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There are displaced people within the country as well as refugees in neighbouring states. In February 2013 there were 75,000 people, who had fled the violence in Syria, in a part of Iraq controlled by the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG). They had found refuge in different places around all three KRG provinces.

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The largest refugee camp is the Domiz Camp in Duhok province. There are more than 55,000 people there. It is difficult to control the number of people arriving and for that reason this figure is an estimate. It was originally established for 10,000 people. Now, it has more than five times that number. The problems are multiplying and the needs of the people are ever more urgent.

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Text by Témoris Grecko

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Translation by Richard Thompson

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Their number has fallen from 1,400,000 in 2003 to 500,000 today. Some of them, including monk Yousif from the thousand year old Mar Mattai monastery, have taken refuge in the north of Iraq in the Autonomous Region of Kurdistan. There, the local government has succeeded in protecting them. However, many still continue to feel threatened. They have few opportunities and they are forced to live in poverty. What is more, they feel forgotten by other Christians around the world: “They all promise but no-one helps” Yousif says sadly.

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A photo report about a community that is disappearing within its own country.

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Text by Témoris Grecko

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Translation by Richard Thompson

Surprise!

What you find are women who are actively involved in all aspects of society. From Kurdish Sunnis to Assyrian Christians, from Turkmen to Arabs, they are involved in public administration, business, professions, the university and front line politics. They gain a presence and respect by following the example of the peshmergas (guerrillas) that fought and died with the Kurdish resistance against the regime of Saddam Hussein. They are very aware, of course, that they are the spearhead. They will be followed by the young women that have been educated in rural areas where ancient customs prevail. And they have a message for the women of the world: “We are like you. Let’s get to know each other”.

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Text by Témoris Grecko

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Translation by Richard Thompson

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“Things have changed a lot in the last two years. The situation is difficult. I work as an archeologist for the Culture Ministry and there is no writing paper in our offices. We have to bring paper and pens from home.”

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“I am an optimist. I think that there is light at the end of the tunnel. I think that we have to change ourselves before everything else. We must be educated and try to better ourslves through studying, thinking and giving our children an interest in the history and culture of our country. I try to offer my daughter an excellent multilingual education. I take her to museums. I want her to feel part of the open community that I feel that I belong to. Only in this way will society change. We can’t wait for a great leader.”

Alexandra, 36 years old, archeologist

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Interviews by IR
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Translation by Richard Thompson

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Until recently, the welfare system of this European country was held up as an example for Italy and France. Now, there are more than 166,000 families that have been left without homes as they have not been able to pay their mortgages.

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This report documents the moment in which these families are evicted, the fight of the Platform for those Affected by a Mortgage (PAH - “Plataforma de Afectados por la Hipoteca”), community co-operation and the empowerment of individuals thanks to the PAH. Until recently, Spain, in its own way, was emulating the American dream of the happy family. Banks and the government created a climate in which it was impossible not to want to have your own property. Many were caught in this spider’s web. Those who are being evicted are from an impoverished middle class. They are poor but with middle class insecurities.

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Spain is a country that has gone from having nothing to having holidays paid for with credit.

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Text by Catalina Gayà

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Translations by Richard Thompson

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Following these protests a group of 50 “indignados” occupied a hotel, next to the Plaza del Sol in Madrid, that had been empty for years. The occupation has received the support of the 15-M movement. They have decided to use the property to accommodate families evicted as a result of being unable to keep up with their mortgage payments and people who have lost their homes for other reasons.

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Mrs. Esperanza is 75 years old and has lived in a second floor room for over a month. She became homeless in 2010 after being evicted from her house. She does not have children or a husband and, according to her, the 15-M movement has become her family.

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Luis is also 75 and he was evicted from his apartment in September. He participated in the hotel occupation on the night of 15 October. He is an activist for the campaign “Stop Evictions” which is supported by the Platform for those Affected by Mortgages. This a charitable organization established in Barcelona in 2009 that is now active in 33 Spanish cities. It is fighting for people’s right to a home and for mortgage law reform.

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Ronald is 47 years old and has already asked to be admitted to the hotel. He is about to be made homeless due to mortgage non-payments. He is from the Dominican Republic and lives in Madrid with his wife and four children. His mortgage increased in one year from 700 to 1400 euros. The Caja Madrid bank rejected his request to renegotiate the mortgage and his apartment was auctioned in 2010.

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Since 2008 the property crisis in Spain has left 140.485 families homeless. The People’s Grand Hotel, as its occupants have re-baptised it, has five floors, a basement and two terraces. Its long corridors have red carpets and its rooms have brown doors with gold numbers. The place has become the summer headquarters of the Sol General Assembly. The Madrid Popular Assembly organises meetings at the hotel for the representatives of all the local popular assemblies. The former hotel reception area now hosts lectures by intellectuals and economists.

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Carlos Taibo, a successful writer and Professor of Political and Administrative Science, talks to and debates with a diverse group of young and old people. They all sit in front of him on a discoloured green carpet. Wet weather in Madrid suggests that winter is approaching. In the old wooden panelled hall of the 15-M Hotel people are arguing that another world is possible. In the bedrooms, bathrooms, dining rooms and hallways, slogans are visible.

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At the moment the 15-M movement is based in the hotel. Sooner or later they too will be evicted. However, they promise that when that happens they will find other places in which to continue their fight.

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Text by IR

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Translation by Richard Thompson