From the mountains of Kurdistan to the highest mountains of the world

From the mountains of Kurdistan to the highest mountains of the world IMG_3460

On Sunday March 13, 2016, the march of more than 2000 world women across the capital Katmandu was headed by the banner „Let’s make grand success the 2nd World Women’s Conference”. The banner with this programmatic slogan in English and Nepali was carried by international women and the coordinators. The mighty march opened the 2nd World Women’s Conference of Grass-roots Women which will go on until March 18. In a letter the two women correspondents report:
It is just the right thing to do, to open the world women’s conference by such a mighty march. Women worldwide are standing up to struggle for their concerns. Hundreds of Nepali women in wonderfully colored dresses welcomed us at the meeting point. We successfully fought for the entry of women from Syria with the help of Nepali Minister of Foreign Affairs just the day before. In Syria the women had no possibility to apply for visa due to the war going on there.
Also the day before, Shamla, a young German delegate born in Afghanistan was stopped at the airport of Katmandu and forced into an airplane going back to Dubai with the hair-raising reasoning that her passport was not readable by machine. This happened despite the fact that Shamla had a valid passport and a valid visa.
(mehr …)

From the mountains of Kurdistan to the highest mountains of the world

From the mountains of Kurdistan to the highest mountains of the world IMG_3460

On Sunday March 13, 2016, the march of more than 2000 world women across the capital Katmandu was headed by the banner „Let’s make grand success the 2nd World Women’s Conference”. The banner with this programmatic slogan in English and Nepali was carried by international women and the coordinators. The mighty march opened the 2nd World Women’s Conference of Grass-roots Women which will go on until March 18. In a letter the two women correspondents report:
It is just the right thing to do, to open the world women’s conference by such a mighty march. Women worldwide are standing up to struggle for their concerns. Hundreds of Nepali women in wonderfully colored dresses welcomed us at the meeting point. We successfully fought for the entry of women from Syria with the help of Nepali Minister of Foreign Affairs just the day before. In Syria the women had no possibility to apply for visa due to the war going on there.
Also the day before, Shamla, a young German delegate born in Afghanistan was stopped at the airport of Katmandu and forced into an airplane going back to Dubai with the hair-raising reasoning that her passport was not readable by machine. This happened despite the fact that Shamla had a valid passport and a valid visa.
(mehr …)

We want Shamla in Nepal!

„We want Shamla in Nepal!“

The young delegate Shamla Sarabi from Essen/Germany, born in Afghistan, was not allowed to come to WWC but was kept at the Kathmandu Airport by Nepali Authorities und forced to fly back with the next available airplane to Dubai. The reason given for this by Nepali Authority was that her passport, despite a fully valid, would not be readable by maschine.

This is a scandal. We organized a rally to Nepal Ministry of Foreign Affairs and our African delegates from eleven African countries passed the following resolution which we all support:

Letter of protest  to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Nepal

We, the African women’s delegation representing 11 African countries as part of the 2nd World Women’s Conference of grass-roots women from 13 to 18 March, 2016 in Kathmandu/Nepal, strongly condem the harrassment and deportation of Ms. Shamla Sarabi from Afghanistan, who has the right to live in Germany. Shamla is being deported on very unclear grounds. She has a valid passport and a valid visa so she has the right to enter Nepal. She is being held in Dubai against her will, thus refusing to be forcefully put on a plane to Germany.

Therefore we demand:

– She is to be allowed to return to Kathmandu to participate in the 2nd World Women’s Conference, where up to a thousand women from more than 45 countries all over the world will gather.

– The Nepali goverment should take responsibilty for her most direct flight back to Kathmandu as soon as possible.

We stand in solidarity with her. If our demands are not met, we will organize appropriate action.

We the undersigned, representatives from the following countries

Namibia, South Africa, Kenya, Eritrea, Tunisa, Morocco, Egypt, Congo, Mali, Burkina Faso, Ghan

We want Shamla in Nepal!

Kurzbericht aus Kathmandu, 12.03.16

„We want Shamla in Nepal!“

Nachdem bereits die beiden Delegierten aus Rojava am Flughafen festgehalten wurden und zurück geschickt werden sollten, was unter großem Einsatz unserer Nepalesischen Freundinnen und Freunde, der kurdischen Frauen, die schon hier waren und der Koordinatorinnen nach einer harten Nacht verhindert werden konnte, ging das Drama weiter:

Unsere deutsche Jugenddelegierte Shamla Sarabi aus Essen, die aus Afghanistan stammt, wurde von den Nepalesischen Behörden auf dem Flughafen Kathmandu aufgehalten und in das nächste Flugzeug nach Dubai zurück abgeschoben. Die „Begründung“ ist skandalös: Sie hat einen gültigen Pass und ein gültiges Visum, aber weil der Pass nicht maschinenlesbar ist, durfte sie nicht einreisen. Das löste hier und in Deutschland helle Empörung aus! Sofort war klar, wir kämpfen Shamlas Weg nach Kathmandu zur Weltfauenkonferenz frei. In Nepal und Deutschland begann die politische Offensive. Unsere Nepalesischen Freundinnen und Freunde waren sehr aktiv und Brief von der Asienkoordinatorin Durga Paudel, die auch Parlamentsabgeordnete ist sowie des Außenministers wurden auf den Weg nach Dubai gebracht.

(mehr …)