Friday, June 24, 2011

issues which keep rising up

1. does the US Government know your address? If you told Mr. A your new address, that is nice, but did he write it down in your file, so that Mr. B knows your address also?
-make sure the government knows your address!

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did you report your problem to the police? Mr. Rah, from Mexico, was denied asylum because he did not report his problem to the Mexican police.
-in two different cases, where soldiers beat up the applicant, the asylum Officer asked "did you report your problem to the police?"
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is it a stupid question, after being beat up by soldiers, to ask "did you complain to the police about the soldiers?" Maybe, maybe not.
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Anyway, one answer is "No, I did not report it to the police, because that would have been a waste of time. The police are afraid of the soldiers. The police do not investigate crimes by soldiers."

Monday, June 6, 2011

an activist from the DRC

The Asylum Officer asked:
-when was your passport issued? was this your first passport? did you have any trouble getting your passport?
-you left your country on December 10th? what was your last address in your country?
Where did you live for the 90 days before you left your country?
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Why are you applying for asylum?
Why does your government pursue you?
What were your activities, that brought you to the attention of your government?
Why did the youth talk to you? what was special about you, that encouraged them to talk to you?
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inside the prison, what did the guard say to you? what language did he speak?
How did you get released? where did you go, immediately after being released?
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when did you decide to go to USA?
what did you say to get your visa? did you tell lies?
How did you get your passport, if your government hated you, and wanted to arrest you? the police gave info about you to the passport office, yes?
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where were you, at the moment of your arrest? where did they take you? how long did it take to get there? where did they take you?
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what did you do, during the three months before you left your country? where did you sleep at night?
After you left your country, was anyone harmed, because of you?
Is there anything else?
What would happen to you if you return?
The soldier hit you? did you report that to the police? why not?

an activist from the DRC