Joe Costello (Dublin Central, Labour)

I thank the Ceann Comhairle for choosing this matter for the Adjournment. It is a request for the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform to expedite the asylum application of Mr. Adnan Mohammedi, an Iranian Kurd, who is a victim of torture and whose wife and child are in hiding in the Kurdish region of Iraq. The other Deputies associated with this issue are Deputies Ó Snodaigh, Joe Higgins, Finian McGrath, Healy and Cowley. If any of the aforementioned Members enter the Chamber while I am speaking, I will give way to them.

The Minister should review urgently the existing procedures for processing asylum applications in order that those who have been persecuted or tortured are not obliged to wait for years to have their applications determined. A period of two years is far too long. While the Minister would assert the period is six months, in practice one finds that most applications take years to process and this is a case in point.

Mr. Adnan Mohammedi is an Iranian Kurd who fled to Ireland a couple of years ago. He was a member of Komala, the Iranian socialist party, and he was engaged in underground political work for the party in Iran between 1990 and 2003. His activities brought him to the attention of Iranian agents who disclosed his whereabouts and activities and he was obliged to flee Iran to receive protection and asylum. Similarly, his wife and child were obliged to flee to the Kurdish part of Iraq for protection, where they are now in hiding.

Adnan is in a desperate state of mind. He is beside himself with worry and concern regarding his family's welfare and safety and, naturally, he wishes to look for them. The Minister of State may recall that he has gone on hunger strike a number of times and on the last occasion he had his lips sown together to prevent him from consuming water and food. Eventually, after 15 days, he was prevailed upon to end his hunger and thirst strike. He went on hunger strike in an effort to secure a visa to travel to Iraq to search for his wife and child there. As I said, he is beside himself with worry and concern.

There are two obvious ways in which to solve this problem. The first is to give him a visa, which would be difficult because he lacks the requisite documents to return to Ireland. The second solution is to expedite his application for asylum in order that he is not obliged to spend longer waiting to get recognition and to receive refugee status. The Minister of State should address the issue in an urgent fashion. This is a human case in which a person who is worried about his family is suffering intensely. Were his application to be processed and refugee status granted to him — as Members hope — he would be able to seek his wife and child and to begin his life again and to re-engage in proper family life. This issue rests with the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform and I hope the Minister of State has some good news.

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