We are writing in advance of the upcoming Article 36 Committee
meeting in Brussels, at which you will discuss the EU Network of contact points in respect of persons responsible for genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes (EU Network).

We are writing this public letter to commend your government’s principled stand in refusing to sign the Stabilization Association Agreement (SAA) with Serbia in the absence of its full cooperation with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY). We also appreciate your government’s clear definition of full cooperation with the Yugoslav tribunal: Serbia must hand over the remaining fugitives to the ICTY before the European Union (EU) will sign the SAA.

On behalf of Human Rights Watch, I am writing with regard to the existing moratorium on the deportation of gay and lesbian asylum-seekers to Iran--and to urge you in the strongest possible terms not to resume such deportations.

On behalf of Human Rights Watch, I am writing to protest your proposal to lift the existing moratorium on the deportation of gay and lesbian asylum seekers to Iran--and to object in the strongest possible terms to any actual resumption of expulsions of gay and lesbian asylum seekers to Iran.

I am writing on behalf of Human Rights Watch (HRW) regarding the case of Nuriye Kesbir. Ms. Kesbir’s lawyers informed us in November that your ministry appealed the Hague District Court Decision of November 8, 2004. Subsequently, Ms. Kesbir’s lawyers provided us with a copy of the November 18, 2004 letter to you from the Turkish Embassy in the Netherlands. In that letter, the Turkish government provides an additional assurance that Ms. Kesbir will be brought before a judge upon arrival in Turkey if she is indeed extradited.

I am writing on behalf of Human Rights Watch (HRW) regarding the case of Nuriye Kesbir. Ms. Kesbir’s lawyers have provided us with a copy of the September 7, 2004 decision in which you authorize Ms. Kesbir’s extradition to Turkey. Human Rights Watch is deeply disturbed that this decision apparently was taken with no regard for the human rights considerations detailed in our letter to you of May 24, 2004, in which we argue that extraditing Ms. Kesbir to Turkey puts her at real risk of torture and ill-treatment. Moreover, our letter detailed the problems inherent in relying on diplomatic assurances from the Turkish authorities that Ms. Kesbir will not be so ill-treated upon return. Human Rights Watch has not received an official response to that letter and we respectfully request that you provide one as a matter of urgency and for the record.

Human Rights Watch writes as a matter of urgency regarding the case of Nuriye Kesbir and the real risk of torture and ill-treatment she will face upon return to Turkey if extradited by the government of the Netherlands. We are also deeply concerned about the Dutch authorities’ growing reliance upon diplomatic assurances to extradite people to countries where they are at risk of torture or ill-treatment. In the case of Nuriye Kesbir, any assurances given by the Turkish authorities that Ms. Kesbir would not be tortured or ill-treated, and that she would have a fair trial upon return, would not be reliable, particularly in light of Turkey’s failure to adequately monitor those responsible for complying with legal safeguards against torture and the authorities’ past record in cases where such guarantees have been at issue.

Dear Minister Verdonk,

Human Rights Watch is writing to express deep concern regarding current Dutch proposals to deport thousands of failed asylum seekers. We understand that approximately 2,300 asylum seekers will be granted status under an amnesty program, and that approximately 26,000 failed asylum seekers will no longer be eligible for community-based social assistance and will be deported or otherwise returned within the next three years.