Communication 344/07 – George Iyanyori Kajikabi v. The Arab Republic of Egypt
Summary of the Complaint
1.
The Secretariat of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (the
Secretariat) received the Complaint from Interights (The International Centre
for the Legal Protection of Human Rights) and Ashraf Ruxi (the Complainants),
on behalf of George Iyanyori and seven other Victims against the Arab
Republic of Egypt (Respondent State).
2.
The Complainants allege that on 29 December 2005, a group of about 2,500
Sudanese nationals in Egypt were on a sit-in demonstration within the Mustafa
Mahmoud Park close to the offices of the United Nations High Commissioner
for Refugees (UNHCR) in Cairo. The Sudanese nationals had been on a sit-in
demonstration for three months, since September 2005, in support of a series
of demands from the UNHCR.1
3.
The Complainants state that the number of protesters had gradually increased
over the three-month period. The Complainants further state that the group
consisted of asylum seekers, card carrying refugees and undocumented
persons whose status in Egypt was yet to be determined. The Complainants
aver that the protesters had gathered in support of a series of demands from
the UNHCR on which, despite negotiations held on 29 September and 17
December 2005, there had been no agreement.
The demands included 1) a rejection of voluntary return; 2) a rejection of local integration; 3) rejection of
the arbitrary detention of Sudanese refugees without change; 4) rejection of unfair standards in the
UNHCR’s treatment of Sudanese refugees; 5) demanding an end to discrimination against Sudanese
refugees; 6) demand to reopen all closed cases concerning Sudanese refugees; 7) demand that Sudanese
refugees be dealt with as individuals and not as groups; 8) demand not to authorize associations or groups
to speak on behalf of Sudanese refugees; 9) not to apply the provisions of the Four Freedoms Agreement
to Sudanese refugees; 10) to protect Sudanese refugees who are members of the Sudanese ruling party; 11)
to register new asylum applications as soon as they arrive; 12) to search for missing Sudanese refugees; 13)
to withdraw the military build-up around the UNHCR office in Cairo; 14) to give aid from donor
organisations to Sudanese refugees without discrimination; 15) to raise the awareness of the police and
security forces in host countries of all laws concerning Sudanese refugees; 16) to take care of the elderly
and unaccompanied women and children; 17) to respond to all complaints made by Sudanese refugees; 18)
to not allow Sudanese refugees to be provoked by Staff at the UNHCR office in Cairo; 19) to interview,
settle refugees and reopen closed files and to expedite procedures once they have been settled; and 20) to
find a radical solution for all Sudanese refugees or send them to other countries.
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