NEW YORK CITY, United States – Human Rights Watch (HRW) called on Egypt to investigate the forced deportation of 30 Sudanese men and boys; 11 were granted refugee status by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.  One of the deportees is a 17 year old boy who was provisionally approved for resettlement in Canada.  Forced return to a country where an individual has a well-founded fear of persecution constitutes a breach under international refugee law.

Relatives of the deportees state that on April 19, Egyptian authorities deported 30 Sudanese men and boys to southern Sudan.  According to Egyptian authorities, these individuals were deported because it was suspected that they were a part of a Sudanese gang involved in a fight in early February.  However, family members of some of the deported told HRW that they were neither members of a gang nor present during the fighting.

Joe Stork, deputy Middle East and North Africa director at Human Rights Watch, said “Egyptian authorities need to conduct a credible and transparent investigation to determine whether their forced return amounts to serious abuse and ensure such violations never happen again.”

For more information, please see:

Sudan Tribune – Egypt Deports Southern Sudanese Refugees to Juba – 1 June 2008

AHN – Egypt Deports Sudanese Refugees, HWR Condemns Actions – 31 May 2008

HRW – Egypt: Investigate Forcible Return of Refugees to Sudan – 30 May 2008