Six Iranian asylum-seekers in Regensburg, Germany have begun a hunger strike to protest their undetermined refugee status, following several protests in southern German cities in connection with the refugee process.
The website for the German newspaper Idowa reported on July 12 that six Iranian asylum-seekers had begun a hunger strike in their shared home in a protest against the long delay in processing their refugee status.
The asylum-seekers have reportedly camped in one of the city’s central squares and have announced that they will remain there to draw attention to “inhumane laws” and “the intolerable conditions of the asylum process.”
They seek an end to the group homes and pack food given to asylum seekers and instead demand the right to travel and work. They are also calling for an expedited refugee process with a guarantee of no deportation.
The asylum-seekers left Iran months ago and are now living in asylum camps.
In June, another four Iranian refugee claimants sewed their lips together in Würzburg, another southern German city, and begun a hunger strike to protest their undetermined asylum status.
A number of refugee defenders have criticized the move, but a spokesman for the Iranian refugee claimants says they are hoping to produce a “wave of protests” in the State of Bayern and bring attention to their problems.
Demonstrations have been staged in a number of German cities in connection with the same issue, and reports indicate that similar demonstrations are being prepared in Nuremberg for the weekend.
Following the controversial Iranian elections of 2009 and the widespread government crackdown on election challengers, many Iranians fled the country, seeking asylum in various countries including Germany.
