Over the weekend, Jordan announced it would deport approximately 800 Sudanese refugees who had been protesting their living conditions in the country. Amongst the group of refugees are a number of IRAP clients, and our Jordan team is working hard to advocate on their behalf.
Aljazeera America is covering the story as Jordan begins the initial deportations, and spoke to IRAP’s Deputy Policy Director, Betsy Fisher, about how the deportations violate refugee rights under the Convention against Torture. “This prohibition applies to all countries as an unquestionable principle of international law whether they have signed the refugee convention or not and regardless of how they entered their country,” Fisher told Aljazeera. “The Convention against Torture, which Jordan has signed, prohibits the forcible return of people to places where they fear torture. That is exactly the fate that these Darfuri Sudanese refugees have fled.”
You can read Aljazeera‘s complete coverage here. Be sure to follow IRAP on Twitter (@RefugeeAssist) for updates on the situation on the ground.