Yesterday I participated in a court of Justice as a translator / interpreter
for an Afghan asylum seeker who was brought to the court for being judged for
not being able to pay his 25 Euro bill.
His crime was a very big one. It was not paying the “Internet bills”.
It was a very interesting scene. It was supposed to happen in a very fair
manner but it did not.
There were judges and lawyers representing the internet company but the
Afghan asylum seeker had no one to defend him but himself.
After many other people went
there to speak for themselves with their lawyers, finally it was the turn of
the Afghan asylum seeker.
The judge asked him to the place to defend himself against the lawyer
of the company.
He stood up and said:
Your honor, it is about 4 years that I have been here in the country as
an asylum seeker. A series of bad things happened to me here in these 4 years.
The most important ones were attempts to murder and life threats by the doctors
and unnecessary operations to place some machines in my belly to kill me and unnecessary
injections. Why would you need to do that as a nation? Is that really necessary?
One of the main other issues are the fact that I receive big bills to pay
every time, without spending any services of these different companies.
Even without buying anything from these companies, I want to pay them,
because if don’t, I get serious punishments in different aspects of life, that
is the real life situation for the Afghan asylum seekers.
But the problem is that I don’t have any income. I have been jobless
for all the time that I have spent in this country but I have always received
big bills to pay, which are obviously a kind of financial punishment for me by some
companies, which I am not sure they exist.
I was in a very bad depression because of all bad things that happened
to me in this country, by its noble and respectable people, I decided to have
internet at home to change my mind.
I went to the library and used the internet there to contact one of the
internet companies.
They sent a person and brought a small machine with them, and then one
of the agents of the company liked that machine and took it away before
installation and changed it, maybe because that one was nicer and better than
the last old one he brought it for me from his home. I asked the representative
of the company not to change that machine, but he did not listen to me. I asked
that company representatives and told them to send the bills every month,
because if it gets loaded for few months, then I won’t be able to pay it. They
said ok, and they left.
I got a connection for 25 Euros per month. But the connection was not
good and I got disconnected almost every 10 minutes and then I decided to call
that company again.
The company said that they will not activate the internet on that line,
unless they receive the first payment.
I thought that the internet connection is not ok, the quality is really
bad, and so I have to stop this connection. I put the lines away, and I did not
use that internet anymore because it was not usable.
I went to the library instead to use the free WiFi from the library.
Now after many years, I receive this bill of 580 Euros to be paid for
this internet company. If I had a job and if I had money, they only money they
earned and deserved to be paid amounts only 25 Euros for that first month, not
obviously 580 Euros.
I have received so many other bills the same way and I am paying them
by 10 Euro or 20 Euro per month, now I have stopped accepting further bills.
The judge was very angry and said: wow, what a bad country! Why don’t
you leave this country, if it is so bad?
The Afghan asylum seeker said, well, again it is the financial problem,
Sir, if I had money to travel, I was already gone, I wouldn’t be here today to
listen to your racist, chauvinist, nationalist, xenophobic and anti – refugee
comments.
My first question is “Why is it so much 580 Euros?”. I have never used
so much of the internet from this company.
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Well, it is because of the interest?
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How much is the interest rate for a 25 Euro to become 580 Euros? And
how long will it take to increase 25 Euros to 580 Euros?
-
We that I don’t know!
Tell me how can I pay this amount? I don’t have a job, I have no income
and obviously you cannot punish someone because of poverty and joblessness.
Why don’t you work?
Almost every company in your country has a copy if my CV. I can’t force
them to give me a job. You should know that in all countries of the word,
creation of jobs and opportunities for employment is the responsibilities of
the relevant governments.
Well, I think you know the answer yourself, look at your comments about
refugee, how can a society opinionated the xenophobic ways, the way you just
spoke about the immigrants, can offer a job to refugees?
I am deeply disappointed form all the European countries and their
xenophobic behavior. I do not really expect any positive behavior towards the
migrants, asylum seekers and refugees; because a judge like you, setting in the
highest rank of justice and law, would be so biased and so sick with the
disgusting sickness of xenophobia, racism and nationalism, then the ordinary
people would never hesitate to kill refugees.
Order, order, order … your time is over. You have to pay this amount,
otherwise it will raise and you will be made to pay more.
Well, I don’t have money, just change it into prison time, maybe a
month or two, so that I can go there and make you all happy. Because that is
the only way I can pay this amount for the internet that I never used.
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We can’t do that.
Ok then, thanks for inviting me here today. “No service, no payments”. When
I face people in your country, they either want my money or my life. I think
you can be a proud nation when it comes to behaving with foreigners. You don’t need
to be so racist and so chauvinist. You don’t need to be a nationalist either.
Open your minds and stop discrimination and putting pressure on poor refugees
and asylum seekers.
Try to read at least once the declaration of human rights. Try to read
the conventions of the Geneva as well as the conventions of the International Labor
Organization.
