Holland to try asylum-seekers on war crimes charges
Regional-Netherlands, Politics, 8/5/1999

The Dutch authorities have submitted the files of some one hundred of political asylum seekers to the office of the attorney general in preparation for trying them for crimes "against humanity" which they allegedly committed in their original countries before they had escaped and sought asylum in Holland.

A Dutch official statement said those asylum-seekers are carrying nationalities of various countries including "Iraq, Afghanistan, Somalia, the former Yugoslavia and Iran."

Meanwhile residence licenses were withdraw from some 50 persons who were offered asylum for the same reasons. The Dutch statement justified the government's measure in the content of article one of Geneva convention, which excludes war criminals and those who committed crimes against humanity from obtaining protection and asylum in countries that signed the treaty.

This Dutch measure, however, came following numerous reports on the sneaking of senior leaders of militia members and army officers to Holland.

The Dutch justice establishment has spent one and a half years in rechecking files and investigating reports of human rights and the refugees organizations.

On the other hand, the new Dutch policy towards the refugees, which is characterized as being very tough, resulted in the escape of hundreds of asylum seekers from the temporary camps from the possibility of returning them back to Iraq.

Most of those who escaped headed through the land borders to Germany. Sources close to immigration departments in Holland estimate that some 30 asylum-seekers quit the camps every day.

Previous Stories:
  African anti-terrorism draft agreement   (3/30/1999)
  Italian Premier: Ocalan refused an Italian choice for asylum   (3/1/1999)
  Frachett: British asylum laws fine   (9/16/1998)
  Three Arab asylum-seekers in Britain under fire   (9/14/1998)

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