Und wieder stehen die Menschen von Empathie und Einheit vor dem SEM. Die abgewiesenen Iraner*innen kämpfen für Schutz und eine Perspektive in der Schweiz. Sie protestieren dagegen, dass das SEM die Menschenrechtslage im Iran verkennt und sie hier seit Jahren als abgewiesene Geflüchtete ohne Rechte verharren müssen.
Die Menschen sind aus der ganzen Schweiz gekommen. Aus Genf, Thurgau oder aus Graubünden – aus Camps in denen es nicht einmal das Nothilfegeld als Auszahlung gibt, sondern ein kleiner Laden im Camp, in dem Lebensmittel zur Verfügung stehen. Eine kleine Auswahl, für einen kleinen Betrag Geld. Die Wegnahme aller Selbstbestimmung.
Empathie und Einheit kritisiert erneut die schweizerischen Behörden und deren Beurteilung der Lage in Iran. Denn die Repression und die Menschenrechtslage im Iran sind nicht nur seit der Jin Jian Azadi Revolution dramatisch. Darauf weisen internationale Organisationen seit Jahren hin. Das SEM jedoch beruft sich bei seinen Begründungen der negativen Antworten auf Asylgesuche auf Standartargumente. Obwohl die Hinrichtungen im Iran zunehmen, die Lage gegen politisch Aktive gegen das Mullah Regime schlecht, die Lage der Frauen, Queers und Minderheiten dramatisch.
Die Antwort des SEM auf den Brief, den die Gruppe Empathie und Einheit dem SEM beim zweiten Protest übergeben hat, zeigt die Empathielosigkeit der Behörde. Sie verwenden Worthülsen und spielen Ping-Pong: Für die Lage in den Asylcamps macht sie die Kantone verantwortlich und wenn sie die negativen Entscheide anfechten wollen, können sich die Personen ja ans Bundesverwaltungsgericht wenden. Dass das SEM durchaus Handlungsspielraum hat und für Menschen aus dem Iran B-Bewilligung für politische Flüchtlinge ausstellen könnte, wird im Brief in keinem Moment erwähnt. Auch nicht, dass die abgewiesenen Personen nun seit Jahren in der Nothilfe verharren müssen
Die heutigen Reden über die Lage im Iran und in der Schweiz bringen diese Heuchelei mit Klarheit auf den Punkt. Hier eine Rede einer Frau der Gruppe von Empathie und Einheit:
“Being a Woman: An Endless Struggle, from Iran to Asylum”
Hello,
My name doesn’t matter, because there are thousands of women like me whose names are never heard. I am their voice. The voice of women in my country, Iran, who are punished simply for being women.
In Iran, we’ve seen with our own eyes how a single strand of hair can become a reason for death. We’ve seen how saying “no” to compulsory hijab can mean prison, torture, or even execution. We grew up in fear. In suppression. We learned to stay silent—even when we were being suffocated.
I come from a country where being a woman can feel like a crime. In Iran, women are denied the right to choose their clothes, to travel freely, and sometimes even the right to live a normal life. We have to fight for the simplest things—for the right to work, to study, and even to say “no.”
I am one of those women. Women who fall asleep crying and wake up terrified. Women who, instead of raising their hands to reach for dreams, had to use them to shield against a father’s slap, a brother’s threat, or the government’s weapon.
When I decided to run away, I thought freedom was ahead. I thought that in a free country, I could finally breathe. But being a refugee is a whole other kind of pain. Exile, uncertainty, sleepless nights, loneliness, and the constant fear of rejection – this is the daily reality of a refugee.
But the life of a refugee is not truly a life. Waiting. Humiliation. Being invisible. It slowly eats you from the inside. We’re not just looking for bread and shelter — we’re searching for a safe corner where we can simply breathe.
Here, in a country that they say is the freest place in the world, they say that I have to prove that I am in danger… but how should mental pain and hidden wounds be written down on paper?
I’m here because I had no other choice. Staying would have meant destruction – not just of my body, but of my soul. I’m not looking for comfort, I’m looking for life, for the right to choose, for the chance to grow.
I want to be the voice of women who have no voice. I want to tell you: refugees are not here to steal your peace. We are people who have lost everything. If you can understand us, if you can see us, we can become a healthy, contributing part of your society.
Thank you for hearing the voice of us, the women of Iran.
Rede von Hana Human Rights
We, as Hana Human Rights Organization, which monitors and documents human rights violations in Iranian Kurdistan, stand before you today to be the voice of those who, after enduring great danger and hardship, have sought refuge in your country with the hope of safety, dignity, and the right to life.
Regrettably, a significant number of Iranian asylum seekers are facing inflexible and unjust decisions during the processing of their asylum cases. In many instances, these decisions are made without a thorough and individualized assessment of the real circumstances and the dangers these individuals would face if returned to their country.
The Islamic Republic of Iran is a country where gross human rights violations—including arbitrary arrests, torture, executions, suppression of freedom of expression and religion, and persecution of minorities—are widespread. Many of these asylum seekers are victims of such conditions; human beings who simply seek a safe, free, and dignified life.
According to Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights and the principle of non-refoulement, which is also enshrined in the 1951 Refugee Convention and Article 3 of the Convention Against Torture, no person should be returned to a country where they face a risk of torture, inhuman treatment, or threats to their life And no person in any country should be treated inhumanely.
Rejecting the asylum claims of these individuals without thoroughly reviewing the real basis of the threats they face amounts to a violation of Switzerland’s international obligations and a breach of fundamental human rights principles. We urge you to consider not only national laws in your decision-making but also universal human rights principles, ethics, and humanitarian responsibility.
Switzerland has long been known as a defender of human rights and justice. Today, all eyes are on your actions. Your decisions will not only aTect the fate of asylum seekers but also send a clear message regarding Switzerland’s commitment to human and international values.
We call for a fair, thorough, and individualized review of Iranian asylum cases. Do not allow suTering, despair, and helplessness to replace the hope these individuals brought with them to your country.
We are grateful for your attention to this voice and for taking responsible action to protect human dignity and lives.
