On World Refugee Day: Kurdish refugees take fatal journey in hope of peace

20th of June is World Refugee Day. While UNHCR figures estimate over 80 million people are refugees around the world, a significant number of Kurds from all over Middle East also continue to take dangerous, even fatal journeys escaping persecution and human rights violation. In this interview with Kaveh Hassanpour from Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, we discuss the tragic journey of a Kurdish family that drowned in the English Channel in end of October last year, and the youngest member of the family was missing until recently.

Kurdish refugee family drowned in the English Channel in October 2020. 15 months old Artin's body was found in Jan 2021 and only identified in Norway in June. Source: Jinha Kurmanci-Facebook

Artin Iran-Nejad was only 15-months old when he drowned together with his parents and two older siblings as they attempted to cross the English Channel from France to the United Kingdom. Artin's family attempted to cross the channel in the hope of having a better life in the UK, after having lived in a make-shift refugee tent on the outskirts of Dunkirk, in France. 

The bodies of Artin's family members were recovered from the waters soon after the tragic accident on 27th of October 2020. However, Artin was declared missing until recently. His little body has finally been publicly identified by Norwegian police after it was found in January 2021 in Southern Norway.

Kaveh Hassanpour-hengaw Organization Source: Supplied

Kaveh Hassanpour tells SBS Kurdish that Kurdish refugees from Iran are not prioritised by European countries. Hence, they have little hope when in the third country, and forced to make such dangerous decisions, where they are prepared to risk their lives in the hope of a better future.