DUSHANBE, October 28, 2008, Asia-Plus — On Monday October 27, Afghan national, Mr. Muhammad Wazir, who has a status of refugee, started an indefinite hunger in front of the building of the UNDP Office in Dushanbe.
According to Muhammad Wazir, he went on the hunger strike in protest against inaction of the UNCHR Dushanbe Office on solving the fate of his family.
Mr. Wazir said that he had served with the Kunduz police department, northern Afghanistan. “I had detained the leader of one of local terrorist rings three times, however, every time, he had been released due to his relatives,” said Wazir, “Last spring, because of constant threats from the mentioned ringleader and his confederates my family and me were forced to flee the country and apply for asylum to the Tajik authorities”
According to him, he has repeatedly applied to the UN agencies active in Tajikistan for assistance with sending him and his family to the third country, because it is unsafe for him and his family to stay in Tajikistan. “I have facts confirming this,” said Wazir, “However, instead of providing assistance, the UN officials ask Tajik authorities to send me back to Afghanistan.”
He is in Dushanbe with his wife and five children. According to him, his family is now in a very hard economic condition. According to him, he has not worked since April. “Besides, my wife and two children are ill,” Wazir said
“Yesterday morning, two employees of the UNCHR Dushanbe Office came and asked me to stop the hunger strike, promising to settle the situation. But I do not believe these promises,” he said.
In the meantime, commenting on this situation, Mr. Ilya Todorovic, Head of the UNCHR Office in Tajikistan, said that he met with Muhammad Wazir yesterday. “We offered financial support to him and his family and medical aid to his children,” said Mr. Todorovic, “However, he refused, noting that he will continue the hunger strike.”
“We will try to settle the situation and provide financial support to his family in the framework of our projects,” Mr. Todorovic said.
According to him, 1001 people have applied to the UNCHR Dushanbe Office over the first nine months of this year. Some 99 percent of them are Afghan nationals.
