The Ministry of Justice must lift the travel restrictions on Yemeni asylum seekers who fled civil war and sought asylum in Korea and fulfill its duty to guarantee their livelihoods.
Amid the devastation of the civil war that began in March 2015, more than 190,000 Yemeni nationals, who urgently need humanitarian protection and treatment internationally, have fled their country, and some of them have come to Korea. The refugees who lawfully applied for asylum to the Korean government, accompanied by families that include young children, have literally been left neglected amid the Ministry of Justice’s institutional and policy gaps. Many spent all their savings to find a place to sleep in hotels but are soon to be evicted, and with no money in hand and no jobs available to them, there is no plan whatsoever for their livelihood or housing, while refugee status screening is delayed with no end in sight.
In the current urgent situation, unprecedented since the start of Korea’s refugee system, the Ministry of Justice, which should take responsibility by actively and proactively seeking the protective measures possible under the system, has instead shown a complacent attitude. In addition, it has taken a discriminatory measure that restricts the residence of those who apply for asylum in the Jeju region to Jeju Island alone, in effect confining them within the island and blocking their way to find means of livelihood on their own, and in this way it has pushed them toward death. Last year’s budget for living expenses was at a level that could cover only 3.27% of all applicants as of the end of 2017. Protecting the rights of asylum seekers is an obligation under international law that the government has promised to fulfill, yet the government has not protected asylum seekers’ right to survive and has abandoned the lives of the remaining 12,858 people. On top of this, we suspect that the government, having tied the feet of the Yemenis to Jeju Island, is pushing Yemeni asylum seekers to extreme circumstances in order to drive them out indirectly and bring about their return.
Furthermore, the Ministry of Justice, which had maintained silence until then, even added Yemen on June 1 to the list of countries whose nationals are denied visa-free entry to Jeju. The Ministry’s move to exclude Yemeni nationals from visa-free entry at this point, without reviewing the objective circumstances or presenting a fundamental alternative, clearly violates the values of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Refugee Convention. The Ministry also actively used the expression “constant likelihood of abuse” as the reason for this measure. This is a despicable act that distorts the urgent situation of Yemeni refugees and shifts the blame for its own abandonment of responsibility onto the refugees.
The Korean government, which is irresponsible in protecting refugees and quick in blocking them, must no longer confine and neglect refugees on Jeju Island and must operate a refugee system that conforms to international standards. If the government’s lack of measures continues as it is, we make clear that the humanitarian crisis of refugees in Jeju, which will undoubtedly occur within as little as a week or as long as several months, will be entirely the government’s responsibility. Without the human rights of refugees, Korea can never move toward an equal society. We make the following demands.
1. The Ministry of Justice must lift the restrictions on the range of activity of asylum seekers in the Jeju region and guarantee asylum seekers’ right to survive!
2. The Ministry of Justice must clearly state the grounds and its position on the ban on visa-free entry for Yemeni nationals!
June 8, 2018
공익법센터 어필, 공익변호사와함께하는 동행, 공익인권법재단 공감, 난민인권센터, 사단법인 피난처, 아시아의친구들, 아시아평화를향한이주 MAP, 에코팜므, 이주민센터 친구, 이주민지원공익센터 감동, 제주다크투어, 제주평화인권연구소 왓, 천주교제주교구이주사목센터
외국인이주·노동운동협의회
(사)지구촌사랑나눔중국동포의집,(사)한국이주민건강협회희망의친구들
,남양주샬롬의집,부천이주노동복지센터,서울외국인노동자센터(사)외국인노동자와함께,아산외국인노동자센터,아시아인권문화연대,외국인이주노동자인권을위한모임,용인이주노동자쉼터,의정부EXODUS,인천외국인노동자센터,파주샬롬의집,포천나눔의집,한국이주여성인권센터
이주노동자 차별철폐와 인권 노동권 실현을 위한 공동행동
건강권실현을위한보건의료단체연합, 경기이주공대위, 공익인권법재단 공감, 구속노동자후원회, 노동당, 노동사회과학연구소, 노동전선, 노동자연대, 녹색당소수자인권특별위원회, 대한불교조계종사회노동위원회, 문화연대, 민주사회를위한변호사모임노동위원회, 민주주의법학연구회, 민주화를위한전국교수협의회, (사)한국불교종단협의회인권위원회, 사회변혁노동자당, 사회진보연대, 서울경인이주노동자노동조합(MTU), 아시아의창, 이주노동희망센터, 이주노동자운동후원회, 이주민방송(MWTV), 전국민주노동조합총연맹, 전국불안정노동철폐연대, 전국빈민연합, 전국철거민연합, 전국학생행진, 지구인의정류장, 천주교인권위원회, 필리핀공동체카사마코, 한국비정규노동센터, 한국이주인권센터
이주인권연대
경산이주노동자센터, 경주이주노동자센터, 이주민과 함께, 아시아의 창, 안산이주민센터, 양산외국인노동자의 집, 울산이주민센터, 이주민노동인권센터, 지구인의 정류장, 천안 모이세, 한국이주인권센터
제주지역 인권단체 연석회의
제주여성인권연대, 제주평화인권센터, 제주장애인인권포럼, 제주DPI, 제주대학교 장애인권위원회, 제주도장애인부모회