"They Gave Me $100 And Told Me To Fend For Myself": Why One Iraqi Deported From Britain Fears For His Life

By Kim Sengupta and Gaylan al-Ogaidy, Independent UK. Posted October 22, 2009.

Abu Yousif is back home, back to Baghdad, where his brother was murdered and where, he believes, the same fate awaits him in the hands of the vengeful killers.

Every day is spent living in fear that the gunmen will hunt him down. "They have not gone away from here. I am afraid of what could happen. I only sleep a little, and then I wake up and think, is this going to be my last day, wondering what is going to happen to my family," he says. "This is still a very dangerous place. People in England must realize that."

Mr. Yousif, a 39-year-old engineer, was one of 40 Iraqis thrown out of Britain, where they had sought asylum, because the Home Office decided that their homeland was now a safe place to live. It was the first time that a return to Baghdad had been attempted since the start of the Iraq war in 2003.

To the huge embarrassment of the British Government, 30 of the deportees were refused entry by the Iraqi officials and sent back. Ten others were taken off the plane with UK officials who promised that the local embassy would look after them. What actually happened, says Mr. Yousif, was that they were given $100 each and told to fend for themselves.

Human rights groups, churches and refugee charities have condemned the British authorities for insisting on the deportation to a place visited daily by murderous attacks. A spokesman for Amnesty International said: "Given the reports of killings, bombings and other human rights abuses that continue to come out of Baghdad, it is hard to comprehend that the UK Government considers it a safe place to return people."

Mr. Yousif has now been back in Baghdad for three days, most of which, he says, have been spent in a room at the house of a friend.

"I cannot go back to live at home because I am told that is being watched," he told The Independent yesterday. "I do not even like leaving the room at my friend's home because I am always nervous. I think that I will be at risk from these same people who killed my brother. I do not know how long I can stay with my friend -- he will be at risk as well. I keep a bag packed in case I have to move suddenly."

Mr. Yousif said that each of the detainees had two guards alongside them during the flight to Iraq. The atmosphere was fraught, with many of those being sent back in obvious distress.

Mr. Yousif and the others also received $45 each from immigration officials who said there was nothing more they could do. "I was wandering around, I felt lost. Then I got a taxi to my friend's place. Luckily he and his family were there and they took me in. The money is running out fast, and I am not sure how I will support myself."

Mr. Yousif met The Independent at a public location in central Baghdad, which he considered to be comparatively safe. His voice was strained as he described how his life had unravelled, his eyes darting around, trying to spot signs of danger. He had been convinced several times during the journey to the meeting that he was being followed.

Mr. Yousif has not seen his wife and two children or his parents for more than three years. They went into hiding after the death of his brother, Sabah, and it is safer for them, he felt, not to be with him.

The chain of violence which led to the murder of Sabah and Mr. Yousif fleeing Iraq began when he started working for an international company, Global, engaged in security work for the U.S. military and Iraqi ministries.

"I have a degree from the technical university here, but this was 2004 and it was very, very difficult to get jobs. Working for foreigners made you a target, but I needed the money to feed my family," he said. "I worked for them for two years, and then the terrorists must have found out about my job. I was sent an envelope with a bullet in it and a warning that I would be killed unless I stopped working for the company.

See more stories tagged with: iraq, baghdad, britain, security contractors, abu yousif

Liked this story? Get top stories in your inbox each week from AlterNet! Sign up now »