Effort to stop the deportation of a Yezidi family, settled for over ten years in Germany, back to the autocratic state of Syria,

Westerstede
As part of a last minute effort to stop the deportation of a Yezidi family, settled for over ten years in Germany, back to the autocratic state of Syria, the Central Council of Yezidis in Germany held a rally in the town of Westerstede, near Oldenburg, Lower Saxony on Wednesday 15th July 2009. The event, co-sponsored by the Society for Threatened Peoples (GfbV), had around 250 participants, including a group of GfbV staff from Göttingen.

Speakers at the rally included Theo Lampe of the Diakonie Oldenburg, a Christian social welfare organization; Dr. Kamal Sido of the GfbV Near Eastern Department; Hildegard Bocklage, the Daud family’s attorney; two sons of the Daud family, due to be deported on 16th July 2009; a Syrian torture victim; Gertrud Böhmer, representing a support group; and Ekkehard Hausin, an attorney from Oldenburg.

The speakers called upon the German federal government not to implement the agreement on the return of refugees between Germany and Syria signed by interior minister Wolfgang Schäuble and his Syrian counterpart, and not to deport Kurdish, Yezidi and Christian refugees back to Syria. As the rally proceeded, we received the good news that the family’s father Fauaz Daud, previously held pending his deportation, had been released from custody.

The rally concluded with an ending prayer from Yezidi chaplain Pir Dima.

"The demonstration was, to me, a very successful exercise in soliciting empathy and support. By having a tangible, narrow focus (the deportation of Yezidi families), concentrating on individual cases, and focusing on the human rights (and not political) aspect, the event effectively rallies support for the cause at hand. The speakers came from a wide range of organizations, from human rights groups to religious groups, showing a broad spectrum of solidarity. The mood of the event – solemn, respectful, yet full of hope and humanity, and distinctly devoid of anger – is very sympathetic and inspiring. I was especially touched by the little boy’s speech about why he wants his family to stay in Germany and not to get sent back to Syria. His plea of "Deutschland ist meine Heimat,” though simple, tugs hard at my heartstrings. Being able to see and talk to not just protesters but families, children, teenagers, parents, grandparents, not just a faceless mass but people with connections, hopes, fears and dreams lets observers like myself empathize and sympathize more with the cause and the people affected by it. Through out, we are constantly reminded of what I think the real message of the protest is: that we are not here to advocate for an abstract issue, but real people, real families, real children - our neighbours, our brothers and sisters.” – Pruittiporn Kerdchoochuen, GfbV intern and rally participant