He left Afghanistan three months ago, threatened with death after he took his brother to a French military hospital. The family sold their house to pay the smugglers to bring him and his two brothers in France. They arrived, however, in Romania.

His father died from heart failure following an explosion. These attacks are something common in this country - ravaged by conflicts between tribes, governmental or rebel forces.

Until last autumn, Sanjar (pseudonym given to protect his family members in Kabul) lived in Kabul, the capital city of Afghanistan, with his mother, his two brothers, and three sisters.

His second brother was suffering from a brain disease that required a treatment exceeding the possibilities in Afghanistan.

Sanjar found support for his brother’s treatment at a French military hospital in Kabul. From that moment, he started to be followed by Afghan authorities, who called him in for questioning. He was summoned by the authorities to explain the situation. Refusing the call would have led to his death.

"In that moment, I understood that if I stay with my family in Afghanistan, one day, they will kill me, while on my way to the University, or on my way to my job. This was the main reason for leaving Afghanistan. My mother was very unhappy with it, but she said that if I didn’t leave, I will probably end up being killed in front of her. It is difficult for a mother to live with the idea that her innocent son will one day be killed”, said Sanjar.

They decided to sell the family house so that the three brothers could flee to Europe.

It was the only way. They gave all the money they obtained from selling the house to the smugglers. They also added another 3000 Euro from the family savings. 21.000 Euro was enough to transport three persons to Western Europe.

Sanjar, the most fluent in English of the three brothers, told us about their difficult journey: towards Iran, then Turkey, being locked inside a truck where they stayed for days, without seeing anything outside. In Bulgaria they slept in woods among wild animals. The trip continued through Serbia, finally reaching Romania, which they now consider their home.

The three brothers no longer wish to reach Western Europe, their initial dream. They want to remain here to succeed and save their mother and sisters.

Video I. Leaving Afghanistan. The Route

The video has subtitles in English and Romanian and is available in HD format. You can choose these elements by using the YouTube.com Settings button.

 

"When my life and that of my family were put in danger, I had to leave Afghanistan...”

  • "These people (the refugees/ editor`s note) left Afghanistan to live in another country, but none of them would have left home by choice.”
  • "Yesterday, in Kabul, there have been two suicide-attacks. 39 people have lost their lives. Most of them were civilians.”
  • "If we have a look at other provinces, most of them are under the attack of the Taliban, or of the insurgents. They don’t want a peaceful Afghanistan”, Sanjar said.
  • "When my life and that of my family were put in danger, I had to leave Afghanistan and reach a country where I can continue my studies, have a better life, and feel safe.”
  • "I studied business management, I learned English in Pakistan. In Kabul, I learned to use the computer.”

He wanted to become a journalist.

  • Sanjar wanted to become a journalist, but his mother thought it was too dangerous. "Unfortunately, or better said luckily, my mother was against it. This is how I ended up studying Economics and I worked for different multinational companies. "
  • "In 2011, one of my brothers had some medical complications, a brain disease. He went to many hospitals in Pakistan and India, without succeeding anything. Fortunately, given a good relation with the French army in Kabul, we had the chance to take him to the French military hospital”, said Sanjar.

Death threatened by the authorities

  • Taking his brother to a foreign hospital raised suspicions.
  • "I was threatened by the Afghan authorities for going to the French military hospital. They sent me a letter of warning because I kept going there."
  • In the second letter, Sanjar was threatened with death. "In that moment, I understood that if I stay with my family in Afghanistan, one day, they will kill me while on my way to the University, or on my way to my job. This was the main reason for leaving Afghanistan. My mother was very unhappy with it, but she said that if I didn’t leave, I will probably end up being killed in front of her. It is difficult for a mother to live with the idea that her innocent son will one day be killed”, said Sanjar.

Video II. The Route. Romania instead of France

The video has subtitles in English and Romanian and is available in HD format. You can choose these elements by using the YouTube.com Settings button.

 

They travelled for days locked in a truck. They slept in Bulgarian woods among wild animals.

  • Their mother took the decision to sell the house. They gave all the money they obtained from selling the house to the smugglers, including another 3000 Euro from the family savings. 21.000 Euro was enough to transport three persons to Western Europe. The others remained homeless in Afghanistan.
  • "The journey to Iran was very difficult. Afterwards, it was difficult to cross the border to Turkey.” Here, they traveled for many days inside a truck without being aware of where they were. In Bulgaria, they had to walk through the woods and to sleep among wild animals.
  • "When I arrived in Serbia, I thought I will go to a safe European country, where I can continue my studies, improve myself, so that I could help my family.”
  • "First, we wanted to go to France, starting by crossing to Hungary, but the smugglers tricked us.”
  • "When we entered Romania, we asked the smuggler if we were in Hungary and he said yes. Eight hours later, we were caught by the Police. We were a group of 43 migrants from Afghanistan, Pakistan and other countries. We were disappointed when we learned that we were in Romania, not in Hungary.”
  • "Back then, we didn’t know that Romania is a Member State of the European Union, and this is what we were searching for – an EU country. This is how I changed my destination: Romania instead of France.”

...they feel in Romania like home.

  • When Sanjar and his brothers were caught by the Police, they applied for asylum in Romania. First, they were accommodated in the Timisoara Transit Center. Afterwards, they were moved to the Bucharest Refugee Center.
  • "We applied for asylum, we brought all the documents they asked for, we were interviewed and, fortunately, after 34 days, we received refugee status in Romania."
  • Sanjar says that Romanians are warm, welcoming, sociable people and for this reason they feel in Romania like home. "The Immigration Office treated us very well when we stayed in Timisoara. In Bucharest, I didn’t feel like being in Romania. I had the feeling of being in Afghanistan, because the people’s behavior is the same as there.”

Video III. Romania instead of France. Refugee in Romania

The video has subtitles in English and Romanian and is available in HD format. You can choose these elements by using the YouTube.com Settings button.

 

Life with 450 RON per month

  • Sanjar and his brothers receive monthly 450 RON from the Romanian state, and they can barely buy the food they need. "We get 450 RON monthly, this is almost 100 Euro. It is very difficult to manage day by day with this money. It is quite hard to acquire each meal. We must find a job to earn money.”
  • The refugees go to cheap supermarkets and they try to cook traditional food just like home, in Afghanistan. For this reason, they also seek Turkish stores in Bucharest.

A job in Afghanistan can be obtained through bribery

  • Sanjar describes life in Afghanistan with notes that sound similar with Romania, especially with respect to corruption. "Because of corruption, in Afghanistan it is almost impossible to find a job without giving bribe.”
  • "For example, if you want to go to Afghanistan to work and you meet all the conditions, after a while you will be put aside in favor of another person who gave money for that job and who will take your place even if they are less qualified than you.”

Religious disagreements, the main cause of conflicts in Afghanistan

  • Sanjar says that many of the conflicts in his country are maintained by neighboring countries such as Pakistan, Iran, who encourage the groups of insurgents and restrain the young generation from reacting. "Fortunately, the situation in Afghanistan is better now. We have the Romanian military in Afghanistan, in the framework of NATO, as well as from other countries. Unfortunately, we have religious disagreements.”
  • Sanjar doesn’t understand the conflicts between Shiites and Sunnis. ”Islam allows everyone to live in a peaceful environment, without differences. The skin color, the race and the gender are not important for people. Loyalty, honesty, and the way you behave in society is what really matters. The Quran says that Islam is a religion of peace.”

VIDEO IV. Refugee in Romania. What's next?

The video has subtitles in English and Romanian and is available in HD format. You can choose these elements by using the YouTube.com Settings button.

 

He opted (...) to remain in Romania and to seek a job to be able to support his family.

  • Sanjar has already begun learning Romanian and he already knows how to introduce himself and to ask basic questions. He wants to learn quickly as much as he can, in order to be able to find a job in Romania. He attended the courses organized by the International Organization for Migration.
  • "I know some Romanian words like... My name is.. Where are you from? I started the courses three days ago, I took notes and I studied alone as well, using my notes and Google Translate. I can learn the Romanian language and hopefully I will do it as soon as possible.”
  • Since Sanjar has refugee status in Romania, implicitly in the European Union, he can go any time to any other EU country with the documents issued by the Romanian authorities. He opted, however, to remain in Romania and to seek a job to be able to support his family.
  • He has also asked the International Organization for Migration for help to find a job. He wishes to work either in the banking sector or in telecommunications, because he already has experience in these fields from working in Afghanistan. "I submitted my resume to various NGOs, CNRR (Romanian National Council for Refugees), JRS (Jesuit Service for Refugees) and IOM (International Organization for Migration) in order to find a job where I can improve my experience and education. I have not received any answer yet. They think the problem is that I don’t speak Romanian."

Refugee papers celebrated with traditional food

  • "They helped me join the list of those seeking work. They told me that it is possible to find a job in Brasov or another town in Romania. I said that there is no problem, because my family is not in a very good economic situation and I must take care of them. I have to take care of my family, besides my education, so finding work would be a good way to help my family."
  • "I am helped by the International Organization for Migration. Now, I live in a refugee center, but they will help me find accommodation outside the center. I'm looking for an apartment, but I feel good [at the Center for Refugees - n.r.] here as there are a few Afghan friends with whom I get along very well.”
  • "When I received refugee status, my friends told me that they are happy for me. I prepared them a traditional meal, just like in Afghanistan."
  • Sanjar and his brothers cooked traditional food for their friends. "I have access to the kitchen, inside the Center, and I can cook anything, without any problems."

"I called the rest of my family to Romania.”

  • The refugee status allows Sanjar to reunite with his family in Romania. In fact, he has already begun procedures to bring his mother here. Subsequently, she can call his sisters. "I asked for the family reunification procedure here in Romania. Authorities have told me that after I get my refugee status I can call my family here. The procedure allows me to call my mother, and if she is accepted as a refugee, in turn, she can call other family members. Now, the procedure is underway."

Authors: Andrei Aștefănesei (interview, text), Dani Drăgan (camera and video editing), Paula Căbescu (post-production related activities). 

See the Romanian version of the story

  See all the stories published in the section The Uncountried (Romania, Bulgaria)


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