In a country dominated by silence, Armin* strongly used his most powerful weapon: music. As a result, he was forced to leave his country but did not know how to apply for asylum in Türkiye until he met Danish Refugee Council’s partner, Refugee Rights Türkiye.
“Music, especially rap, is my life, my world, my youth, my family- my everything. My dream is to live and breathe rap. In many ways, it feels like my god, a presence I draw my strength from.”
This is how Armin* talked about his passion for music. He used to create underground rap music in Iran, a form of music that is prohibited in Iran due to religious and political restrictions. When he was a student, he participated in human rights protests and supported his cause through his music. As a result, he was detained, and his songs were saved in his detention files.
This incident did not stop him but made him more determined to pursue his political activities and give voice to the oppressed through his music. After he was released, Armin continued his activities through recording an album with human rights songs. His family and friends were concerned about his safety and tried to convince him to stop protesting. Torn between his desire to express himself freely and the potential risks of imprisonment, he decided to flee his country to Türkiye.
After he arrived in Türkiye, Armin went to Isparta and applied for a residence permit there. Afterwards, he opened his own business, hoping that it would also give him a chance to write his music freely, but everything failed. He faced financial difficulties, while his music on social media was not getting recognized. He decided to go to Europe but was apprehended and taken to a removal center.
Facing the danger of being sent back to his home country, Armin found hope through another detainee who introduced him to Refugees’ Rights in Türkiye (RRT).
Armin, reached out to the Administrative Detention Hotline (+90 507 218 62 85) for people under administrative detention within the scope of the project carried out by our institution, Refugee Rights Türkiye (RRT), in partnership with the Danish Refugee Council (DRC). Funded by the European Union (EU), the project offers legal counselling to asylum seekers and vulnerable migrants, supporting them to appeal administrative detention and deportation decisions and access protection mechanisms. RRT accompanied Armin to Istanbul and helped him to overturn the deportation decision. Armin was worried, but RRT team succeeded in overturning the decision and helped him apply for asylum registration. Armin was finally safe.
“I have received an incredible support from RRT. The lawyers are not only highly skilled but also deeply professional. They handled my case with great care and dedication, putting in a tremendous amount of effort. I truly appreciated their hard work, the consistent follow-ups, and the way they stood firmly behind their work.”
As part of asylum obligations, he moved to Erzurum. Although he was safe, he was worried he would not be able to make music freely, but there was a surprise waiting for him.
Many of his followers on social media started supporting him when he was in detention. Some of them offered him a studio and help in organizing concerts in several Turkish cities. His dream finally came true.
“I want to be a beacon of hope for my followers, a voice for the thoughts and emotions they cannot express. I want to echo their inner world while continuing my path.”
Although Armin is safe now, there are countless others who still struggling to live freely and safely. DRC and RRT continue to ensure that all refugees have access to legal protection and support they neeed.
*The name and some personal information of the beneficiary have been changed to protect their identity and not to disrupt the plot.
