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Israel

We send refugees back to hell, say IDF troops

Soldiers voice disquiet over new orders to return African refugees back to regimes they have fled.

September 12, 2008 15:31

ByBen Lynfield, Ben Lynfield

1 min read

Israeli soldiers have voiced disquiet over new orders to forcibly return African refugees to Egypt - where they face deportation back to Sudan, Eritrea or the other regimes they fled.

In Sudan, refugees who have been in Israel, an enemy state, face possible imprisonment or execution. In Eritrea, they face detention in a military prison and are likely to be tortured.

An IDF sergeant (res), who asked not to be identified, told the JC that on August 23 his unit handed 17 Africans to the Egyptian army minutes after they crossed the border - including one shot in the leg by an Egyptian soldier.