Friday, October 28, 2011

pro-democracy activist from Cameroon, #2

More questions:
What questions did they ask you?
What else did they ask?
Why didn't the guard believe you?
What info did the guard want?
Did they take your photo and fingerprints at the police station?
Is that photo available to the Embassy of your country here in USA, so that they could compare it to a photo they took of you here in USA, and then be able to determine your name?
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how long did they hit you for?
What happened on day #2 at the station? what questons did they ask?
what happpened at day #3?
How did you escape? what happened on the day of your release?
How much was the bribe that your sister paid, to get you out?
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what were your political activities in your country?
what was your political opinion about your President?
does he know your opinion? how would he be able to know it?
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how did your sister find out you were in jail?
did the police ever charge you with a particular crime?
How was your health on the day of your release?
you went to a health clinic? what did they do for you?
Gave you what medicine? gave you bandages? X ray? did they conduct any tests on your urine or blood?
Did a nurse examine you?
did a doctor examine you?
what did the nurse tell you?
what did the doctor tell you?
Where is the original paper from the Clinic? how did you get it? where is the envelope it was sent in?
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since your escape, what have the police done?
did they talk to your parents? when? what did the police say to parents?
Your father has email? can I send him an email right now? will he answer?
Did you save the earlier emails you sent your father? can you print them out and give them to me?
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Does your government care about you? why?
is there any other reason why they care about you?
Why did you send your embassy a certified letter?
Why did you protest in front of your embassy?
If 30 people protest, and you are one of them, how do the workers inside the Embassy know your name? if they take your photo, can they compare that photo to a police photo, or to a passport photo?
-among the protesters on the sidewalk, are there spies and infiltrators? did one of them find out your name, and then report back to the Embassy?
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who else protested? what is the name of the group which protested?
Why did you protest?
what is the purpose?
why protest in front of the White house, and not in front of your embassy?
How did you learn about the protest?
Were you a member of a group here in USA? show me a membership card!
Why aren't you a member? is it because you are lazy and do not care?
How would your government know that you protested?
They took your photo while protesting; OK, so, are they able to compare it, and match it up with other photos they have of you?
-did an infiltrator look at the protest photo, and then give the names of the persons he knew?
-do you know the name of another person who protested? how did you find out her name? does she know your name? how do you know that she knows? is she a spy for your government?
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when you left your country, did you have any trouble getting out of the airport?
why weren't you arrested at the airport? you say your mother paid a bribe? how much? who did she pay it to? how do you know that?
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Is there any other reason why you can't return to your country?
Is there anything else?
What is your favorite exhibit?
If I telephone your mother right now, will she answer?
If i send an email to your sister, right now, will she answer?

w

pro-democracy activist from Cameroon

The Asylum Officer asked:
-when you applied for a visa at US embassy in your country, did you fill out an application?
-did you tell lies on that application?
do I have a copy of that application right here in my hand? I read it today; you have not read it since you signed it 12 months ago? So, I know more about it than you do?
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you are a member of the "Bamileke" tribe? how are they different from other people in Cameroon? different language, accent, religion, what?
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Where is your husband today?
where is your older sister today? how come the government does not bother her?
Is a video of you protesting now published on www.camer.be?
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you are un-employed here in USA? how do you pay rent/ how do you buy food?
Upon arrival here in USA, what was your plan, as to where you would live?
In answer to that same question, what did you say to the Embassy 12 months ago?
You told some lies to the Embassy, yes? but you can't remember exactly what you said, correct? that is why you are stumbling and mumbling today?

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did you have any problems due to your race?
problems due to religion?
problems due to nationality?
problems due to your clan or tribe?
problems due to political opinion?
problems due to "particular social group"?
Do you know what "particular social group" means?
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did you have a "traditional" marriage?
Yes? if you want to get married again, must you first get a divorce?
When was your last contact with your husband?
your last contact with your father?
What did he tell you, when you talked last?
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why were you arrested?
where were you, at the moment of your arrest? sitting on a chair in your house? walking on the sidewalk? sitting in a car?
What did the police say, upon your arrest?
what weapons did you see?
What thoughts went through your mind, when you saw the baton?
How did you get from the place of your arrest to the police station?
What time were you arrested? what time did you arrive at the station?
Inside the station, what did you see?
What did you hear?
what did you smell?
What thoughts went through your mind, at that time?
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Describe the room you were in: how big was it? as big as this office?
was there a chair? a bed? a plastic bucket for a toilet?

a Tamil from Sri Lanka

The Asylum Officer wanted to know:
-you went to a university in India? how did you pay the tuition?
-how did you pay for the airline tickets from Sri Lanka to Brazil, to Ecuaduor, to Mexico?
-how do you pay your bills today, in USA? how do you pay rent?
-Why was your father killed?
why was your brother arrested?
-where is the rest of your family? why did you travel alone?
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you say you were arrested in October? what language did the guard speak?
what questions did he ask?
did he mention your ethnic group? was he interested, at all, in whether you were a member of the Tamil group? how do you know?
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how did you get your passport? whose name was in it? what country issued it?
where is the passport now?
If you return to your country, what would happen to you?
is there anything else?
what is your favorite exhibit?

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Exhibit 1

EXHIBIT #1: DID YOU SUFFER ANY HARM?

Physical harm
1. did you suffer any harm to your body?
2. did you suffer any harm to your house, apartment, furniture, office, temple, motor vehicle, or to anything else? Were rocks thrown through your window?
3. where you held inside a jail or prison?

Psychological harm
4. did anyone threaten you? Did anyone say they would harm you in the future?
5. did you suffer emotional harm? Did you ever feel scared? Anxious? Worried? Any nightmares or flashbacks?
6. did a member of your family suffer harm? How did you feel, as a result?
7. how would you compare your emotional health today, with what it was before?

Economic harm
8. did you lose your job? Were you unfairly denied another job?
9. was property taken away from you?
10. were you ordered to pay a large fine?
11. were you denied health benefits/education/public services/ official documents?
12. were you denied a license/passport/insurance?

Social harm
13. was there an invasion of your privacy?
14. were you forced to live in a ghetto?
15. were you denied certain kinds of jobs? Schools?
16. was there enforced social and civil inactivity?
17. was there surveillance? Did police talk to you frequently?
18. were you pressured to become an informer?
19. did you suffer deprivation of liberty?
20. were you shunned or ostracized?
21. were you forced to comply with religious rules?
22. were you verbally insulted when you walked down the street or took a bus?
23. were there public expressions against your group? [statements made in newspapers, television, radio, or graffiti on walls?]
24. were you treated unfairly in any other way?