Actions and campaigns against Residency Obligation
State Abuses of Freedom and Democracy in Germany:
PEOPLE UNDER DISTRICT ARREST!
Challenges of the campaign and the struggle of The VOICE Refugee Forum against the Residency Obligation....
http://www.thevoiceforum.org/free-demo

FORST FILM TOUR – Menschen in Landkreishaft!
In 5 Städte vom 10. bis zum 28. Mai in Thüringen

RNN (Refugee News Network) ■ Eine neue Initiative im regionalen Thüringer Kampagnen-netzwerk für die Abschaffung der Residenzpflicht wird im Mai 2005 seine Aktivitäten mit der FORST FILM TOUR in Zusammenarbeit mit The VOICE Refugee Forum einleiten. Die neue regionale Initiative für die Abschaffung der Residenzpflicht wurde von selbstorganisierten StudentInnen und jugendlichen AktivistInnen ins Leben gerufen.
Die FORST FILM TOUR findet vom 10. bis zum 28. Mai in Jena, Arnstadt, Eisenberg, Erfurt und Weimar statt. Gezeigt wird der Film “Forst”, der auf dem Filmfestival in Graz/ Österreich „diagonal05“ den Preis für den besten Dokumentarfilm erhielt.

Der Film „Forst”

Der Film „Forst” ist kritische Medienkunst in seiner Herausforderung der Solidarität mit dem Kampf der Flüchtlinge und gegen die Ausgrenzung von Flüchtlingen aus der Gesellschaft. “Forst” ist ein Kunstwerk, das sowohl avantgardistisch als auch stark reflexiv ist. Die Überle-gungen, Aussagen, Monologe und Dialoge der Flüchtlinge ohne, dass man sie im Film sieht enthüllen die Zeichen ihrer unsichtbaren Realität. Der Kampf der Flüchtlinge und ihr Protest gegen Isolation und Ausgrenzung in den Wäldern werden dargestellt, um ihren täglichen mu-tigen Widerstand zu verstehen. Der Film wurde innerhalb und in der Umgebung der ehemali-gen “Aufnahmezentren” Jena-Forst und Tambach-Dietharz im Thüringer Wald gedreht. Dis-kussionen sowie Informationen zum Kampagnennetzwerk ergänzen die Tour. Alle sind herz-lich willkommen! (more information at:http://www.forstfilm.com

Warum eine Kampagne dringend notwendig ist.........

Flüchtlinge und AsylbewerberInnen sind in Deutschland diskriminierenden Menschenrechts-verletzungen auf der Grundlage so genannter legaler Standards ausgesetzt. Diese Standards genügen jedoch bei weitem nicht denjenigen, die in der Internationalen Menschenrechtscharta der Genfer Konventionen festgelegt sind. Die Genfer Konventionen umfassen das Recht auf Bewegungsfreiheit und die Niederlassungsfreiheit innerhalb der nationalen Grenzen der Auf-nahmeländer von Flüchtlingen, wie etwa Deutschland. Als ein Land, das die Genfer Konven-tionen ratifiziert hat, verletzt Deutschland kontinuierlich eben diese Konventionen mit seiner “Ausländerpolitik”. Dabei fällt besonders die Residenzpflicht für AsylbewerberInnen ins Au-ge.

Gegenwärtig engagiert sich Deutschland ambitioniert in der Harmonisierung der EU-Außengrenzenpolitik mit seinen nationalen Gesetzen, um eine generelle “Festung Europa”-Mentalität zu schaffen. Vor kurzem hat Deutschland die fundamentalen Bürgerrechte seiner eigenen Bürger im Zusammenhang mit dem so genannten Krieg gegen den Terrorismus aus-gehöhlt. Der Fortbestand der nationalisierten Kriminalisierung der Bürgerrechte von Migran-tInnen und Flüchtlingen sowie von EU-Bürgern verschlimmert die verstreckte Repression und Aggressionen besonders gegenüber AktivistInnen gegen die Residenzpflicht und politischen AktivistInnen im Allgemeinen. (http://www.thevoiceforum.org/free-demo)

Eine stetig wachsende Unterstützung des Kampagnennetzwerks wird und wurde immer benö-tigt, um den Erfolg der Flüchtlingsproteste gegen Residenzpflicht und Diskriminierung für ein Leben in Würde und mit Zukunft auszudehnen. Unsere fundamentale Forderung in unserem täglichen Kampf für Bewegungsfreiheit in Deutschland ist die sofortige Abschaffung der Re-sidenzpflicht. Wir sind eine Welt und eine Menschheit!

Osaren Igbinoba
The VOICE Refugee Forum, Germany
Schillergaesschen 5, 07745 Jena
Tel.: 0049 3641 665214

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Hintergrundinformationen zur Residenzpflicht

Die Apartheid ähnliche Residenzpflicht existiert seit 1982 und nur Deutschland. Sie verbietet Flüchtlingen, den ihnen zugeteilten Landkreis, in dem sie leben, zu verlassen. Sie können ih-ren Landkreis nur mit einer Erlaubnis, dem “Urlaubsschein”, der ihnen zugeteilten Auslän-derbehörde verlassen. In fast allen Fällen lehnen die Behörden eine solche Erlaubnis ab. Das bedeutet, dass Flüchtlinge automatisch dieses rassistische Gesetz verletzen müssen, wenn sie zum Beispiel ihre Verwandten und Freunde besuchen oder an kulturellen und politischen Veranstaltungen teilnehmen wollen. Somit funktioniert die Residenzpflicht wie die Passgeset-ze, die man vom Apartheidsregime in Südafrika kennt. Die Residenzpflicht schafft tausende unsichtbare Grenzen, deren Überwindung den Flüchtlingen aufgrund ihres sozialen und politi-schen Status legal nicht möglich ist.

Dieses Gesetz verletzt das grundlegende Recht auf Bewegungsfreiheit für Flüchtlinge und kriminalisiert sie. Wenn sie ihren Landkreis ohne Erlaubnis verlassen, wird dies offiziell als kriminelle Tat gewertet und so auch in den Statistiken geführt. Die Flüchtlinge werden be-straft und müssen an das Gericht oder die Ausländerbehörde Geld zahlen. Mehrmalige Über-tretung dieses Passgesetzes führt zu Gefängnisstrafen bis zu einem Jahr und der ständigen Drohung der Abschiebung. Ein Flüchtling kann nach Artikel 86 des Asylverfahrensgesetzes (AsylVfG) mit bis zu 2500 € bestraft werden. Wenn Flüchtlinge diese Strafe nicht bezahlen können Flüchtlinge erhalten allgemein nur 40 € im Monat und haben keine Arbeitserlaubnis (siehe unten §61 AsylVfG) werden sie zunächst kriminalisiert, weil sie ihr Menschenrecht auf Bewegungsfreiheit in Anspruch nehmen. Dann werden sie zur Arbeit gezwungen, um für dieses “Vergehen” zu zahlen.

Unsere Vision für den Kampf

Wir erwarten von dem Kampagnennetzwerk und den Aktionsteilnehmern Pläne und eine Kampagne für Bewegungsfreiheit und die Abschaffung der Residenzpflicht in Deutschland. Dies beinhaltet auch die Unterstützung für einen Abschiebe- und Inhaftierungsstop. Wir for-dern alle in Deutschland auf, uns in unserer Würde zu respektieren und die Ernsthaftigkeit ihrer Solidarität mit dem Kampf der Flüchtlinge für Selbstbestimmung und die Wiedererlan-gung unserer Würde auszudrücken.

Der Kampf gegen die Ausgrenzung von MigrantInnen ist ein Unterfangen, das alle unterstüt-zen sollten, damit der tägliche Protest gegen Rassismus, Diskriminierung und Ausbeutung weitergeht. Unser Protest gegen die Diskriminierung von Flüchtlingen ist Teil unseres konti-nuierlichen politischen Engagements und Kampfes für menschliche Freiheit im Exil. Unser Recht auf Meinungs- und Versammlungsfreiheit ist auf der Grundlage der deutschen Asylge-setzgebung und in Übertretung der Artikel 13, 19, 20, 27 und 29 der Allgemeinen Deklaration der Menschenrechte eingeschränkt, obwohl Deutschland die Menschenrechte ratifiziert hat. (siehe unten §89 AsylVfG)

Tour Stationen: Jena 10.05.05/ Café Wagner, Arnstadt 12.05.05/ P20, Eisenberg 18.05.05/ Wasserturm, Erfurt 21.05.05/ Offene Arbeit, Weimar 27.05.05/ Mon Ami und Weimar 28.05.05/Bauhaus-Uni. Die Tour wird von Diskussionen, Ausstellungen, Percussion und Konzerten sowie einer internationalen Kulturnacht am 27.05.05 in Weimar (Mon Ami) begleitet.

RNN ist das online Nachrichtennetzwerk für Flüchtlinge (Refugee News Network) von The VOICE Refugee Forum Jena. Für weitere Informationen über die Kampagne und Veranstal-tungen kontaktiert: thevoiceforum@emdash.org oder www.thevoiceforum.org.
Spenden sind willkommen und werden dringend gebraucht: Förderverein The VOICE e.V., Sparkasse Göttingen, Kto.Nr. 127 829, BLZ 260 500 01, Stichwort “mayevent“.

Diese Kampagneninitiative in Thüringen wird mitorganisiert von: JAPS in Jena, Bauhaus-Uni internationales StudentInnen-Netzwerk und Gerberstrasse 1 in Weimar.
Unterstützung kommt von: FS Stura in Jena, Ausländerbeirat Stadt Jena, Thüringer Flücht-lingsrat, Offene Arbeit und Indy Media Erfurt, Bauhaus-Uni Stuko Weimar.

AsylVfG § 61 Erwerbstätigkeit
(1) Für die Dauer der Pflicht, in einer Aufnahmeeinrichtung zu wohnen, darf der Ausländer keine Erwerbstätigkeit ausüben.

AsylVfG § 89 Einschränkung von Grundrechten
(1) Die Grundrechte der körperlichen Unversehrtheit (Artikel 2 Abs. 2 Satz 1 des Grundgeset-zes) und der Freiheit der Person (Artikel 2 Abs. 2 Satz 2 des Grundgesetzes) werden nach Maßgabe dieses Gesetzes eingeschränkt.

English

Press information
Jena, 29. 04. 2005.

FORST FILM TOUR - People under district arrest!
In 5 cities from May 10th – 28th, 2005 in Thüringen

RNN (Refugee News Network, 24 .04. 05) a new initiative in the Thüringen regional cam-paign network for the abolition of residence obligation (Residenzpflicht) will start its activi-ties with the FORST FILM TOUR in May 2005 in cooperation with represen-tatives of The VOICE Refugee Forum. The new regional initiative for the support of the abolition of the residence obligation was created by self-organized students and youth activists.

The FORST FILM TOUR will take place from May 10th to 28th, 2005 in Jena, Arnstadt, Eisenberg, Erfurt, and Weimar, with the Award wining movie for best documen-tary during the diagonal05 film festival in Graz, Austria.

The movie “Forst”

The movie “Forst” is a critical media art work in its challenge for solidarity in the refugee struggle and against exclusion of refugees from society. “Forst” is a piece of art that is avant-garde and reflective at the same time. The reflections, statements, monologues and dialogues of refugees without actually imaging the people uncover the manifestation of their invisible reality. The refugee struggle and the protest against isolation and exclusion in the forest are portrayed to develop an understanding of the refugees' courageous daily resistance. The movie was shot in the forests in and around the former refugee reception centres in Jena-Forst and Tambach Dietharz in Thüringer-Wald. There will be discussions and information on the movie and the campaign network during the tour – please feel yourself invited! (http:// www.forstfilm.com, info at http://www.thevoiceforum.org;

Why a campaign is urgently needed

Refugees and asylum-seekers have to face in Germany discriminative human rights abuses based on so called “legal” standards. These standards fall by far short of those implemented by the International Human Rights Charta of the Geneva Convention. The Geneva Conven-tion includes the right to freedom of movement and settlement within the national borders of the host country of refugees like Germany. As a country that has ratified the Geneva Conven-tion, Germany at the same time continuously violates this Convention through its “foreigners’ policies”, most obviously with the residence obligation law for asylum seekers.

Presently, Germany’s substantial ambition is to “harmonize” the actual EU-border policies with its national law in order to create a general "Fortress Europe"- mentality. More recently Germany has even undermined fundamental civil rights of “national” citizens in the context of the so-called war on terror. The situation of nationalized criminalisation of the civil liberties of migrants and refugees as well as those of Euro-pean citizens is further aggravating the hid-den repression and aggression especially against residence obligation activists and political activists in general. (http://www.thevoiceforum.org/free-demo)

A steadily growing support of the campaign network has always been needed to continue with the success of the protest of refugees against the residence obligation and discrimination and for life, dignity and a future. The immediate abolition of the residence obligation is the basic demand in our daily struggle for freedom of movement in Germany. We are one world and one people!

Osaren Igbinoba
The VOICE Refugee Forum, Germany
Schillergaesschen 5, 07745 Jena
Tel.: 0049 3641 665214
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Background information on Residence Obligation

The Apartheid-like residence obligation (Residenzpflicht) exist only in Germany since 1982. It imposes that refugees are not allowed to leave their local districts (Landkreis), where they live. It is only possible for them to leave after obtaining permission from the foreigners’ office (Ausländerbehörde) of the district. In almost all cases, the authorities deny this permission. This means that refugees are automatically forced to violate this racist law for example when they have to meet their relatives or friends or when they want to take part in cultural and po-litical events. There-fore, the residence obligation functions like a pass law known from the South African Apartheid regime: The residence obligation creates thousands of invisible bor-ders that refugees are prohibited from crossing due to their social and political status.

This law violates the fundamental right of free movement for the refugees and also criminal-izes them. If refugees have to leave their district without permission this is officially taken as a criminal offence. The refugee is punished and forced to pay money to the court or to the foreign authorities. The continuous violation of this pass law leads to imprisonment of up to one year with the threat to be deported. A refugee can be fined as much as 2500 € according to article 86 of the German asylum law (Asylverfahrensgesetz, AsylVfG) for the violation of the Apartheid residence obligation. If the fine cannot be paid by a refugee, who gets a meagre 40 € per month and does not have the permission to work (see §61 AsylVfG paragraph 1, cop-ied below), he or she is first criminalized for claim the human right for freedom of movement and then forced to work to pay for this “crime”.

Our vision for the struggle

We demand from the campaign network and participants for action plans and a cam-paign on freedom of movement for the abolition of residence obligation in Germany. This also includes support for deportation and detention stop. We demand from all in Germany to respect us all in dignity and to express the seriousness of their solidarity with the migrants’ struggles for our self-determination to reclaim our dignity.

The struggle against exclusion of migrants is a prize that all the people should support in order to go forward in the daily struggles of our protest against racism, discrimination and exploitation. Our protest against the discrimination of refugees is part of our continuous political engagement and political struggle for human freedom in exile since our right to freedom of opinion, expression and association is restricted on the basis of the German asylum law in violation of Articles 13, 19, 20, 27 and 29 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights which Germany ratified (See §89 AsylVfG, copied below).

Tour stations: Jena 10.05.05/ Café Wagner, Arnstadt 12.05.05/ P20, Eisenberg 18.05.05/ Wasserturm, Erfurt 21.05.05/ Offene Arbeit, Weimar 27.05.05/ Mon Ami and Weimar 28.05.05/Bauhaus-Uni. The tour will be accompanied by discussions, exhibitions, percussion and concerts as well as an international cultural night on the 27/28.05.05 in Weimar (Mon Ami).

RNN is the online Refugee News Network of The VOICE Refugee Forum Jena.
For more information on the campaign and events please contact us at: thevoicefo-rum@emdash.org or www.thevoiceforum.org;

Donations are welcome and needed: Förderverein The VOICE e.V., Sparkasse Göttingen, Kto.Nr. 127 829, BLZ 260 500 01, Purpose of use “mayevent“.

This campaign initiative in Thüringen is co-organised by: JAPS in Jena, Bauhaus-Uni Interna-tional Students Network and Gerberstrasse 1 in Weimar.
Supported by FS Uni Stura in Jena, Ausländerbeirat Stadt Jena, Thüringen Refugee Council, Offene Arbeit and IndyMedia Erfurt, Bauhaus-Uni Stuko (Students kommittee) Weimar.

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AsylVfG § 61 Employment
(1) During the time of obligation to live in a reception establishment the foreigner is not al-lowed to be employed.

AsylVfG § 89 Limitations on basic rights
(1) The basic rights to physical integrity (article 2, paragraph 2, sentence 1 of the Grundge-setz) and the freedom of the person (article 2, paragraph 2, sentence 2 of the Grundgesetzes) are restricted according to previsions of the law .

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Proposal for actions and campaigns against Obligatory Residency

State Abuses of Freedom and Democracy in Germany
PEOPLE UNDER DISTRICT ARREST

Challenges facing the campaign and struggle of The VOICE Refugee Forum against the Obligatory Residency
1) State Abuses of Freedom and Democracy in Germany

German state abuses and violations of Human Rights as well as exclusion and persecution of refugees are innumerable. They are closely related to the protest of refugees against restrictions placed on their free movement in Germany.
Germany is one of the richest countries of the world that control and exploit the current total world resources. These countries are not only involved in the exploitation of the natural and human resources but they also directly or indirectly influence the economical and political decision making in the exploited home countries of the refugees. It is needless to say that this breeds war, hate, human rights abuses, displacement of persons, flight, refugees, collapse of the economy, etc.
The long disturbing German tradition of exclusion of identified classes or groups of persons, restriction of movement of these groups, execution and exploitation and the instrumentalisation of “democratic” reforms to even enhance further repression of refugees and migrants are part of the agenda to be discussed with activists, campaigners and supporters.

2) Challenges facing the abolition of the Residency Obligation and the social exclusion of refugees

The campaign of The VOICE Refugee Forum against the Apartheid-like Residency Obligation which restricts refugees to their designated districts has been constant and consistent. It includes much more than just denouncing the psychological abuses and the loss of rights associated with this law, which has its legal precedence in a police decree issued in 1938 during the Nazi regime. The activists of The VOICE Refugee Forum have initiated and are executing the campaign against the Residency obligation through civil disobedience by refusing to pay the fines for violations of the Residency Obligation. These activists have either been imprisoned or threatened with imprisonment in the name of this discriminatory and racist legislation against the freedom of movement of refugees.
The abolition of the Residency Obligation has become the main focus of The VOICE Refugee activists in the last years, as they have politically challenged this form of racist social exclusion in Germany. Germany is the only country in Europe that practices the Residency Obligation, which was re-introduced in 1982 as part of a socio-political reform of exclusion and repression of refugees. It is also note-worthy that Germany carries out more deportations of foreigners than any other country in Europe.

3) The Struggle of The VOICE Refugee Forum against the Residency Obligation

We demand the immediate and total abolition of the Residency Obligation and any restictions of innate rights for refugees in Germany. In the last ten years, we have been advancing the course and political struggles of refugees in Germany. We have had successfull protests and public interventions in the campaign against the Apartheid-like restriction of refugees and migrants. This includes also campaigns against deportation, discrimination and criminalisation of refugees, migrants and foreigners as a whole. We have meanwhile been part of the Caravan for the Rights of Refugees and Migrants since its inception in 1998.

The International Refugee Congress in the year 2000 in Jena (Thüringen) was a turning point in our history. Refugees and migrants met with other activists from Germany, Europe and the rest of the world. The campaign and struggles against Residency Obligation were launched by refugees in the aftermath of this congress. Mass protests and actions against deportations, deportation prisons, police brutality, racist police controls, isolation camps, restrictions of any kind, criminalisation, facism etc. have developed since then. There have also been countless demonstration, campaigns and a number of court trials on those, who have refused to pay the stipulated fines for violating the Residency Obligation in protest.

The cases of Cornelius and Sunny have been through the various levels of judicial process up to the Constitutional Court in Karlsruhe which refused to entertain the cases. Both cases are now at the European Court for Human Rights in Strassburg. Most recently, we had a huge success with the case of Ahmed in the court in Erfurt. Similarly, the case of Janak was also won and he has since then even been recognised as a political asylum seeker.

In the light of the above highlighted efforts on our part, we would like to invite other activists, groups or organisations that are active in the political struggles in Germany. We call upon activists from basic groups and organisations that have supported and contributed politically to the campaign, including the media network, to enter into the discussion, to broaden and the enhance the campaign.

Amongst other issues, we would like discussions the following:

1. The refugee struggle and the autonomy of protest
2. The new immigration law and its regulation of deportation and widening state control
3. “Fortress Europe” as a part of the global Apartheid of the neo-colonial repression against migrants and migration here and in their home countries.
4. Recent examples of the ongoing expansion of lager (camps) for the concentration of refugees in detention and the militarization of migration control

Our continuation of the struggles of refugees in Germany has been inspired mainly by the solidarity and self determination of the old and new members of old The VOICE Africa Forum and now The VOICE Refugee Forum, and of course by others who support the political community of refugees and migrants activists in Germany.

4) Our intentions

Put shortly, we would first of all achieve the following within the activist network and also beyond: presentations of refugees and non refugee activists on the struggle of The VOICE campaign against the Residency Obligation, developing an understanding of the refugees' resistance against Residency Obligation and information about the campaign network.

While addressing the mobilisation and our struggle for freedom of movement we would also like to evaluate the Residency Obligation campaign and the networking structures among refugees for political information and other discussions on public space and support.

The following points seem to be of importance in order to re-invegorate the campaign and push for the abolition of the Residency Obligation:

· Review of campaign documentation on Residency Obligation
· Reports and media coverage on: the refugee struggle, litigation at the European Human Rights Court against the Residency Obligation; court hearings and imprisonment of refugee activists; the new Immigration Law with its regulations for deportation and Residency Obligation
· German lobbism to implement the Residency Obligation as a corner stone of EU Asylum Policies
· Case study: The disobedience of Ahmed Sameer and other comparable cases
· Concrete political demands backed with information on refugees that have been physically abused, arrested, tried, fined and punished for violating the Residency Obligation
· How German segregated legislation violates the fundamental right of free movement
· Criminalisation of movement: the contradiction between migration and political strategies for socio-political, economic and physical restriction of migrants
· The connection between German political corruption, confinement of refugees and discriminatory laws on the one hand and neo-colonial global exploitation on the other hand
· Strategies for civil disobedience, court trials, public protests and direct actions against racist police controls and regular meeting of refugees to exchange information.
· The interrelation between struggle against Residency Obligation and other forms of resistance against any kind of repression and social exclusion.
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We will reflect upon the strategical developments and protests against the Residency Obligation in the last years. We urgently need a thourough evaluation to inject new ideas, perspectives and power into our campaign and resistance. Freedom of movement is the main weapon of our survival, for self organisation and settlement. If we cannot move freely, we cannot defend ourselves, we cannot shape our lives and take part in social engagement. The restriction of movement is the source of further restriction. To put it short: We cease to exist as a social and political human being if we cannot move freely! Freedom of movement is therefore the divine resource of our birth and existence – it should not be a subject of negotiation!

It is often easy to forget:

It’s not about lobbism and there is no compromise!

We uphold the solidarity for the right to freedom of movement for refugees and migrants.
We are one world and one people!

We will call on various assemblies, organisations, groups and individual to support the initiatives of The VOICE Refugee Forum campaign against the Residency Obligation for refugees in Germany. Interested organisations, groups and individual in our initiatives should contact us under: Thevoiceforum@emdash.org, http://www.thevoiceforum.org