Strikers In Ireland Insist On Reviewing Asylum Claim
Joanna Wypior - All Headline News Staff Reporter
Dublin, Ireland (AHN) – A group of over 40 Afghans, who have been on a hunger strike since the weekend in the Irish capital Dublin, have agreed to give up their protest If an international body is allowed to review their asylum. Earlier, the asylum seekers have vowed to starve themselves to death unless they are allowed to remain in Ireland despite Irish Justice Minister Michael McDowell’s insistence that they cannot stay. Meanwhile, in a statement read to the men this afternoon, the Archbishops of Dublin and Armagh and the Dean of St Patrick's said they are deeply moved by the plight of the group but asked the men to end their protest before matters deteriorate further. “The ongoing protest by Afghan asylum seekers in St Patrick’s Cathedral, Dublin, is a cause of great concern to us,” they said in a statement. “We had hoped that Tuesday’s meeting between representatives of the asylum seekers and the Department of Justice officials or yesterday’s meeting with Mr Manuel Jordao, representing the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, would have resulted in the opening of dialogue that could have led to a resolution. “However, this was not so. As Christians, we are deeply moved by the humanitarian plight of this group, who have been on hunger strike since Sunday. “We fully acknowledge the extensive formal process that e |
