Human rights violation

After the failure of the UNHCR to stop me from continuing my mission with threats, they thought about using my situation as illegal resident in Lebanon against me. Some days before 30/9/2002 I saw an announcement on the notice board out side the UNHCR office in Beirut, to invite me for a meeting with UNHCR. That was one of the systems that UNHCR used to contact the refugees in Lebanon. I went to the office of UNHCR in Beirut early at morning of Monday 30/9/2002.

I met Mrs. Jorget and she led me inside the office. Every thing was normal. I waited for more than one hour in the reception. Then Mrs. Jorget led me to a room where I met Mrs. Halla; she was the one who met me for the resettlement interview before one month.

After I stetted down she start by asking me about whether me who contacted the Embassies with Emails? I answered her, "Yeas, I contact the embassies inside and outside Lebanon as one part of my campaigns" then she asked me to stop doing that for my benefits. I refused to stop my campaigns. Then she started to explain that work is dangerous for my safety and I'm must stop. Again I refused to stop my campaigns, in that point. Here she starts to explain that the UNHCR isn't able to help me if the police arrest me. Here I understand that they arranged some thing for me special they threatened me before. Honestly I got little nervous and we argued for a while, then I left the office after I refused completely to stop my campaigns.

I like to explain for you what Mrs. Halla meant by embassies. As my mission depend completely on Internet, so I have many systems that I used to contact different people, I had many lists of emails belong to different people working with matters related to refugees or human rights. One of my lists is for embassies belong to countries having resettlement programs or who support the UNHCR, inside and outside Lebanon. I thought that I have the right to contact those people and to tell about our situation as refugees, but apparently the UNHCR didn't like that much, so they asked me to stop!

After the meeting with Mrs. Halla I walked out the Office of UNHCR but at the main door there was 3 men among the other refugees. Directly after I put my food outside the office, the three men surrounded me and gripped my hands. They told me that the officer wants to speak with me. Then directly they took me to a civilian car where they handcuffed me and they interred me in side the care. All that happened in minutes. They all where in civilian cloths and they had small guns in their belts, but only one had big gun. I noticed that the car had official license plate belongs to general security.

They drove me to a building belong for general security forces (Lebanese police). Then they led me into office of one officer (I don't know his name) but he looked like he was the chief. He started by asking me about my emails that I sent out through the Internet, and he showed me some of my emails typed on paper. I admitted that I'm who sent these messages and I explained every thing about, my situation, my mission and my problem with UNHCR. I explained that I don't have problems with the government of Lebanon and all my activities on the Internet are for improving our situation as refugees in Lebanon and the rest of the world.

I didn't hide any thing about me so the officer show some sympathy with my case and he told me he will help me if I agree to stop contacting people inside Lebanon with emails or speaking some thing bad about Lebanon. I agreed on that. They wrote a formal report about me, I signed that report and I signed a residential declaration. Then I led them to my place where I live, where they released me.

The officer didn't accused me of any thing but he told me that I made some problem by sending a lot of messages and maybe that will harm the reputation of Lebanon. It was clear that the UNHCR stetted up all that by invited me to the office and then they called the police to arrest me in the main door of the UNHCR office in Beirut. I was illegal resident in Lebanon and arresting me means that I must be deported outside Lebanon and that means big danger for my life if they'll depart me to Iraq. But the office showed sympathy with me because of the hardship that I faced in my life and my honesty.

After that incident I continued my life normally, but I stopped sending message to Emails in Lebanon and I continued to send my messages into the rest of the world. But the UNHCR wasn't happy about that. After nearly one month from my arresting, I returned to my place at night. One of my neighbors told me that the police came here and they asked every one about me. He told me that 2 cars full of policemen with 2 officers of high rank came and the searched form me and they gave the owner of the place their phone number to contact them if he'll see me!

I understood the situation so I left fast my place and I changed my resident place to avoid arresting, because I was sure this time the UNHCR worked with high level of the Lebanese authority to stop me from continuing my mission. I was sure that UNHCR will do any thing to stop me, the number of policemen who came to arrest me was frightening therefore I decided to hid myself some where in Lebanon for my safety.

I considered that a very severe human right violation and abuse using for the information that I submitted in my application (my file) for refugee statue with UNHCR. Until today and after more than one year, I feel big fear from persecution of UNHCR, it was a clear attempt to kill me by using the law of Lebanon against me, and that stopping me from return to my country (IRAQ) because I'm still think that the UNHCR will try again to stop me by different ways like what they tried before with me in Lebanon, special I told them about the address of my family's house in Iraq!!!

Now I'm hiding myself some where in Lebanon, that helping me to stay safe and to continue my mission. I'll stay in that situation until I'll be sure that UNHCR stop their attempts to silence me and preventing me from continuing my mission. I feel that I have the right to speak my opinions and to work according my beliefs as human being. I feel that I have the right to critic the procedures and the policies of the UNHCR to improve its performance and to improve the situation of the refugees around the world.

I now feel desperately that the injustice of UNHCR has replaced fear of Saddam's reprisals inside me. I left Iraq because I feared prosecution by Saddam's regime, now I can't go to my home in Iraq because of my fear of brutality caused, directly or indirectly through the oppression of UNHCR and from what they tried to do which hurt me here in Lebanon. I was victim of Saddam now I’m a victim of the UNHCR instead.

I'll continue my mission under my slogan:

Justice brings peace, freedom brings democracy

understanding is the way

Notice the policeman behind me (in the red circle), he came toward me but I left before he reached me while I was picturing the office of UNHCR!!!