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July 24, 2007The plight of the Iraqi interpreters
Things for you to do today:
1. Read this or this
2. Write a letter to your MP
3. Blog the text of your letter (if you have a blog).
4. Sign here, please.
My letter email follows:
Anne,First, apologies for the email; I would have preferred sending a letter, but time is of the essence and I've already wasted a day.
I come to you with a unique and dual opportunity; the chance to actively prevent further needless deaths in Iraq and to preserve what little remains of the moral authority we pissed away when we invaded that same country.
Here is the situation in a nutshell:
The UK is refusing asylum status to Iraqi translators who aided the British forces.
Why do they require asylum? Well, their lives are in danger... because they aided the British forces!
Helpfully, the Home Office has turned them away and suggested they instead 'register with the UN refugee agency'... so these people are now in a position where they wait to see which will arrive first; their paperwork or the friendly neighbourhood death squad.
I am hoping that you will see the moral and practical implications of our turning our backs on these people. Myself, I'm of the view that asylum status should be automatic for them and for their families.
If you hold the same view, I urge you to act on it with all speed... i.e. before the ability of our armed forces to protect these people erodes any further and/or the upcoming summer holiday swallows the issue whole.
Tim Ireland
www.bloggerheads.comIf you require further information, these are the best links for you to follow:
http://crookedtimber.org/2007/07/22/important-time-to-do-the-right-thing-by-our-iraqi-friends/
http://www.channel4.com/news/articles/politics/international_politics/iraqi+translators+feel+abandoned/530257
UPDATE - Click here for the reply.
UPDATE (07 Aug) - I've updated this and a further post where possible/applicable, as we are in the main talking about interpreters rather than translators.
Posted by Manic on July 24, 2007 8:48 AM in the category It's War! It's Legal! It's Lovely!
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Comments
Is email really the best way of writing to Anne? I'm sure she's probably blocked your email address by now
Posted by: Piers at July 24, 2007 10:13 AM
I've already been informed that it's been forwarded.
Posted by: Manic at July 24, 2007 10:17 AM
I've created a petition on the Downing Street website:
http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/Iraqi-Employees/
Please sign and link to it.
Cheers
Posted by: Davide Simonetti at July 24, 2007 10:29 AM
Good idea, DS. Post updated.
Posted by: Manic at July 24, 2007 10:37 AM
I'm drawn to your campaign Manic and will post my message back on here.
I see from the Herald - http://www.theherald.co.uk/news/news/display.var.1566689.0.0.php - that 1 in 4 of the front-line ground troops being deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan this autumn will be Scottish.
Should Salmond pull our troops out?
Posted by: GusA at July 24, 2007 5:02 PM
It's not my campaign, Gus... but thanks for your support.
(On Salmond, I wish him luck trying.)
Posted by: Manic at July 24, 2007 5:25 PM
Petition signed and email sent to Richard Caborn. He hasn't responded to previous emails I've sent via WriteToThem.com but we'll see what happens here.
Posted by: errorgorilla at August 6, 2007 5:22 PM
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