AN OPEN LETTER TO THE AUTHORITIES IN THE COUNTY OF HAVELLAND.

The County Commisioner,
Members of the different Political Parties,
Respectfull Ladies and Gentlemen.

It is with much pains that we, the asylum seekers in Rathenow are writing this letter to demonstrate our total denial to go to " Alt Brieselang".

Referring to our Memorandum of the 26th of April 2000, we said," As it has been seen, most of our asylum prisons are found in forests. Many people always asked why is it that most of the aylum seekers live mostly at the outskirts of the town? To those who cannot ask, they have built it in their minds that we are good for the forest with the animals. When they see us in town, it is an embarrasment. They point fingers at us, they look us with racist eyes and they attack us...".

From our above quotation, we were showing some of the causes of the negative effect on the minds of some Germans about us that even create the racist attitude. It is rather unfortunate that our writings have been falling on deaf ears.

Respectable Ladies and Gentlemen, may it be known to you that one of the greatest desires of each and every human being is to live happily. The Americans realised this basic right during the declaration of the American Independence on the 4th of July 1776 and said," We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain equal, unalienable rights; that among these are,Life, Liberty and the persuit of Happiness". This declaration gave path to the logical argument that incooporated the asylum law to the 10 of December 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the 28th of July 1951 Convention in Geneva, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights of 12 December 1966 which was ratified by Germany on 17th December 1973, which guaranteed the recognition of Human Rights on 7th of March 1966, the International Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Racial Discrimination was signed, Germany ratified it on 16th May 1969. The United Nation Convention Against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment of 10th December 1984, Germany ratified it on 1st October 1990.

We wish to appeal to you that taking us into the forest is cruel, a form of torture, discrimination by form of isolation and in short disrespecting our Human Rights. You have to keep us in a place where we can forget our stress in our various Countries. When we are in these isolated homes, we remember our brothers, sisters and friends. To forget our problems a little, we have to live with people, talk to people and interact with people. We appeal to the fact that you should reconsider your decision.

Thank you very much for your cooperation.

Rathenow, 7th Oct. 2000.

Copies to:

• The County Commisioner Havelland
• The Mayor of Rathenow
• Different Political Parties
• R.A.A. Rathenow
• The Churches
• Flüchtlingsrat Brandenburg
• Opferperspektive
• Tolerantes Brandenburg
• The Media
• The Commisioner of Foreigners in Havelland.