Dialogue with A. Jan

News from A Jan in Afghanistan,

You have all followed the case closely and know the story.

A Jan, young refugee from Afghanistan, whose brother converted and received a positive asylum decision in Austria, was deported to Afghanistan by the BMI on 24.4 despite great integration (HTL, B2 German, social work, connection to Austrian families, etc.).

His big misfortune was lousy legal advice.

Afghanistan, a country where terror, corruption, war and fighting are the order of the day.

Since his arrival, A. has had to hide, i.e. imprison himself in solitary confinement to avoid being recognised. He can only very rarely go out on the street in disguise to get food. He faces death by stoning if he is recognised.

The boy is just over 20 years old.

The Ministry of the Interior told me personally in the courtroom that asylum is not a popularity contest.

Just as the Minister of the Interior and his henchmen did not understand many things, I did not understand the world at that moment.

The fact that the police officers were in shock that they had to re-arrest A. despite his release from detention pending deportation, pronounced by the competent judge of the BvwG, Vienna, was no consolation to me.

Since that day, I have been in almost daily contact with the boy who has a big place in my heart.

I will fight for him as long as I live.

Life has changed

 

I am shocked. Shocked that I live in one of the richest countries in the world, which on the other hand has totally forgotten something, humanity.

I have to watch how our government, remotely controlled by visions of power, ships people like cattle, shows no movement when we break the minds and hearts of young people, only to send them back to their (war) country, where they often follow what was inculcated as a seed in our country. Hatred, agitation, radicalisation, insensitivity and coldness.

When I started my work I was not even remotely able to imagine the depths of humanity I would dive into.

What wickedness the capitalist world has in store all around me and how little we care for young life.

I will never, and this is a promise, bow to this brutality of the government and the powerful. I work daily to remain in love and yet I will defy this inhumanity with all my strength.

"We are many"

I have found many comrades-in-arms from all walks of life and all corners of the country. I am wholeheartedly attached to each and every one of them, because without them I could not walk the fight for human rights in our country. They trust me and I trust them. They are home to me and a source of strength. And I know the day will come when we will be crying and laughing in each other's arms and celebrating our victory.

We will be able to look our children straight in the face and say: "yes, it is true that the challenge of 2015 was huge, but we overcame it. We were ready to give an inch to show people who came to us in the greatest need what is possible when many are ready to work against fear and for peace".

And the question of my grandchildren will not affect me as it did those around me when I kept asking them: "How could this happen, how could National Socialism become so big?"

Many tears I shed when I read your letters A. Jan. Not because I think the battle is lost, no, don't worry. You know as well as I do where we stand.

I shed tears because my country is able to inflict such pain on you and other people. They justify it with "wise political foresight", "we have to stop the flow of refugees" and "we can't take them all". "we have to stop the flow of refugees" and "we can't take them all".

They justify the destruction of young people's souls by wanting to preserve our security, our peace.

That is what makes me so sad. It's like building a castle on sand. What are our children, the many children in our country, supposed to learn from us when we sell 1000 apprentices as a wonderful achievement and at the same time want to send all the others back to a country like Afghanistan? If we teach schoolchildren hatred and agitation and we remain silent about human monstrosities?

My words to you, Jan

You know, Jan, I grieve with you, because I know how hard you tried to learn our language, you mastered the HTL, you connected with us and all the new things in sincere trust. With what openness and curiosity you got involved with us. And now you have been sitting isolated in a room in Afghanistan for 4 months, you are afraid to go out on the street, you report to me in panic about every attack that happens in your area and you feel that after 3 years in Europe you will never again be able to endure this brutality, the much blood, the terror.

I would have expected more courage, more kindness and more compassion from my country and from the people who live here. The realisation that teachers, academics, craftsmen, educated, well-paid people turn away and don't say a word about these atrocities disgusts me to the core.

This situation has also changed my life.

I have my family, my children and my closest friends in my heart and around me. I can rely on them in every situation and feel deeply loved by them. But I have become more rebellious, uncomfortable, critical and also lonely. I have high expectations of people, because only the true fighters remain in my memory. And I often ask myself the question, what makes life really meaningful? So I have also become calmer, more thoughtful.

But one thing will remain in me as long as I live. I will fight for justice. I will fight for people to understand that we should open our hearts to our neighbours in order to experience happiness ourselves. That we are privileged and should share the gifts we have received with others in order to feel the warmth that is innermost in us humans.

And I will fight for you until you get your feet back on the ground here in Austria or in another peaceful country, until you can recover from the unimaginable physical and psychological strain that my country has put you through. And be sure, Jan, I believe that we will succeed. Peace will also touch your heart again and you will be able to fully unfold the beauty of your being. I believe in this and fight for it every day.

United in love,

Yours, Doro

Letter to me from A Jan from Afghanistan 24.8.2018

 

Days will pass The days don't know they're counted It's getting colder and colder Slowly Summer says Welcome to Winter Heaven has a lump in its throat It also doesn't want to bring joy to people here The sunny days are gone The boring days are still there Days without feeling after difficult journey after bad memory . Hot days without love Summer was started with police handcuffs Court ,deportation detention , and deportation , explosions and fear for life are memory No photo of sea never swam Always at home alone and beautiful time is gone for me Summer was life not like a life Whole days survive to live for nothing I remember you last summer internship interpreter ,B2 and school certificate friends and joy are both gone from me I see no more hope because this summer gave me nothing even one hour of fun Now it's school time my colleagues are graduating soon and I in Afghanistan wish them good luck Now I want to sit under a tree and study for Matura Now I want to think about my future instead of crying I am the man who could do anything difficult childhood,Poverty, different school, going to Europe all he burdened to make career but never life gave him no chance just stay in his dream My life didn't deserve to be such a life I go deeper in hell and I am very afraid of miracle If no miracle happen then lose my little chance too I hate to say it I am fine How I can be fine when I have so much loss in life How someone is fine when he has no hope to live My story and fate tells me that I don't believe in any government in any rule of law I apologize if it is so