International Refugee Day

Discussion in 'Warbirds International' started by grobar, Jun 22, 2008.

  1. grobar

    grobar Well-Known Member

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    Yesterday was the International Day of Refugees.

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    I had the most unexpected way to relate to this day!
    First watching this amazing, authentic, imaginary, thoughtful, shocking, beautiful Iranian-Iraqi co-production (2003):

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    about the village life on the northern borders of Iraq at the sundown of Saddam's reign. This film has received 39 international awards and the Best Film and the Special Jury awards of the Iran Cinema Association (2004).

    it is downloadable from emule:
    ed2k://|file|Turtles.Can.Fly.(Lakposhtha%20Ham%20Parvaz%20Mikonand).LIMITED.DVDRip.XviD-DMT.avi|732991488|86B12A1D443D51C028DF819C8C5D3C15|/



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    Then, in a coffee-shop in the evening I met the most beautiful and rich person I have got to know in my life. This guy has spent the last 18 years as an illegal, roaming from Malaysia to Turkey. Upon applying for refugee status after entering Bulgaria, he is designated "Threat of National Security" status and arrested.

    By his words, simply for being an Afghanistani.

    He has spent the last 3 years in the EU-funded immigrants detention centre Busmantzi, which he described as something like a strict regime prison with habitual police abuse of the detainees. A large portion of that time he was in punitive solitary confinement because he resisted superiors on every level.

    He tried to bring his case to court about 10 times all of them failed because of pressure over the judges from higher up. In the last a judge ruled for him, then overruled his own decision three days later. But with help of bulgarian friends they used the administrative confusion to have him get out of the prison.

    He still is a Threat to National Security. This is not possible to challenge in court because it is issued by the Security Services and the evidence used for the decision is a national secret, not allowed to exhibit in court.

    If it exists at all.

    He has attempted to get through to all the human rights agencies, including Helsinki committee and the UN refugee commission and after months of them hampering his moves he eventually got to speak with seniors, and have them admit that they are not independent institutions.

    Which is illegal. They are here to provide help against the Bulgarian state.

    His attempt to get the mishandling of his case to the European Court in Strasbourg were foiled by the very commission responsible for submitting that, by lying to him about the required paperwork and deadlines.



    Despite meeting with all this (and countless other stories I wont narrate), this guy holds such unbelievable kindness in his voice and expressions. Unfotunately my english is too poor here. He speaks like a wise old man. I could see how he would be capable of to tell off like small children the Sofia Commissar of UN, or his judge in court.



    This Afghanistani is single-handedly fighting for bringing democracy to this country. He said, "I cannot understand why all the Bulgarians just sit back and watch as they are being abused. I have been in so much poorer countries, so poor places. You cannot imagine that misery. But not one of them was so poor in the law as here is. Do you understand what i mean?"

    He is organising a protest movement for human rights, all the while at every 'random' police check (he is quite dark skinned) he is put in arrest for not having documents.


    "Everyone here is afraid. I am not afraid. Not you, not the normal people. But everyone in politics, everyone in judicial system, the NGOs, the policemen... They are all afraid and held in check, they are pressured to not implement the law by their superiors. The people in Busmantzi are afraid of the abuse, they are afraid not to be repatriated to their countries.
    Only I am not afraid, and have told to everybody in their face, in public, everything in which they are wrong and that they are criminals by doing this. I insulted everybody in the system, the guards, the lawyers, the commissar. I have met the Director of Immigration, I have met Kostov [former prime-minister] and told them what they are doing.
    I am not afraid of anybody.
    Everybody working with immigrants knows me, everyone working in Busmantzi and in the agencies, knows me. I have caused them so much trouble for those years!

    They have tried to scare me, but...
    I have crossed mountain ranges on foot, I have seen the people with me freeze in the snows and die when we get lost, you know there is many many mountains to the horizon, all around you. I have crossed through mine fields. I've seen when mines blew up on people. Since I came here dont know any more where is my family.

    So I can speak everything that I think."





    This guy is 23 years old.

    He has no education, no primary school. He knows seven languages. Although he spent most of his time in the Bulgaria in detention without right to pen and paper, he speaks bulgarian like my granma. In conversation he makes shockingly relevant references to bulgarian history and soul.
    "I learnt all just from talking to people. These things are easy if you are really eager. I feel just as at home in Turkey or India either."

    "But my dream ever has been to get education. I was immensely happy person the one week here when I subscribed in 7th grade [thats 13 year olds], it was the one week until I got arrested."



    This is one of the terrorists. What impressed me most is that despite everything he is through, this guy had absolutely no bitter, no angry feelings. Nor dispair about his future. The complete opposite of most of my country-men.

    :@prayer:
     
    Last edited: Jun 22, 2008
  2. Fucketeer

    Fucketeer Banned

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  3. -al---

    -al--- Well-Known Member

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    Tom Petty rulz man.