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He himself was among those who went to Belarus, paying $ 4,000 to intermediaries who promised to help in the transfer to Europe. Rebin says that many in his homeland did not like his exposing publications, and he decided to leave Kurdistan out of fears for his life. But, unlike the overwhelming majority of other refugees, Rebin Servan decided not to break through to the European Union, but to ask for asylum in Belarus, where he arrived legally, having completed all the permits.
But a few hours after the official request was submitted, the journalist says, the Belarusian police beat him, took away the phone from which he was trying to stream, and put him on a plane, which took Rebin not to his native Iraq, but to neighboring Syria.
“I was beaten and tortured until I agreed to fly to Syria. The police pushed me onto the plane, they didn’t even give me a mandatory coronavirus test, ”Rebin recalls.
Now he is already in Iraq, where he is trying to convey to as many people as possible the truth about the difficulties that people who decide to try their luck in Europe will have to face. For example, to explain over and over again that Belarus is not just not a part of the European Union, but a country that is quite hostile to Europe now, from which it is not so easy to get out.
Economic journalist Mohammed Hussein from Iraqi Kurdistan says that some of the refugees, like Rebin Servan, go abroad for political reasons, fearing persecution or reprisals, but the vast majority of Kurds are driving poverty to Europe:
“There are a certain number of people who face political persecution. Both in Iraqi Kurdistan and in other regions of Iraq. Some people are indeed in mortal danger because of their political stance. Journalists and activists are imprisoned because of the statements unpleasant for the authorities, this is really so. But most of those who ended up at the Polish border, most likely, got there for other reasons. They went to Europe for economic reasons. We have a very difficult economic situation. “
Mohammed Hussein says the middlemen who handle the paperwork and buy air tickets (he calls them smugglers) do not advertise themselves in any way. Firstly, because such services may fall under the article of the criminal code that punishes trafficking in persons. And secondly, because any resident of Kurdistan can easily find contacts of such intermediaries.
“They are not looking for clients, but clients are looking for them. Smugglers don’t have to advertise themselves. Anyone who wants to contact them will quickly find them. Their contacts are sent in messengers, you can talk to them through Whatsapp and other applications, ”the journalist says.
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