Sender:
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To:
Members of Parliament of the electoral district
Dear Ms M. P.
I am appealing to you on account of a very significant situation. Right now Mr Felix Otto, a refugee from Cameroun who has lived here for 9 years is languishing in the prison at Suhl-Goldlauter in Thüringen since 30th Marc h, 2009. He has been sentenced to eight months in prison. He has not committed any major crime. He had simply exercised his natural right to freedom of moveme nt. I ask you to please demand for his immediate release from prison and the abol ition of the residence obligation law.
Germany is the only country in Europe with the residence obligation law.
According to this law, refugees are restricted to the particular administra tive Districts where they are registered and irrespective of the reasons and urg ency, they can only leave there with a written permission issued by the foreigner s’ office. Any refugee who violates this restriction is either fined or sent t o prison or can be both fined and imprisoned. The fine could be as much as 2500euro and the jail term as much as one year.
When refugees ask for permission they are mostly refused arbitrarily by the foreigners’ office. Those refusing the permission are not obliged to give any reason for their refusal. Moreover, there is no provision for appealing suc h refusal except by going to the court, which makes mockery of any attempt to get permission in the first place. In some Districts, refugees who only get 40e uro a month have to pay 10euro for any permission. When permissions are refused a nd refugees are then compelled to violate the restriction, they are treated an d classified as criminals and sent to prison like Felix Otto.
Back to History
I would like you to recall that on 22nd August 1938, the National Socialist s through the Foreigners’ Police Order placed a very similar restriction of movement on foreigners in Germany. The consequence of a violation then like now was both a monetary fine and a possible one year jail term. Judging from th e similarities in language, fine and
consequences of the 1938 restriction and the Residence Obligation Law, there can only be little doubt that the restricti on placed on refugees today in Germany was simply paraphrased from the racist law enacted by the dreaded Nazi regime. It was a racist law then and so is the residence law now. It is time to abolish it and the relics of the
National Socialists.
For years refugees in Germany have fought to abolish the residence obligati on. They struggle against their persecution and criminalisation because the law contradicts the natural needs of human beings and violates their fundamenta l human rights. Rightly, refugees expose the discussion about integration as a discussion in pretence because of the deliberate exclusion and isolation of people through the residence obligation. Many refugees are completely seclu ded in wretched camps and have no opportunities to develop other than to endure a system of attrition and humiliation. Life in Lagers results in serious phys ical and mental depression of refugees. They want to put an end to this practice.
Refugees offer resistance against their stigmatization and criminalization by this law. Stop-and-search operations of the police are carried out because of appearance almost everywhere. That means for example that during stop-and-search operations in trains, all people who do not appear like whi te Germans are controlled with refugees without permission bearing the brunt.
The residence obligation emerged as German Law of Apartheid through the resistance of refugees against this inhumane and humiliating practice. Nobo dy with a conscience and sense of human dignity can tolerate such a law. The refugee resistance against this law in the form of civil disobedience and t he deliberate disregard of the invisible but ever
present border deserves all forms of solidarity and support as appreciation for this existential strugg le for the betterment of the whole society.
Therefore I appeal to you to introduce a Bill in the Lower House of German Parliament for the abolition of the residence obligation and amnesty for al l persons convicted of violating the residence obligation and possibly an indemnity for all such persons.
In expectation of your early reply
Sincerely