BRUSSELS, Belgium - Forced from their Baghdad home by sectarian violence, an Iraqi Christian couple in their 70s have spent the past two years bounced between detention centers in Greece and Belgium, terrified of being forced back to
Iraq.
Their odyssey underscores the plight of thousands of Iraqi Christians denied refuge in Europe while
European Union nations argue over who is responsible to help them.
Many are caught in a legal limbo. With the notable exception of Sweden, Western governments — wary of letting in a seemingly never-ending stream of refugees from various countries — are not prepared to accept large numbers of Iraqis. But the Christians say returning to Iraq is tantamount to a death sentence.
"People are being ping-ponged around Europe all the time, and more and more are being detained," said Judith Kumin, the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees' regional representative in Brussels.
The fate of people like the Iraqi couple, given the pseudonyms Abel and Leah by the
2007-06-12
01:40:32
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