MEDİNE MAMEDOĞLU

Van – Thousands of Afghans fled from their country when the Taliban took the control of Afghanistan in August. Some of them went to Iran, Pakistan, and Turkey. Many of those who walked from Afghanistan to Turkey live in Van province which has the longest border with Iran. The Afghans, who live in Van, earn their living by working in different jobs. But they still face many challenges.

“We were subjected to violence”

Derya Alizei is one of the Afghans who fled from Afghanistan to Turkey. “We were subjected to violence and insult at the border. My brother's leg was broken due to the violence we were subjected to at the border,” said Derya Alizei, who walked from Afghanistan to Turkey with her family after the Taliban took the control of the country. “We first walked to Pakistan and then to Iran. We went to Urmia and crossed the Turkish border. There were dozens of people who fled like us to save them from the Taliban.”

“We faced torture on the way”

Stating that they had faced torture and oppression on the way from Afghanistan to Turkey, Derya Alizei said, “Police at the borders misbehaved us. Police battered men and young people. We were also subjected to violence at the borders.”

“Women were harassed”

“Some people threw stones at us,” Derya Alizei said, “The Turks who caught us at the border took all money we had and burned it. They harassed us under the name of searching us. Women faced many difficulties on the way. No one wants to leave their country but we had to flee from our country due to war. We fled to not be killed. My country has been turned into hell. Afghan women live in hell now and devils control them. Afghans have to fight everywhere for their children’s future.”

“Afghans are sent to detention centers”

Stressing that they are not safe in Van, Derya Alizei said, “All my family members work here. I work as a tailor. I always think of my country but I have nothing to do for my country. Many Afghan women, who work here, have been detained by police and they have been sent to removal centers to be sent back to Afghanistan. Now, hundreds of women are held in the centers with their children to be sent back. They left Afghanistan to not be killed. But they will be sent back. We didn’t want to leave our country but we had to. We have to live here.”

“We didn’t want to leave our country”

“At every border, we were told to return our country. Do they think we voluntarily fled our country? Women and people have been killed in our country. We fled from our country to not be killed,” Derya Alizei underlined, adding, “The world leaves Afghans alone. No one supported us. I want the war in my country to end. I want to return to my country. We work in Turkey to earn a living.”