5 February 2010
Sala delle Colonne della Camera dei Deputati
in via Poli n°19 – Rome

Participants, after having heard personal testimonies and informed discussion, collectively declare their:

- Unequivocal condemnation regarding the recent forcible return of Hmong, Khmer Krom and Uyghur asylum seekers to countries where they are likely to face torture, unfair trials and the death penalty;

- Deep concern at the total disregard shown by the governments of the Kingdom of Cambodia, the Kingdom of Thailand, the Kyrgyz Republic, the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the Union of Myanmar and the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal to the principle of non-refoulement and the disturbing precedent this sets regionally and internationally;

- Dismay at the weak response of the international community to the forcible return of asylum seekers and discrediting of the work and mission of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR);

- Fear for the wellbeing of those asylum seekers who have been returned to the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and Lao People’s Democratic Republic (LPDR), in particular those whose whereabouts and well-being remain unknown and a cause for grave concern.

Consequently, participants call without delay for:

- The governments of Cambodia, Thailand, the Kingdom of Cambodia, the Kingdom of Thailand, the Kyrgyz Republic, the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the Union of Myanmar and the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal to respect their obligations under the 1951 Refugee Convention and halt any current and future refoulement of asylum seekers without the support of the UNHCR;

- The UNHCR to reverse its decision to transfer responsibilities for asylum seekers to government agencies until such agencies can guarantee observance of UNHCR practices and uphold the 1951 Refugee Convention and associated protocols;

- The PRC and LPDR authorities to allow international observers to freely assess the conditions of detention or settlement of those refugees placed in their custody and to allow such observers unfettered access to any associated legal proceedings;

- United Nations (UN) Member States to publicly voice their expressed commitment to the principle of non-refoulement, by supporting the work of the UNHCR, and assisting the governments of Cambodia and Thailand in the accommodation of asylum seekers.

- Lastly, we call on the Italian parliament to implement the decision to set up a special weekly human rights programme to be broadcast on public service television.