Refugee Stories Project - The Dublin system

Azekel

editor — Thu, 24 May 2007 12:56:45 +0000

Summary

Azekel. fled his home in Angola without knowing where he was going, and ended up in Belgium where he was put in detention, despite his poor health. Since he was smuggled into Belgium on an Italian visa, he was subject to the Dublin Regulation.

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Azekel, 43, left his home in Angola because his life was at risk. He fled the country without knowing where he was going and ended up in Belgium. Since he was smuggled into Belgium on an Italian visa, he was subject to the Dublin Regulation – the EU procedure for allocating responsibility to an individual member state for processing an asylum claim - and after two months in Belgium he was transferred to Italy.

Azekel was detained on arrival in Belgium in spite of his trauma and poor health. He received no information about the asylum procedure or the Dublin Regulation and had no opportunity to appeal the decision to transfer him. Azekel has now been recognised as a refugee and tells the story of his confusing encounter with Europe and its asylum system.

“If I could write my history as a refugee, I would only ask the persons governing the country that they should change their mentality.. their conscience. First of all their conscience.”

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Dublin II Regulation

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Kasim

editor — Fri, 03 Nov 2006 15:49:17 +0000

Summary

Kasim is 39 years old and fled political persecution in Iraq in 2001. He sought asylum in Sweden but after four years he was sent back to Italy, where he had first arrived, under the EU's Dublin Regulation.

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"It was torture, it reminded me of prison in Iraq."

This is how Kasim describes the four years and four months he lived in Sweden while waiting to be returned to Italy under the Dublin Convention. Kasim arrived in Italy in 2001 and left after a few weeks of sleeping rough in a park. Eighteen months into his asylum procedure in Sweden he was told he would have to return to Italy, but it was another two years before he was finally put on a plane to Rome. The uncertainty, broken appointments, cancelled flights and the waiting eventually led Kasim to attempt suicide.

Kasim's decision to leave Italy for Sweden was made out of desperation. He knew nothing of the asylum procedure in Sweden, nor of the Dublin Convention. He was searching for a safe and secure place to live and when he did not find that in the first EU country he reached, he looked for it in another.

Links 1

ECRE on Dublin

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Dublin Regulation

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Mahdi

editor — Thu, 02 Nov 2006 17:22:05 +0000

Summary

Mahdi was tortured by Iran's secret police and fled to the Netherlands in 2000. His asylum application was rejected and in fear of being sent back to Iran, he fled to Denmark. He has since been returned to the Netherlands and is now living without status.

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Mahdi fled Iran after being tortured by the government security services. He reported to the Dutch immigration officials on arrival in Schiphol airport in Amsterdam. He had no expectations other than that his story of persecution would receive a fair hearing by the Dutch immigration authorities.

"I was literally destroyed, fresh scar, bad health."

Six years later, Mahdi is without status, having lodged three asylum applications in the Netherlands. Following the failure of his final appeal, Mahdi fled to Denmark to avoid expulsion. There, he applied for asylum and was undergoing psychiatric care when he was returned to the Netherlands under the Dublin Regulation.

Mahdi’s desperate search for protection exposes the risk of fast tracking the applications of vulnerable asylum seekers.

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Maia

editor — Thu, 19 Oct 2006 14:40:17 +0000

Summary

Maia lives in Spain with her son and has begun to rebuild her life after the tragic death of her husband, following the family's transfer from the Netherlands under the Dublin Regulation.

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Fleeing the Ukranian mafia, Maia and her family became entangled in Dublin II restrictions as they tried to reach a safe country in Europe where they could rebuild their lives. The family was deported to Spain after managing to settle in the Netherlands. Maia's husband was suffering from depression, but the lack of medical attention he received on arrival in Spain left him unable to cope with such dramatic change and he committed suicide.

Maia survived the desolation and forced herself to settle down to a new life in Spain so that her son at least could have a better future.

"I wanted a better life for my son. Yes, I wanted to live well, without worries, to work, to study like everybody wants."