45. Biographies of former asylum
seekers who gave oral evidence on 9 September 2003
MOHAMMAD FAHIM
AKBARI
Known as: Fahim Akbari. Nationality: Afghan.
History: Graduated from IRC Construction Engineering College in
Pakistan. Worked as program coordinator at Afghan Womens society.
Worked as advanced level instructor and academic manager at English
Language Program.
In Afghanistan he was accused by the Taliban
of spreading and preaching Christianity. Was eventually captured
and detained by the Taliban and was due to be hanged for his "crimes".
His escape was facilitated by a Security Guard in the prison and
he was introduced to an Agent. This cost a vast amount of money.
The Agent made all the arrangements for him to flee Afghanistan
and he was sent via many other countries he does not know and
arrived in the UK on 13 March 2001 where he claimed asylum. Since
being in the UK he has worked in various interpreting roles and
is currently working for Migrant Helpline.
HASHMATULLAH ZARABI
Known as: Hashmat Zarabi. Nationality: Afghan.
History: I studied engineering at University in Afghanistan and
attained an MSc in Engineering.
I finished university on 3 January 1996 and
started working for the Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development,
and also for International and Foreign NGO's.
I was member of the newly established independent
Students Union, I was the representative of the Kabul Polytechnic
Institute. This institute had over 1,000 students at that time.
After the fall of the Mujahahaddin Government
in Kabul I was arrested by the Taliban because of being the Representative
of this Union. I was detained for over two months, I finally managed
to escape. I fled to the north of the country, where the opposition
were in power. I started working as an engineer, and remained
there for two years.
At this point the city fell to the Taliban,
at this point I fled to a city north of Kabul, my mothers birthplace,
which was still ruled by the opposition. I stayed there for almost
a year until the Taliban took power there as well. The Taliban
had a warrant for my arrest and many of the Taliban were former
classmates who knew me well.
From there I escaped to Pakistan, and from there
I flew to the UK, and arrived on 26 November 1999. I was assisted
in this by many friends in Pakistan.
ZEMMARAI SHOHABI—ZAMMA'S
STORY
In 1992 the Islamic revolution happened in Afghanistan
and I couldn't finish university and after that a miserable life
started for me.
Afghanistan was completely changed because the
cruel Mojha Hadin captured Afghanistan and we were dependent on
the regime. My father was a general officer working with the Prime
Minister of Afghanistan and my whole family was attacked by the
MH and at the end we had to make a decision and leave Afghanistan
for Pakistan.
My father said at that time, they will kill
us but he didn't want to leave the country, he said that he had
been born there and wanted to die there. After three months we
had to leave because three times they attacked my father's jeep
and after that they attacked the family with a rocket but we weren't
in the room that they launched the rocket at.
Two more times they attacked my father's car,
they sat by the road and shot at the car with him in it, and after
that I went to Pakistan. I rented a house and we lived there but
we couldn't stay in Pakistan because I worked from six in the
morning to 11 at night but it wasn't enough for my family.
We went back to Afghanistan and the Taliban
came, the first time they came they killed my brother, my father
and I weren't at home. Actually I have two brothers, the eldest
one has mental problems because in 1982 the MH attacked our family
and they beat him with the butt of a gun.
We didn't have any chance to stay in Kabul,
we moved to the countryside, it was my father's village, but after
two or three months living was difficult there too and finally
we lived in different provinces and areas for three years. In
1992 I decided to leave Afghanistan and we moved back to Pakistan.
In Pakistan it was just the same as before, we worked for nothing
and living was so difficult. Then in 2000 I decided to leave Asia
to go to Russia but I called my friends and they said it is horrible
here, if the police catch you, you will have to give them all
your money, they will beat you, they will put you in prison, there
is nothing, you can't stay there. Then my father decided to go
back to Afghanistan and I decided to go to Europe.
I moved from Afghanistan to Pakistan but on
the way one of my friends, he was a member of Taliban, he recognised
me and put me in jail for eight months, they beat me with copper
wire and slashed me, I was completely bruised and my scapula bone
was broken. They didn't care about it and I was in hospital for
a month under the care of doctors but the guard was looking for
me, I wanted to escape but didn't have the chance.
They put me once again in prison and after month
they put me back in hospital, they beat me and asked where my
father and brother was, I said that they were both killed, I couldn't
say that my father was hiding in that place. I knew at that time
that they would kill me, but why should I say my fathers' address.
After that my cousin who worked with the Taliban,
not my real cousin but a friend of the family, he understood and
he said that if we had money that we could give as a bribe to
the Taliban guard who was looking for me, I could escape. I paid
three thousand dollars, we had two houses in Kabul and one of
them was in my mother's name and she gave someone the house for
five years and three thousand and after five years she would pay
it back and the man would move out.
My mother arranged this money with my uncle
and they gave this bribe to my family's friends and they gave
it to the guard. One day, it was Ramadan and the Taliban were
praying, the guard opened the lock and said when they are praying
you can escape, you have one chance. If you can't, then they will
kill you tomorrow or the day after because they have signed my
paper to be killed, actually to be executed in Kabul stadium.
I was so scared at that time but I thought eventually
they will kill you but if they kill you by gun it is better to
be executed. I ran away from the prison and my family's friend
was outside with a pick up car and we went to Pakistan and I started
travelling to Iran and from Iran to Turkey. There I met soldiers
and they caught me and said "what nationality are you?"
I said I was from Afghanistan and they said, "no you have
to go back, we will deport you back to Iran". I said "no,
if you send me to Iran, they will send me to Afghanistan and they
will kill me".
I had the evidence of being punished on my back
and there was a general officer from Turkey, I said "please,
can you speak English," he said "yes of course".
I told him my life story, he cried and said "no, please we
don't want to deport you because you deserve to stay in Turkey!
I said "no, I didn't want to stay in Turkey because Turkey
is not a safe country for me". He put me on a bus to Istanbul;
there I met with an agent to take me to Italy.
I came to Italy by ship but the police caught
us and sent us back to Athens, Greece and there I was in prison
for eight months because I crossed the border illegally. Oh God,
when they put me in prison they beat me as much as they could
because they were against Afghan people. From Greece they deported
me back to Turkey but I didn't lose my courage and went again
to Italy, this time I said to the police "I am an Afghan,
I have nowhere to live and I have come to claim asylum".
"We are very sorry" they said, "there are too many
bloody asylum seekers and we don't want any more" "I
am a human being and I need asylum". They said you can cross
the country and go to Europe, I said this is Europe, they said
no.
I spoke with other Afghan people and asked them
what they were going to do, we are going to Europe, England is
the best but I don't have enough money. They said don't worry,
an agent will take you and you speak very good English and Russian,
"I studied German for seven years at school and I can speak
five or six languages", "there you are they said"
you have no problem and can cross borders easily. I took a train
and nobody asked me who I was or where I was going, I just said
look I have a ticket and that I am from England. "Sorry"
they said, "that's all right", "they didn't even
ask to see my passport. When I got to Paris I went to the police
and said "I am an Afghan and I want to claim asylum",
the told me to go away but I said that I had nowhere to stay,
I had no money and nowhere to stay. "No, No, just go away".
What
kind of Europe; what kind of countries are these?
I crossed the border to Germany where my aunt
was living and asked her what the situation was for asylum seekers.
She told me that she had been there for six years since claiming
asylum and they had nothing, they were not allowed to travel more
than 60km from the city where they had been accommodated. If I
claim asylum in Germany, what's my future—nothing, I can't
study, I can't work there is nothing you just stay as a slave.
I went to Holland and stayed there in a park for 25 days, I asked
others about asylum and they said that they had been waiting for
three years.
They also told me that if you have a strong
case you should go to England. I went back to Paris and asked
about how I could get to England, they told me there was a camp
for asylum seekers so I went to Calais and asked people how to
cross. They said go and catch the train but it is so difficult,
so fast, how can you get on, do you jump? They said yes, come
with us but I was frustrated, it was so difficult and I said,
"no I can't catch the train". I went and got in a lorry
but before it got on the train the police checked it and found
us. They asked us what we were doing and I told them that I wanted
to claim asylum in France but no one but no one could tell me
how, I can speak good English but no one would tell me.
They said do you want to claim asylum here and
I said yes of course. They put me in prison for a month in Calais
and then in prison for a month in Paris because I claim asylum.
I really hated it and then they kicked me out, I told them I had
no money so I went back to Calais and eventually arrived in England
on the 15 April 2001. I claimed asylum and it was granted on 25
May to live in the United Kingdom and on the 14 June I started
working in an office in Dover.
That's my life story, I'm so happy because in
25 days I got my decision, If I had got asylum in Europe I would
have got no decision and have no future, I am so happy I came
to England.
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