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  Sangar & Nasira

  Sangar, Nasira, and TSOS

  Sangar and his family are from Iran but are originally Turkish. In Iran they faced a psychological war and many problems that stemmed from discrimination. He points out how many are oppressed or discriminated against, but he and his family were singled out for their ethnicity. There was no hope for a bright future, and they decided to flee the country for the benefit of their children.

  They fled to Greece through Turkey and had many issues with human traffickers, robbery, a treacherous journey across the sea, and problems in Moria refugee camp where his wife couldn’t get the care she needed as a pregnant woman. They now live in Oinofyta camp and are disappointed by the treatment they have received as refugees, but returning home is not an option.

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  Tabish

  Tabish and TSOS

  Tabish is from Afghanistan. He fled the country because he had enemies there. He was shot multiple times during a Taliban raid, resulting in a broken leg and damaged hand. The bullets had to be pulled out with a stick. He and his family fled Afghanistan to Iran where the police threatened to arrest him for not having the legal papers to work. His family escaped to Turkey but were soon deported back to Iran. They eventually made it through after walking on foot for seven hours at the Turkish border. After spending five hours on the water on the way to Greece, their boat shut down but was saved by the boat guard. They were then brought to the Oinofyta Refugee Camp.

  Now his family is stuck with no money and no place to go. Tabish is sick and in pain because of his injuries and worries about his children's future. He has no choice but to wait and see what their fate will be.

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  Lima and Hanif

  TSOS

  In Afghanistan, Lima worked as a teacher, and her husband worked (and continues to work) for the government as an agricultural manager. She has a fourteen-year-old son who is deaf and has related speech problems; he could not be treated for them properly in Afghanistan. Because her uncle was very wealthy, Lima received daily threats that her son would be kidnapped and held for ransom. Her uncle went to Germany with his own children and her son to protect them from the kidnapping threats.

  Although Lima’s son was safer in Germany, she still faced threats because of her work as a teacher. The Taliban believed that women should not be educated, work in an institute, or have strange men see them. They used a grenade near her house, giving her a warning because she was a woman and a teacher. They also poisoned the water of her school several times. They usually attacked at night. Lima has been in a refugee camp for four months. She stays in contact with her husband who remains in Afghanistan. His life is in danger there because his job as an agricultural manager requires that he travel to unsafe places to inspect gardens, farms, and livestock. Lima currently takes care of her brother because her mother passed away from liver cancer, and her father’s second wife doesn’t treat her brother well. She worries about her son in Germany. He received a hearing aid, and his condition s improving, but he needs surgery. He would like to have his mother or father with him during the operation. She needs a certificate to be reunited with her son and wants to see him as soon as possible. She is doing her best to keep going

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  Mina and Gulyar

  TSOS

  Mina:

  Mina was the second polygamous wife to her husband in Afghanistan. After her husband’s death 16 years ago, her husband’s first wife and children took all the husband’s belongings as their own, including the house and land. Forced to find another place to live, Mina and her sons fled to Pakistan, where they lived until returning to Afghanistan to ask for their share of Mina’s husband’s property. In response, both Mina and her children were beaten, resulting in the death of her oldest son. Mina and her younger son, Gulyar, escaped, and as Gulyar hid, Mina buried her older son with her own hands.

  Mina and Gulyar fled to Turkey where they stayed with Mina’s brother but were found by the other family in Afghanistan. After receiving calls of warning and death threats, Mina and Gulyar fled to Greece, where they found refuge in the Oinofyta Refugee Camp.

  More than anything else, Mina fears for the safety of her children. In addition to Gulyar and his older brother, Mina has two daughters, one of which lives in Germany and the other in Afghanistan.

  Gulyar:

  Gulyar received a good education in Pakistan and worked as a translator with the Americans foraround4years. His mother, Mina, was his father’s second polygamous wife. After his father died, he and his mother and brother returned to Afghanistan to ask for their portion of his father’s possessions but were attacked by his older stepbrothers. Gulyar and Mina were badly beaten in the attack and his older brother was killed. They escaped to Turkey, but they were found by his stepbrothers and began to receive threats. Gulyar and his mother fled to Greece.

  Mina and Gulyar were first taken to the Morea Refugee Camp on Lesvos Island, where they were treated as if they were criminals. Nonetheless, Gulyar worked as a site manager at the camp for two NGOs, EuroRelief and Samaritan Press. Upon receiving travel papers, Gulyar and Mina later traveled to the Oinofyta Refugee Camp in Greece, where they were living at the time of their interview.

  Gulyar doesn’t see a great difference in his life now than from life in Afghanistan. At least in Afghanistan he had a job and could work, but now he has nothing and wishes he could do and contribute more.

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  Walid & Rahima

  Walid, Rahima, and TSOS

  Walid worked as a police officer inBaghlan County,Afghanistan, where hedid many operations with NATO and US forces. Walid was responsible for recordingoperations and distributing copies to the media. Being part of the operations was dangerous, and Walid lost many of his friendsto the Taliban.Theyevenskinned afriend for cooperating with the government. The violenceled him to say, “The terrorists have no religion.” The Taliban began entering homes and killing government officials,and paid assassinations happened in public. Walidknew he was in danger.After losing a dear friend, Walid knew then that he had lost all he was willing to lose.He fled to Pakistan where he soon received news that the terrorists had killed his father. He then fledto Turkeyon a difficult journey.Traffickers packed them on an overcrowded boat to flee to Greece. The journey on the sea was full of fear, danger, and prayers,until a Greek boat found them and guided them to safety.In Greece, Walidspent three months in a prison-like camp called Moria, where rape and violence were all too common. He now resides in a camp in Oinofyta, Greece.

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  Zarrin

  Zarrin and TSOS

  My name is Zarrin. I was an English teacher. In Afghanistan I had a big house and a garden. My husband was a rich man; he had lots of money. My children studied in a private school.All the time the Taliban was warning my husband, “Why does your wife go to school and teach children? If your wife goes to school, we’ll throw acid on her face and take your children.” They don’t like education —they don’t like women attending school.Zarrin left a life of comfort and privilege in Afghanistan and misses home greatly. Her husband was a wealthy businessman and Zarrin taught school. Thinking back on what they lost causes a great deal of grief and sadness.

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  Zurvan

  Zurvan and TSOS

  Zurvan and his family had a good life in Afghanistan. He worked as a clerk in a spice shop. After doing business with a foreign company, the Taliban threatened him with death. To escape this threat, he and his family escaped to Iran and hired a smuggler to get them to Turkey. From there, they traveled to Greece in an overloaded boat. They have been living in a camp in Greece, stuck in limbo, ever since. Zurvan feels hopeless, like everyone in the camp is being treated in an inhumane manner. He also feels guilty for bringing his children into the situation, and thinks he should have just sacrificed himself back in Afghanistan to ensure that his family avoided their current predicament.