Iraqis end Place Clairefontaine hunger strike

(ADW) After 21 days, the three remaining Iraqi demonstrators have ended their hunger strike. The reason: Immigration Minister's announcement on Thursday morning that the Iraqis would be heard within the next eleven weeks.

Nicolas Schmit stated in his reply to a parliamentary question, from "Déi lénk" MP André Hoffmann, that between September 22 and December 8 the 37 Iraqis concerned in the protest, could expect a hearing with the immigration authorities.

The asylum applications would be subject to detailed examination, a decision would not be likely until the spring of 2012 at the latest.

Nicolas Schmit was also optimistic that with the temporary appointment of six additional employees to deal with more than a year of backlog cases, the process could be accelerated: As of August 31 out of 996 applications for asylum, only 400 had been heard.

Schmit pleas for immediate settlement for hunger strikers

Finally, the Minister asked the Iraqis to end their hunger strike in the interest of their own physical and mental health. They will now receive concrete information regarding their hearing date.

The three remaining protesters, who had been living in tents since September 1 on the Place Clairefontaine open to the elements, ended their strike on Thursday afternoon. However refused food donations offered to them.