The crisis in Afghanistan has pushed millions to leave their country, but many are not familiar with the procedures to apply for refugee status, putting them at risk of deportation.
Twenty-seven-year-old Hamid* had difficulty answering the question “Why did you leave your country?”
He was hesitant for a minute. Many painful memories rushed into his head. He remembered the horrible moments that made him take that decision.
Hamid worked as an office assistant at an international organization in Kabul, Afghanistan, to support his family. In 2015, he was on his way to work when a group of armed men stopped him at a checkpoint and asked to see his documents. They found out about his identity and his work, and decided he was acting against their interests. They detained and tortured him for 12 days. Later, he was released, but it was clear that staying in the country was no longer safe for him. When his manager heard about the incident, he advised him to flee to another country and offered him some money.
It was a long journey. Hamid first went to Iran and stayed there for several months, then decided to leave for Türkiye because Iran did not grant him asylum status and he was at risk of being sent back to Afghanistan. In 2016, he arrived in Istanbul, Türkiye, where he worked in different jobs such as shoemaking and knitting while trying to obtain a legal status. The attempts lasted for two years but they were all in vain. He stayed in Istanbul without any legal documents until 2021 when he was stopped by the police on his way to a hospital. Once they realized he was residing without any legal documents, the police detained Hamid for 35 days. “I prefer being detained,” he says. “I cannot go back and risk my life.”
After the detention process, the court was about to decide on Hamid’s deportation when one of his relatives contacted our organisation “Refugee Rights Türkiye” (RRT). As part of the European Union (EU) funded project in partnership with the Danish Refugee Council (DRC), we have a counselling hotline for people in administrative detention or released from detention (you can reach this hotline on +90 507 218 62 85). Through this hotline, we provide legal counselling on detention rights. As part of these services, we also provided Hamid with legal counselling on his rights as an asylum seeker. “One of the difficulties that asylum seekers face is the lack of information about their rights,” says our lawyer friend who supports Hamid. “They don’t realise how to deal with the situation, which can put them at risk.”
The lawyer later interviewed Hamid to record his reasons for leaving Afghanistan. Due to the fact that he was in danger if he were to return there, he was identified as an eligible person for obtaining refugee status. RRT filed an appeal against the deportation decision. The appeal was rejected in the first instance, then was finally accepted in August 2021, and RRT supported Hamid in his refugee status application “I cannot describe my feelings,” he says. “I lived under threat for years because I could not know how to obtain the document that protects me from being deported.”
We also referred Hamid to another NGO and provided him with support to receive treatment as a victim of torture. Hamid’s mental health is improving, but most importantly, he now feels safe and can walk freely without fear. He hopes to settle in a third country where he can continue his education and become a mechanical engineer and business owner.
Türkiye hosts the largest number of refugees in the world. Lack of information and legal representation puts many refugees at risk of being returned to the countries they fled. DRC and RRT’s main goal is to work to ensure that all refugees have access to the information they need to access legal protection and their rights under the law. they fled. DRC and RRT’s efforts continue to ensure that all refugees have access to legal protection and the information they need to access their rights under the law.
*Beneficiary’s name has been changed to protect his identity.
