers to return to their native country, but they don’t want to force them. In the meantime they are living on the streets in The Netherlands and they are dependent on others to survive.

Fred Teeven, The State Secretary of Security and Justice, stated that he might want to consider any changes in his policy after the publication of the ‘official report Iraq’ from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This report describes the situation in Iraq to the extent that this is important for the assessment of the asylum applications and the decisions about their return. The report is published this December, but what does it exactly say? And what does this mean for the rejected Iraqi asylum seekers?

About the speakers

Joost Hiltermann (Iraq specialist from the International Crisis Group), Karel Hendriks (works for UNHCR in Iraq) and Muzahim Abdulkarim Mustafa Mufty (first secretary at the Embassy of the Republic of Iraq). Moderator is Harm Ede Botje (foreign journalist). This program will start with a personal story by an Iraqi refugee.