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1 Hunger Striker Dying, 1 Eating By William J. Kole AMSTERDAM, Netherlands (AP) -- Exhausted and emaciated, one Iranian called off his hunger strike for residency papers Thursday, but a comrade continued for a 62nd day and was reported near death. Majid Masseri ended his fast at 31 days after a court ruled earlier in the day that he had no grounds to stay in the Netherlands, where he fled two years ago after being accused by the Tehran government of spying. Thursday's ruling did not deal with Amir Amiry, semiconscious and wasting away in a coastal hospital after more than two months without food. RTL television, quoting his doctor, reported that he had only a few days to live and would be moved to another hospital in The Hague until ``a place for him to die is found.'' Judges rejected a last-ditch injunction Thursday aimed at blocking Masseri's deportation, saying he did not make a compelling case that he faced imprisonment, torture or death if returned to Iran. The court sided with the Dutch government, which in June ordered both Masseri, 41, and Amiry, 27, expelled as illegal immigrants. Thursday's ruling did not deal with Amiry. The Dutch Foreign Ministry maintains that the pair could be safely sent home, based on its belief that Iran's political and human rights climate is improving under new, more moderate leadership. Their plight has kindled debate in the Netherlands about whether the country is abandoning its tradition of taking in the desperate and downcast. ``They're to be deported like sheep,'' said Ahmed Pouri , leader of a refugee activist group. ``This is justice?'' Another 25 Iranians have launched hunger strikes in solidarity with Masseri and Amiry, who had vowed to starve to death rather than face deportation. It was not immediately clear whether they would continue their fasts now that Masseri has ended his. Throughout Europe, illegal immigrants are using fasts to test the generosity of countries that welcomed them just a few decades ago, but now are expelling them. Last summer, 10 Africans went on an eight-week fast in Paris to demand they be allowed to stay in France. For centuries, the Netherlands has opened its doors to those in need, most notably the religious pilgrims who settled America and the thousands of Jews allowed in before World War II. Today, 300 people seek asylum every day in Holland, according to a report released this week. Like many industrialized countries, the Netherlands has seen immigration rise steadily in recent decades, and sharply over the last five years. The debate over whether to tighten immigration policies pits those who argue the system is already overtaxed and cannot support more newcomers against those who maintain openness to outsiders is part of the Netherlands' identity. The rift is compounded by the fact that the Netherlands is Europe's most densely populated country, and many Dutch have been on waiting lists for housing for years.
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