DENOUNCIATION OF AWO's CHEAP STRATEGY AGAINST THE ASYLUM SEEKERS

On july the 1st 2002, we the asylum seekers in the city of Rathenow, due to repressive and discriminative ways of control in our asylum home, have came together to denounce the abuses of our right of privacy.

But to our embarassement, we read in an article written by AWO and published in MAZ (Weshavelländer of 20-21 July), which refered to our letter as "malevolentely false" (Böswilig falsch), among other points;

• AWO and the Heimleitung therefor refuse to recognize us as the authors of the letter,
• According to the report of the Heimleitung, many asylum seekers signed a letter to deny their knowlegde of the content. Although, our criticism of AWO and the Heimleitung are well founded and can be verified. We tried two times to meet with the Heimleitung and discuss about the problems in the house, the last of which was done trough the Evangelical Church in Rathenow, but all our requests were rejected,
• AWO has no problem with the efficacy of their workers, the Heimleitung and the security guards in the house are qualified as far as the German Chamber of Commerce (IHK) is concerned.

"Until the Lions have their own poets, the poetry of hunting will be the glorification of the hunters".

We all stand to denounce firmly this statement of AWO and the Heimleitung.

What AWO and the Heimleitung mentionned as inquiry (Befragung) in the asylum home looks as follow:

The Heimleitung meet the inhabitants of the house in their rooms, address them in a menacing way, in German (a language most of us cannot speak), and threatened to take the asylum seekers to court if they still stand by their allegations.

We see such a strategy as INTIMIDATING. We want to remind the public opinion that, the application of duress on someone to obtain his/her consent is an inhuman act.

In this light, we the asylum seekers in the asylum home of Rathenow, would like to informe AWO and the Heimleitung that, we welcome their idea of taking the problem to court.

Thanks.

Rathenow, 09.08.02

Copies to:

• Head Office of AWO
• The Heimleitung (Rathenow)
• The District of Havelland
• The State of Brandenburg
• The German Parliament (Der BundestaG; Innen und Menschen Rechte)
• Churches
• International Human Right Organisations
• Amnesty International
• UNHCR
• The Media