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Rights Watch: Many Forced to Flee Iraq
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By SHAFIKA MATTAR
Associated Press Writer

May 11, 2003, 4:15 PM EDT

AMMAN, Jordan -- Refugees and other foreigners in Iraq -- mostly Palestinians -- have been fleeing to Jordan because of intimidation and attacks, the U.S.-based Human Rights Watch group said in a report released Sunday.

The international human rights group's 22-page report, which highlights abuses against Iraq's refugees, came as U.S. forces work with Iraqis to restore order following Saddam Hussein's ouster.

Amid rampant looting, vandalism and other crimes, landlords -- forced by Saddam to take in Palestinian tenants at discounted rates -- have been taking advantage of the chaos by evicting tenants or demanding unrealistic rental increases, the report said.

In other cases, armed groups have threatened foreigners to leave their homes or face violence.

Saddam was seen as a supporter of the Palestinians and their opposition to Israel's occupation of Arab lands. During the 1991 Gulf War, Iraqi forces fired Scud missiles at the Jewish state, drawing praise from Palestinians in the occupied territories.

Peter Bouckaert, a researcher for the group, said "the lack of security endangers everyone in Iraq, but refugees and other foreigners are especially vulnerable."

He criticized U.S.-led coalition forces for doing too little "to ensure the security of anyone in Iraq, let alone these vulnerable populations."

The group's report highlighted stories of Palestinian refugees, including Khairiyya Shafiq Ali and her family, who claim armed groups threatened to kill them if they didn't hand over $150.

They told her "Saddam is gone, you are nothing here. You own nothing in Iraq. If you want to leave, take only your clothes," according to Human Rights Watch.

Nazima Sulaiman, 50, fled Baghdad with her family after unknown attackers threw explosive devices into her house, killing an infant baby and injuring six others, including three of her children, the human rights group said.

Also, Iranian Kurds living in a refugee camp west of Baghdad fled to Jordan when police stopped guarding the camp, the group said.

The United Nations refugee agency says some 1,000 Iranian Kurds and 450 Palestinians who fled Baghdad are stranded in a no-man's-land between Jordan and Iraq.

Human Rights Watch criticized Jordanian authorities for not freely admitting the refugees.

"The Palestinians were forced to sign vaguely worded documents permitting their repatriation to Iraq, whereas Iranian refugees have been completely barred from entering Jordan," it said.

Copyright (c) 2003, The Associated Press

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This article originally appeared at:
http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-jordan-refugees,0,7493400.story

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