Afghan refugees in Greece are increasingly worried about their status. The EU's differing and uncertain asylum policies are making it even harder for them to cope
Forty-three-year-old Nemat Tajik had just been transferred to the Alexandria Refugee camp near the port city of Thessaloniki in Greece, when he heard that the Taliban had regained power in Afghanistan. "I felt powerless. It was like watching my mother being killed in front of my eyes," he said.
Tajik who comes from Herat, a city in west Afghanistan, left the country two years ago after a terrifying encounter with the Taliban.
"The governor of my region, who was associated with the Taliban, told me that I could continue living and working there if he could marry my 14-year old daughter. I instantly packed my bags and fled with my family. I knew if I didn't agree they would kill me and my family," he told DW.
Eager to seek protection in Europe, they traveled through Iran and Turkey and arrived at the Vathy camp in the Greek island of Samos, in November 2019.
But their lives are still in limbo as they continue to wait for a decision about their asylum status in Greece.
"Over the past few months, many of my friends from Afghanistan received negative decisions on their asylum applications. I myself received two rejections so far at the Vathy camp. I have appealed and have now been transferred to a new camp with the hope of getting my application accepted," said Tajik.
"Now more than ever, Europe needs to think about refugees from Afghanistan and not send us back. We did not escape, we were forced to flee," he said.
Comments