Balic* family – Deportation of a Sick Man
The Balic family of Kosovan citizenship and members of the Ashkali ethnicity issued their request for asylum in Germany in 2013. As members of the Ashkali minority they were ousted from their house, homelessness was imminent. Furthermore, the husband is suffering from severe traumatization with subsequent mental complaints. The Yugoslavia War left its mark upon him. In Kosovo he could not find any or not sufficient treatment for his suffering. The BAMF would not let count all of these reasons and rejected the request for asylum as obviously unfounded.
Ever since arriving in Germany in the year of 2013, Mr. Balic has been in stationary as well as ambulatory psychological treatment. His war experiences were processed. Towards the administration court of Leipzig he stated that he was a soldier in 1999, serving at the Albanian-Kosovan border. He had to watch many friends die. Small children were killed in front of his eyes. He himself was beaten up and abused. He had to gather up dead bodies in the so-called clearing unit Pec. Due to these experiences, Mr. Balic developed a distinct post-traumatic stress disorder, a somatisation disorder and a continuous personality disorder. For ten years he was exposed to an outdated medical therapy. The treatment with benzodiazepine let him become addicted to the drug.
Due to his addiction, Mr. Balic was stationed in the detoxification center Soteria in Leipzig for approximately three weeks. There, the war trauma was diagnosed. A regular, ambulatory treatment followed. A public health officer of Leipzig County certified the post-traumatic stress disorder in February 2015. Also the psychotherapist in charge points out the importance of a continued psychiatric and psycho-therapeutic treatment. It should not be disrupted she argues. In case of deportation to the country where the traumatization originated, one could be almost absolutely sure that re-traumatization respectively heavy deterioration of the symptom will happen. The psycho-therapists statement also notes that suicidal thoughts and acts cannot be excluded if deportation would be enforced. That stressor should under no circumstances be triggered. Therefore, Mr. Balic was not able to travel.
In July 2015, Leipzig administration court rejects the family’s legal complaint. In August, the first try to deport the family is undertaken. It fails due to Mr. Balic’s bad physical condition. Afterwards, he is in stationary treatment for a couple of days. A subsequent request for asylum is rejected within less than three months. In September 2016, the family is deported to Kosovo. Shortly before, talks were undertaken to prepare a request for Saxon Hardship Commission due to the serious condition of Mr. Balic.
The family was supported and its case documented and written down by Bon Courage e.V. from Borna.
(*Family name was changed)
Deportation and Separation of the Bekir/ Kamberovikj family
On May 25th 2016, early in the morning, approximately 20 police officers stand in front of the door of Sami Bekir’s and Azbije Kamberovikj’s family. They announce to pick up Kamberovikj and their three youngest kids to deport them. Bekir emphasizes towards the officers that his wife is suffering from a serious heart disease and that the flight could be too onerous for her. The officers ensure that a doctor will check her before the plane will take off. Bekir is being told that he and the other kids will be picked up at early afternoon and then will be deported too. Bekir waves Good Bye to his wife, only kept conscious by strong medicines, and his three youngest. As soon as the police officers disappear with that part of his family he will not see again until this very day, Bekir starts to pack his things. On no account he will return to Macedonia – a country that does want him to be there as little as the Federal Republic of Germany or Bosnia-Herzegovina. From all three states he had to endure deportation because: Bekir is stateless, meaning nothing else than being defenseless. In Macedonia he would be separated from his family again, he knows that. He could not support his sick wife from Bosnia-Herzegovina either in case he gets deported to there. The more likely it seems in Germany. He will not return to Macedonia. Bekir decides to go into hiding.
Meanwhile, Azbije Kamberovikj is on her way to Berlin airport. Still she is under shock because of her being separated from her husband and her kids. She hopes for the promised, medical examination at the terminal. She suffers from the coronary heart disease, three heart catheters were implanted. In this moment and under these conditions, there is a de-facto acute danger of a heart attack or a sudden cardiac death. Only, the medical examination will not happen at the airport. Kamberovikj is brought on board. The plane departs in time.
Azbije Kamberovikj and her three children survive due to donations for the time being. The family hopes to be reunited soon. The road to unification could lead over an upcoming conciliation hearing at Saxon Higher Administration Court. There the decision will be made if the kids that remained in Germany might receive a residence permit according to §25a Residence Law. In case of success, Azbije Kamberovikj and her three youngest kids could have a chance to return to Germany and to be reunited with her family again.
Deportation of Mrs. Ulqini, eight months pregnant
In a petition issued on openpetition.de the employees of a kids’ day care center in Dresden write about the deportation of their translator:
„On June 8th in the early morning, around 7am, Mrs. Ulqini and her family were picked up in their apartment – unannounced and before the Letter of Tolerance expired and a decision in their law suit was made, the police deported them. At the same day they landed in Albania. Alma Ulqini was eight months pregnant. Her pregnancy was clearly obvious. Nevertheless, she was put in a plane, though every airline knows about the possible complications that might occur in that stage of pregnancy. Mrs. Ulqini never wanted to go into hiding. She wanted to integrate, to work and to participate in the integration of other refugees.
Her husband was persecuted since he became too critical as a journalist. He also immediately began a language class and a reeducation course in Germany. He already had a contracts as everyday attendant in a care center, a job that would have started the upcoming days.
[…]
Considering the family’s story, colleagues, teachers, the parents’ council, the parents and other employees could not understand how the family was deported. The church community was speechless as well as were many other friends and acquaintances.
[…]
Integration needs to be lived!
How can we satisfy the requirements the current refugee situation raises if we do not let count the individual case or do not wait until the individual case is examined. Alma Ulqini was needed here in Dresden and could have been a huge support in this sensitive field of work where we operate. For all those refugees who would have stayed for longer in Dresden Prohlis and for their kids going to 122th primary school, Alma Ulqini was THE driving integration force – making arriving and integrating easier by simply using language.”
Portrayal of a Deportation – Shakir* family
On September 19th, it was the afternoon, my dad was released from hospital. In the night, around two o’clock, police officers were in the staircase, my dad heard them coming up. After ten minutes or so they were at the fourth floor and knocked against our door. My dad opened the door and the police officers asked: “Are you Shakir family?” My father said yes and the police officers replied that we are about to be deported to Kosovo. I was still asleep. My mother stood in my room together with two officers, waking me up. As I was awaken I saw the police men and I started to cry and to cry because I knew what was going on. I told them that I do not want to go to Kosovo. Suddenly I was on the floor, everything went black, I did not see or hear anything. Later I was told that I had a shock. The moment I could get up again I ran to my school bag and grabbed it. I shouted that I do not want to go to Kosovo. This is why the police men handcuffed me. Also my father was tied up like that. I was dragged out, the police men carried me like an animal. I was put in the police car, sitting there alone until they brought my dad, also carrying him and putting him into the car next to me. I was only in T-Shirt, socks and shorts, this way they dragged me out! It was very cold already and I was freezing. I kept asking the police if I could get into other clothes upstairs but they forbid that. In the end they brought shoes, a jacket, trousers and a pullover. I also asked them again and again if I could support my mother with the packing. They always replied no, no, no. My mother was alone with the police men at the first floor. My mom did not even know what to pack first. At the end she forgot all my dad’s medics ’cause she was that nervous. I would not see her again until the assembly point although they told us my mom would be with us downstairs soon. At the end she was transported in different car, we did not see that. At once the police officers just said that my mom is gone already and on her way to the assembly point. As we reached that place the handcuffs were taken from me and my dad. From the assembly point we were brought to Leipzig-Halle airport. There we had to wait for another two hours. Everyone received a bottle of water and one slice of bread with cheese. Then we had to board the plane. For me, the deportation was terrible.
The report was written by the son of Shakir family.
Today the family lives together with nine other persons in the house of Mr. Shakir’s brother. Employees of URA 2, a returnee program funded by a couple of German states, stopped by the family’s house. To enter and to examine the living situation was not of their purpose. They simply insured themselves that the family has a roof over their heads. Mr. Shakir was offered two appointments with the psychologist of URA 2. After that, no further sessions were possible. Too many people had been deported recently Mr. Shakir was told. The son of the Shakir family attends school again. The question remains how long he will be able to do so. His cousin graduated recently, but the family does not have the money to finance secondary school. The loan of her father needs to suffice for the whole family.
You can help with a donation
The organizations ‘Pieschen für Alle’, ‘Laurentius-Kirchgemeinde Dresden’ and the Saxonian Refugee Council (‘Sächsischer Flüchtlingsrat e.V.’) are calling for donations for the family. The house needs to be renovated and a separate apartment to be built. The Laurentius Kirchgemeinde has set up a bank account for this purpose:
IBAN: DE06 3506 0190 1667 2090 28
BIC: GENO DE D1 DKD (KD-Bank)
Purpose: RT1002/Flüchtlingsarbeit-Prishtina.
If you like to get a donation receipt, please provide your personal address in the ‘purpose’ field. You will recieve the receipt at the start of 2018.
Kutllovci Family, deportation despite high risk pregnancy
In Crottendorf in the Erz Mountains, the Kutllovci family found a new home. After their deportation to the Kosovo at December 1st 2016, the employees of the Family Center of Crottendorf reported that the family had established a wide network in the neighborhood already. The family became active in the family center, participated in German classes as well as in soccer training and organized meeting events. On December 1st 2016, the police stood in front of that family’s home, too. Mrs. Kutllovci was five months pregnant at that time already. The employees of the center report, the pregnancy was not an unproblematic one. Additionally, Mrs. Kutllovci suffered from a serious kidney disease, a doctor was about to examine her on December 20th 2016. Like many other families, the Kutllovcis were deported to homelessness. The agencies knew about their house in Kosovo being destroyed due to the war. Aside from the violent deportation of a pregnant woman this case shows that even far reaching integration efforts do not count in the face of the thrill of deportation enforced by the agencies.
Separation of D. Family
It is six o’clock in the morning of April 5th 2016 when Mrs. D. and her 15-year old son are picked up by the police in their apartment in Grimma. The woman having fled from Chechenya shall be deported to Poland. The EU-member-state is responsible for Mrs. D. due to the third-country-regulation.
The Federal Agency for Migration and Refugees as well as the Foreigners’ Department know that Mrs. D. escaped from her husband from Chechenya. After she had heard that her husband knew about her place of residence at that time in Poland, she decided to escape a second time. To return to Poland would be way too dangerous for the family.
Only, this morning most of Mrs. D.’s thoughts go to her younger son, 13 years old. He spent the night at a friend’s place, nevertheless his mother is about to be deported. The police men are not sure how to procede. They call the Central Foreigners’ Department which gives the Okay to deport and decided to leave the 13 year old boy alone in Germany. Mrs. D. asks the police officers what is going to happen to him. They reply that the youth welfare office will take care of him. Although the office gets informed, the boy remains disappeared. Until the return of Mrs. D and her 15-year old after more than two weeks, a 13-year old, scared boy stays in Germany and has to look for himself alone.
Being separated from mother and older brother, youth welfare office and police fail to get him back in custody. The temporarily discontinued investigation on the question of how a kid can be separated from its mother due to deportation were conducted once again. The separation of the family is not the only thing the former “Leipzig Association against Family Separations because of Deportations”, here represented by Initiativkreis Menschen.Würdig e.V. and Peperoncini e.V., was criticized. Also in the case of Mrs. D., doctors found a possible deportation too dangerous to enforce.
A new quality was reached when it comes to the separation of families in February 2017. The mother of a family was prohibited from getting deported due to her sickness. Thus, her husband and her three kids should have stayed in Germany too. But things went differently. In the night of February 21st to 22nd, police officers stood in front of the apartment door of the family. All members packed their things. The moment the mother wanted to leave the apartment with her bag, she was stopped by the officers. She won’t get deported is what she is informed about. Only at this point, the family knows the complete plan of the enforcement authorities. The woman, mentally sick, collapses. A little later she gets hospitalised. Next morning, she is dismissed. At that moment, her husband and kids are in Kosovo already. The woman, even though she got the right to stay, decides to follow her family voluntarily. The calculation of Foreigners’ Department and Ministry of the Interior works: the mother cannot hold the pressure that is executed on her.