CPTnet
21 March 2006

IRAQ: Christian Peacemaker Teams accompanies Palestinians fleeing Baghdad

Eighty-eight Palestinian Iraqis, including forty two children, have been
camping on open ground in the "no man's land" between the borders of Jordan
and Iraq since Sunday, 19 March 2006. Seeking refuge in Jordan, they left
their homes and jobs in Baghdad, arriving at the border Saturday evening, 18
March. Two members of Christian Peacemaker Team in Baghdad accompanied
them. Jordanian border officials refused them entry, demanding that they
return to Iraq.

"Life was miserable there," said Hameed*, a leader of this group of
Palestinian refugees. Another man added, "Many men from our [Palestinian]
community are killed every day. They kidnap and take our men, then cut their
eyes out or their hands off or burn their bodies with chemicals. Later their
bodies are found along the road. Last week one man was up in the night
repairing a generator outside when men took him, cut off his head and threw
it back into our compound. We don't know who does this. We are peaceful
people and don't belong to any political parties in Iraq."

The U.N. High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) has been alerted. UNHCR is
working with Jordanian officials concerning the situation of the
Palestinians seeking entry.

When asked why he would risk losing everything to flee for the border of a
nation who might not let him enter, one man said, "I don't care about my
life. I just want a life for my children."

*name changed for his protection