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?
=
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?
=
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?
=
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?
=
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?
=
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?
=
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?
=
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?
=
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
Friday, October 28, 2011
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?
=
you are a member of the "Bamileke" tribe? how are they different from other people in Cameroon? different language, accent, religion, what?
=
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?
=
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?
=
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?
=
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?
=
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?
=
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?
-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?
=
you are a member of the "Bamileke" tribe? how are they different from other people in Cameroon? different language, accent, religion, what?
=
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?
=
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?
=
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?
=
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?
=
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?
=
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?
=
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?
=
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?
-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?
=
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?
=
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?
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?
Thursday, September 29, 2011
pro-democracy activist
The government lawyer asked these questions, of Mr. B, from Burma:
-Tell me about your international travel: you lived in Japan?
What was your immigration status in Japan?
Did you enter Japan with a tourist visa?
What did you apply for, in Japan?
Why didn't you apply for asylum there?
Who says only 1% of asylum applicants win asylum in Japan?
Did you violate laws in Japan? did you work without a work permit?
Why did you leave Japan?
=
What happened upon your arrival at the airport in your country?
did you have a passport?
Your father knew you were arriving, so he got to airport early and paid extortion money to officer? Do you mean he paid a bribe? how much did he pay?
=
Where did you go, after leaving the airport?
How many times were you arrested in your country? Two times?
Where were you, at the moment of your first arrest?
You were at your house? who else was at the house at that time?
Your mother was there? why didn't she write a letter, describing what happened at the time of your arrest?
Why were you arrested?
How long were you detained? Why were you released? what happened on the day of your release, while you were inside the prison?
After being released, where did you go?
Why didn't you go to the hospital, if you were so badly injured?
=
Where were you, at them moment of your arrest, when you were arrested the second time?
Who else was there, at that time?
Why were you arrested?
Why were you released?
Where did you go, after being released?
=
11 months later, you departed from your country?
Why the long delay? why didn't you flee immediately?
=
You say you have protested often, here in USA, in front of your Embassy?
Your protesting here might cause problems for your wife?
If so, why do you protest? don't you care about your wife?
=
Does your government know that you protest? do they care if you protest, or are they bored by it?
How do you know what your government thinks about your protesting?
did someone call you on the phone and tell you something?
You say your government knows that you protest, and that they are angry at you, becausse your protesting is embarrassing to them?
-your government is so embarrassed, and so angry at you, that what? They went to your wife's house and hit her on the head? NO? they did nothing to your wife? So, isn't that evidence that your government does not know, or does not care, what you do here in USA?
-Tell me about your international travel: you lived in Japan?
What was your immigration status in Japan?
Did you enter Japan with a tourist visa?
What did you apply for, in Japan?
Why didn't you apply for asylum there?
Who says only 1% of asylum applicants win asylum in Japan?
Did you violate laws in Japan? did you work without a work permit?
Why did you leave Japan?
=
What happened upon your arrival at the airport in your country?
did you have a passport?
Your father knew you were arriving, so he got to airport early and paid extortion money to officer? Do you mean he paid a bribe? how much did he pay?
=
Where did you go, after leaving the airport?
How many times were you arrested in your country? Two times?
Where were you, at the moment of your first arrest?
You were at your house? who else was at the house at that time?
Your mother was there? why didn't she write a letter, describing what happened at the time of your arrest?
Why were you arrested?
How long were you detained? Why were you released? what happened on the day of your release, while you were inside the prison?
After being released, where did you go?
Why didn't you go to the hospital, if you were so badly injured?
=
Where were you, at them moment of your arrest, when you were arrested the second time?
Who else was there, at that time?
Why were you arrested?
Why were you released?
Where did you go, after being released?
=
11 months later, you departed from your country?
Why the long delay? why didn't you flee immediately?
=
You say you have protested often, here in USA, in front of your Embassy?
Your protesting here might cause problems for your wife?
If so, why do you protest? don't you care about your wife?
=
Does your government know that you protest? do they care if you protest, or are they bored by it?
How do you know what your government thinks about your protesting?
did someone call you on the phone and tell you something?
You say your government knows that you protest, and that they are angry at you, becausse your protesting is embarrassing to them?
-your government is so embarrassed, and so angry at you, that what? They went to your wife's house and hit her on the head? NO? they did nothing to your wife? So, isn't that evidence that your government does not know, or does not care, what you do here in USA?
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
activist from Ethiopia
The government lawyer asked:
-show me the originals of all of your documents!
-you say the guard hit you? tell me what weapons he used, and what words he said!
What thoughts went through your mind, as he walked toward you, with the baton raised above his head?
-you say you feared he would kill you, and you would never see your mother again?
=
What is the name of the main opposition party in your country?
why did you not join it?
Who was the leader of that party in June 2008? in December 2010?
Who is the leader today?
Why did you support that person?
=
you say you went to a demonstration in January 2011? how did you hear about it?
how did you get to it? drive a car? walk?
How many people were at the demonstration?
How many people were arrested at the demonstration?
=
how did you get this certificate? did you bring it with you, in your suitcase?
did someone mail it to you? If so, where is the envelope it came in? How do we know it was not printed right here in Baltimore, in someone's basement?
=
After you departed from your country, did your father have any problems? why not?
did your siblings have any problems?
-show me the originals of all of your documents!
-you say the guard hit you? tell me what weapons he used, and what words he said!
What thoughts went through your mind, as he walked toward you, with the baton raised above his head?
-you say you feared he would kill you, and you would never see your mother again?
=
What is the name of the main opposition party in your country?
why did you not join it?
Who was the leader of that party in June 2008? in December 2010?
Who is the leader today?
Why did you support that person?
=
you say you went to a demonstration in January 2011? how did you hear about it?
how did you get to it? drive a car? walk?
How many people were at the demonstration?
How many people were arrested at the demonstration?
=
how did you get this certificate? did you bring it with you, in your suitcase?
did someone mail it to you? If so, where is the envelope it came in? How do we know it was not printed right here in Baltimore, in someone's basement?
=
After you departed from your country, did your father have any problems? why not?
did your siblings have any problems?
Monday, September 5, 2011
an activist from Burma
The Asylum Officer asked:
-when was passport issued? when re-newed? doesn't everyone have to pay bribes to get a passport? did you have to pay extra bribes?
-you say you lived in Thailand for seven years? what was your status there? were you "firmly resettled" there?
Why did you depart from Thailand?
What were your activites here in USA?
why did you protest in front of the White House?
Why do you think your government knows that you protested in front of White House?
How many people attended the protest?
How did you get there? how did you get home?
=
did you join even one organization here in USA?
do you have a membership card?
can anyone join, if they want?
Tell me the name of one member of that organization.
Tell me the name of one other person who protested in front of the Embassy.
What else did you do, besides stand on the sidewalk for one hour?
Why did you join that organization?
What else do they do, besides stand on sidewalk with large signs?
How did it happen, that you became a member?
=
how would your government know about your activities?
You say they have a lot of spies? who says?
Tell me about each of your brothers and sisters. How come none of them is in prison now?
=
what would happen if you return to your counry?
You had problems in City #1? OK, so go live in City #2 or #3! Why are those cities unsafe?
=
who took the photos of you, while you were protesting? why did he take those photos?
Is there anything else?
-when was passport issued? when re-newed? doesn't everyone have to pay bribes to get a passport? did you have to pay extra bribes?
-you say you lived in Thailand for seven years? what was your status there? were you "firmly resettled" there?
Why did you depart from Thailand?
What were your activites here in USA?
why did you protest in front of the White House?
Why do you think your government knows that you protested in front of White House?
How many people attended the protest?
How did you get there? how did you get home?
=
did you join even one organization here in USA?
do you have a membership card?
can anyone join, if they want?
Tell me the name of one member of that organization.
Tell me the name of one other person who protested in front of the Embassy.
What else did you do, besides stand on the sidewalk for one hour?
Why did you join that organization?
What else do they do, besides stand on sidewalk with large signs?
How did it happen, that you became a member?
=
how would your government know about your activities?
You say they have a lot of spies? who says?
Tell me about each of your brothers and sisters. How come none of them is in prison now?
=
what would happen if you return to your counry?
You had problems in City #1? OK, so go live in City #2 or #3! Why are those cities unsafe?
=
who took the photos of you, while you were protesting? why did he take those photos?
Is there anything else?
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