Cry of distress from the AZC

Bahman Azarmidkht has been waiting with wife and child in an AZC for two years for his asylum procedure to start. He cannot work, study or learn Dutch. It's better to be in prison, he says. ‘At least then you know how long you have left.’

I hope that human rights organisations and activists here in the Netherlands will hear my voice. First of all, I want to say that I am happy to be able to write freely in a country where freedom of expression applies. I will write down the story of my tragic life here in a few sentences; the complete story I will later turn into a book.

Stateless

Before I was born, my parents fought for the rights of Kurds under the oppressive Islamic Republic regime in Iran. In 1986, they were forced to flee Iran and ended up in Iraq, in the Al-Tash camp in the western province of Anbar. Because of their political activities, three of my relatives - my father's brother, my father's cousin and my aunt's husband - were executed by the regime. I myself came into the world without nationality on 5 January 1989 in the camp in the Al-Tash desert. To this day, I am stateless. All I have is a document from the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) registering my status as a refugee.

Death threats

I have always been aware of my family lineage and the reasons for my family's flight from Iranian Kurdistan to Iraq. I decided to follow that line and worked as a civil rights activist and journalist amid all the challenges we faced in Iraq.
In Iraq, I lived with discrimination, conflicts, wars and no nationality. Until the last moment, I tried, as best I could, to stay in Iraq to carry out my activities against the oppressive regime and to gain freedom for the Kurds in Iran. Unfortunately, as a result of my activist and journalistic work, I received death threats from Iranian security forces in Iraq. I lost hope of staying in Iraq and had to flee the country to ensure my safety and that of my wife. We arrived in the Netherlands and saw a country with democracy, human rights and freedom of expression. We also saw the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague: the existence of such an institution in a country like the Netherlands makes me happy.

Asylum procedure

We have been in the Netherlands for almost two years now and are still waiting for our interview at the Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND). During my time here, I have heard many stories in the AZCs where we stayed - every story needs a book or more to be told. I saw some asylum seekers making up stories and still getting residence permits. At the same time, I see myself, fighting for democracy and human rights since birth. Here in the Netherlands, my son came into the world, like me in a refugee camp and without nationality.
For almost two years, there have been no moves by the IND to start the asylum procedure and investigate our case. I cannot think of any convincing justification for this huge delay by the IND.

Evidence

UNHCR confirmed my identity and registration as a refugee with UNHCR (according to the 1951 UN Refugee Convention and 1967 New York Protocol). In addition, a number of organisations defending the rights of journalists assured the IND that I was threatened by my work as a journalist and had to flee for my safety. There are also many press reports and other documents related to my case. All these documents provide enough evidence for the IND. I fully understand that there is a crisis situation at the IND due to the recent influx of asylum seekers in the Netherlands. But when it comes to my case, there is no justification for this prolonged delay of almost two years during which my wife, my son and I have been in the camp.

Prison

I did not come to the Netherlands to get financial help in an AZC. I feel ashamed every week when I receive money from the government. I want to work hard for my money. But my life was threatened and I had to flee. In the camp, I cannot do anything: I am denied basic rights, such as working, learning the Dutch language, studying, and leading a normal life. Under these circumstances, I feel like a person in a dead reality. On the outside I am alive, but inside I am a dead person. Sometimes I think that under these conditions in the AZC, I have fewer basic rights than someone who spends his life in a prison. As a prisoner, at least you know how long you have left and have the right to work, study and learn the Dutch language.

Love and humanity

Under these difficult circumstances, we were and will be in the AZC for the time being. When I go outside with my wife and little son and breathe the same air as the Dutch people, I feel completely happy and free. We see the love and humanity of the Dutch people and that is why we are happy to be here, in a country with great people, democracy and human rights. I believe that what happens in the politics of the IND is completely unrelated to the loving and human nature of the Dutch people.
Let me mention something else about the camps here in the Netherlands, namely the Central Reception of Asylum Seekers (COA). For almost two years, I have witnessed their great work and good treatment of asylum seekers amidst all the challenges in the AZCs.

I hope my voice reaches human rights organisations and activists here in the Netherlands, in this beautiful country where people of different walks of life live together under the sun of democracy.

Translation: Charlotte Nijhuis
Primary school children at the Ter Apel asylum complex. Photo: Directorate of Information (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)