VZCZCXRO3386
PP RUEHBC RUEHDA RUEHDE RUEHIHL RUEHKUK
DE RUEHGB #0630/01 0521521
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 211521Z FEB 07
FM AMEMBASSY BAGHDAD
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 9795
INFO RUCNRAQ/IRAQ COLLECTIVE PRIORITY

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BAGHDAD 000630 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR PRM/A; DHS FOR BCIS HEADQUARTERS; CAIRO FOR 
REFCOORD; AMMAN FOR REFCOORD AND CONSULAR 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREF PHUM IZ
SUBJECT: REFUGEE ADMISSIONS REFERRAL:  TAMADHUR KADHIM 
HAMMAD 
 
REF: STATE 326248 
 
 SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED.  FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY. 
 
¶1.  (SBU) Embassy Baghdad would like to refer the following 
Iraqi with substantial ties to the USG to the US Refugee 
Admissions Program (USRAP). 
 
 
Principal applicant (PA): 
 
NAME: Tamadhur Kadhim Hammad 
DOB: February 3, 1956 
POB: Baghdad, Iraq 
Passport Number: G 1100832 
Gender: Female 
Marital Status: Married 
 
Dependents: 
 
NAME: Adel Ali Khatea 
DOB: December 9, 1955 
POB: Baghdad, Iraq 
Passport Number: G 1082208 
Gender: Male 
Marital Status: Married 
Relation to PA: Husband 
 
NAME: Zahra'a Adel Ali 
DOB: December 23, 1990 
POB: Baghdad, Iraq 
Passport Number: G 1082675 
Gender: Female 
Marital Status: Single 
Relation to PA: Daughter 
 
¶3.  (SBU) Description of persecution claim, provided by the 
applicant herself: Tamadhur has worked for the USG or for 
associations funded by the USG since April of 2003.  Tamadhur 
has been very active in a Baghdad Business Center for Women 
and in other organizations and events supported by USAID 
grants.  She has presented letters of recommendation from 
previous USG and US military supervisors.  She is afraid that 
Sunni insurgents and Shia militias want to kill her because 
of her association with the USG.  In addition, she has stated 
that her husband and her moved out of their neighborhood 
because she is a Sunni and her husband is a Shia  The 
neighborhood they lived in was mostly Shia  Tamadhur has also 
stated that members of her extended family (the Al-Janabi) 
had close connections with Saddam's regime, and that this is 
another reason why Shia militias want to kill her. 
 
¶4. (SBU) Tamadhur reports that a cousin of her, who was a 
vice dean in a local university, was kidnapped and never 
heard from again.  Her husband's cousin was murdered in 
November of 2006.  Tamadhur also reports that a brother of 
her and his wife found a threatening letter (with bullets 
attached to it) in their garden.  As a result of this threat, 
her brother and wife decided to leave the country.  In August 
of 2006, Tamadhur received a threatening email, criticizing 
her for her support and active participation in a 
USG-sponsored business conference for women.  Tamadhur 
reports that she has kept a copy of the threatening email. 
In October of 2006, after photographs of her appeared in 
local media and the Coalition Forces newsletter, Tamadhur 
reports that she received a threatening call instructing her 
to stop working with Americans.  In December of 2006 
Tamadhur's nephew was reportedly kidnapped and later killed. 
Tamadhur believes that his murder was in retaliation for her 
association with the USG.  Since her nephew's murder, 
Tamadhur has been afraid of being in public and has lived in 
a state of relative seclusion.  She states that her husband 
has moved to a Shia neighborhood where he feels it is safe 
for him but not for her to be in.  Tamadhur explains that she 
is spending the night in different places throughout the 
week, and does not allow her daughter to leave the house 
where she is staying with relatives.  Tamadhur reports that 
she hardly goes out anymore.  She explains that she has not 
left the country earlier because she needed a new passport, 
which she has only finally received on Sunday, February 18. 
 
¶5.  (SBU) Justification for resettlement:  Tamadhur is 
favorably known to US State Department employees, who called 
attention about her case to Embassy Baghdad RefCoord. 
RefCoord has met with Tamadhur once and has spoken with her 
on the phone frequently.  RefCoord believes that Tamadhur has 
a genuine fear of persecution because of her association with 
the US.  The recently established Embassy Baghdad Refugee 
Committee is aware of her case, although it has not had an 
 
BAGHDAD 00000630  002 OF 002 
 
 
opportunity to discuss it in more detail.  Tamadhur's 
decision to leave for Amman on Wednesday, February 21, makes 
it advisable for Embassy RefCoord to submit this referral 
without further consultations with the Refugee Committee. 
 
¶6.  (SBU) Financial situation of principal applicant and 
family:  PA or family does not require immediate financial 
assistance to support themselves while her case is being 
processed, if accepted. 
 
¶7.  (SBU)  Name checks:  Conducted on February 19.  One minor 
hit, "possible NSEER status violator".  This hit by itself is 
not a reason for refusing admission or benefit.  Tamadhur 
might have failed to register with DHS following a previous 
visit to the US (visitors from some countries are required to 
register with DHS when they enter and exit the US).  This hit 
is easy to overcome by showing the exit stamps or explaining 
the failure to register. 
KHALILZAD