Students Demand Return of Family Facing Deportation to Iraq

A well-integrated Yazidi family from Brandenburg is facing deportation to Iraq. In a show of solidarity, three students from a sixth-grade class have taken their concerns to the regional parliament, advocating for the family's return.

The students presented a petition to Ulrike Liedtke, the President of the Landtag, along with a protest letter. The letter implores the authorities to take immediate action, stating that the family's future rests in their hands. The petition on Change.org has garnered over 35,000 signatures, highlighting widespread support for the family's cause.

President Liedtke expressed her bewilderment over the deportation, assuring the students that the Landtag would thoroughly examine the issue. She emphasized the need for a careful evaluation of individual cases, suggesting that exceptions to deportation could be considered.

The family, consisting of four minor children, had lived in Lychen, a town in the Uckermark district, for several years before their deportation on July 22. On that same day, the Potsdam Administrative Court had temporarily lifted the family's deportation order due to an emergency petition, but the deportation had already taken place.

Recently, the court dismissed the family's appeal against the rejection of their asylum application from 2023. It remains uncertain whether their lawyer will pursue a further appeal, and the decision regarding an emergency petition against the deportation is still pending.

The Yazidis are a religious minority who have faced persecution, with the German Bundestag recognizing the atrocities committed by ISIS against them as genocide in 2014.

The family's deportation has drawn criticism from various political parties, including the Greens and the Left, as well as refugee organizations. The students' protest letter articulated their fears for the family, stating that they have survived genocide and now face grave dangers upon their return to Iraq.

One of the students, Emil, who authored the petition, expressed his dismay at the deportation, particularly missing his classmate, Maatz, with whom he used to play football. He remarked on the unjust nature of their removal.

The family had made significant efforts to integrate, with the younger children speaking German better than their native language.

Emotional responses emerged from the community, exemplified by the mother of one of the classmates, who described the family as friends and neighbors rather than mere refugees. She recounted the profound impact of the deportation, which abruptly changed their lives.

Currently, the family is staying with relatives in Iraq. Brandenburg's Prime Minister, Dietmar Woidke, has promised a critical review of the case while acknowledging the necessity of adhering to the court's ruling.