Syrian lawyer’s hunger strike to obtain work permit in Ireland
DUBLIN: A Syrian lawyer has gone on a hunger strike after being barred from seeking work in Ireland. Yesterday, Hayan Ibrahim (35) successfully concluded a week-long hunger strike at the Mosney direct provision centre.
With the decision to renew the temporary residence certificate (TRC), he was offered the opportunity to work here. His application to work in Ireland could not have been processed without the TRC. He adopted the method of non-violent struggle to get this certificate.
Mr. Ibrahim is a member of the Alawite sect of Shia Islam, which has supported the Assad regime in Syria. He claims to have fled his homeland in 2014 after refusing to fight in the civil war. He says he and his fiancée were tortured and that she died.
Mr. Ibrahim sought permission to work, mainly to send money to his parents. Knowing that it would not happen, he decided to go on strike in despair.
However, he confirmed that he was ending his hunger strike following the issuance of the new TRC. “All I want to do is work and pay taxes. I don’t want to be relying on welfare,” he said. But he complained that the reason for not considering the renewal request was not yet clear. He also said that a previous application for asylum in Germany had also been rejected, but no reasons were given. He stated that he no longer had any German status and that he had the right to remain in Ireland.
The Department of Justice has made it clear that it cannot comment on individual cases. However, the department added that he may not be able to get a work permit. The applicant has previously applied for international protection status in another EU member state, which may be a factor.
However, the Irish Refugee Council is assisting Ibrahim. The council said it had contacted the International Protection Office to resolve matters.
With the 2017 Supreme Court decision, refugees have been given the right to work. But the Irish Human Rights Commission said the ruling was undermined by discriminatory barriers to accessing driving licenses and bank accounts. Tens of thousands of people in Ireland are living as refugees in various parts of the country. Eighty percent of them belong to a particular religious sect and are from Pakistan, Syria and Nigeria.
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