SU_T_40

[i] Hello [name] !

[r] Hello my name [name] I’m Turkish I’m coming from Turkey, I arrived here in Italy in 2016, I made the request for asylum, after a year and a half I took the residence permit for 5 years, which is called political asylum.

[i] [name] why did you ask for political asylum, why did you leave Turkey?

[r] Because I had a political problem in Turkey, because we are Kurds, now among Turks there is a problem, from 2015. Before 2015, when Erdogan arrived towards the end of 2015, I was calm.

[i] So the problems of the Kurds of Turkey started in 2015 with the arrival of Erdogan? What happened exactly?

[r] My problem is before 2015 we organized a lot of Kurdish parties. The parties called “Nevro” we also had parties for the birthday of Abdullah Ocalan the head of Kurdistan …

[i] Is the flag of the Kurds of Kurdistan being celebrated?

[r] Yes, we did a lot of these parties, these photos ended up on Facebook, until 2015 these parties were legal,

[i] Sure, if you want to party, you can take the picture you want on Facebook.

[r] In 2015 Turkey had two elections, the first was around June 6, 7. In these elections there is a Kurdish party HTP, they had 72 seats to kidnap the Kurds.

[i] So in these Kurdish elections the Kurds won 72 seats in the parliament, to talk about the problems of the Kurds in Turkey.

[r] Yes, the Turkish parliament has almost 400 people, only 72 seats have won the HTP. But after the elections Erdogan said I’m not convinced so we have to redo it because he was convinced before the elections 300 seats would win him. In the parliament he only owes his party. They remade the elections on November 1, in this period he sent many soldiers to the border of Syria. And I live near Syria,

[i] Within the confines of Syria? So he sent so many military, police soldiers, with weapons to make war, first said he was against ISIS, then after the November elections when he won he made problems with the Kurds of Turkey, not Syria, sent the military to Mardin Sanliurnafa, Diyarbakir, I think you have heard of these problems, which have died so many people After this, if I remember correctly in mid-November, also military arrived in my city, with a list of 20 people,

[i] Let’s call it the blacklist where these people are.

[r] What is it?

[i] The list where these people are looking for names,

[R] Yes, they’re looking for him because they’ve been partying, taking pictures, having meetings with the FTP party. I went back to my house, my cousin told me you have to run away, because the military is looking for you. And I didn’t know why, because I didn’t do anything, I didn’t kill anyone.

[r] Of course one wonders, why the word military is already big, and why they were looking for you?

[r] He told me have a list of almost 20 people I saw your name on this list Go away right away, my father said go away, and I did not know where to go, I got scared, They are looking for me and I do not know why,

[i] So what do you know you’re wanted for, what kind of accusation do you not know?

[r] My father said go to your uncle, so when the military arrives we try to figure out what’s going on. When I went to my uncle after an hour, the military arrived. They asked where I am, did my father ask why they’re looking for me? They didn’t say anything. They said when I go back to the police station to find out why they’re looking for me.

[i] So basically they came looking for you at your house they told your father to know why you have to go to the barracks? They’ll tell you why they’re looking for you there?

[r] They didn’t say anything to me.

[i] Only when you go there will you know.

[r] Yes, they searched the kitchen, the refrigerator, above the house. My father said this is a danger, after they left, called me to tell me not to go home Because they are looking for you then they said nothing, for 4 5 days I went to my aunt’s uncle, I went home. My great daughter in 2015 was 5 years old, speaks well also asked why I did not return home ?

[i] Is there a little girl who asked why her father didn’t come home? What happened?

[r] And then my father heard why they were looking for me, that because we had parties for photos he told me that if that’s the case if the military take you we won’t see you anymore. if I knew after a year I will be

[i] Sure one says I’ll get maybe a year’s off but I’m out, but in this case you don’t know?

[r] I don’t know, or they’ll kill you in Turkey is like that or you’ll disappear and your family will never see you again. After a few days my father said this is dangerous for your family. And we looked for a person in Ankara there was a person from our city, who helps to have seen and sends people away.

[i] Or even work contracts abroad.

[R] I talked to him, he said come to Ankara one night and we’ll find a solution for you. I went to Ankara with my father in two cars, one in front and I was on the back because we were all afraid. He told me we have to find you a visa, but we have the possibility only for Italy, or Germany, or Slovakia.

So the visa could only be these countries?

[r] Yes. And then I chose Italy, then I heard that there are many Kurds in Italy, then they don’t come back yet. I arrived here in Bergamo. He had given me a visa with all my information. He told me that I am also coming to the airport, so we are safer. I am here on 15 January 2016 I arrived in Italy.

[i] And here in Italy did you arrive alone or with your family?

[r] I arrived alone on the 15th of January, after 3 months my family arrived too. on the 24th of March they arrived in Italy.

[i] Since you arrived as you experienced the first days, at the beginning a boy who escapes from fear, how did you live in this period?

[r] When I arrived here I didn’t know anyone. Already in Turkey I didn’t see the only one for days, for me I could go anywhere, it was enough to escape from Turkey.

[i] The important thing was to get out of Turkey, because the danger is there. Are you safe wherever you go?

[R] Yes, I left the airport I asked how to go to Milan, with half English and half Turkish but they understood me, they helped me to make the ticket to Milan, I arrived in the center of Milan, near the station from there I saw a kebab pizzeria I was hungry, I eat Turkish or Arabic what I find, I went there I ate One saw that I had the suitcase, and he understood that I had just arrived. He asked me where I am, I said I’m Kurdish, and he was Kurdish from Turkey too, he makes me How come you don’t know anyone here, I said I arrived alone and I don’t know anyone, I explained my problem to him, he told me to eat and sit here, when the service ends we talk well with you. He told me I want to help you, you don’t know anyone so it’s a bit difficult for you, he told me I’m Kurdish from Turkey. He called another person He told me that we have here an association of Kurds, he said want to go there comes so many Kurdish people so then meet people to help you, I went to sleep there, then sometimes I went to sleep by those who helped me to Kebabaro. For two months I was left without doing anything.

[i] And how did you do with the Italian language? Knowing that you didn’t speak Italian first.

[r] No, in these two months I’ve only learned what your name is, come on, go, the words like that.

[i] Weren’t you at school in these two months that you were there?

[r] No, I couldn’t do anything because I hadn’t applied for asylum, and sapovo was a bit dangerous, I was afraid if the police took me I was waiting for my family.

[i] So you waited for your family so you all made the request together for asylum?

[r] Yes,

[i] And when your family arrived, what did you do?

[r] My family arrived on March 24, 2016, we stayed here for 5 6 days in Milan. They said that if you make the request here in Milan is a bit dangerous for us, because they will ask you in these two months who helped you, we send you away with your family, ask your question, if you do not find home or work come here we will help you told me to go Turin or Rome. I knew Rome was far away, so I chose Turin here is near Milan. We arrived here on March 31 in Turin.

And when you arrived here in Turin what difficulties did you encounter? The difficulties you found here when you arrived ?

[r] We took the train and we arrived here at night. They told me I have to be the first when they open the police station to make the request, for the documents. We arrived around 3 4 in the morning, we are sitting outside the station of Porta Susa, then it was raining outside. When they opened the police headquarters at 8 we went to the police headquarters we were first because we were in the family, and my wife had a little girl in hand, the girls slept in my arms, we made the request After 3 hours they told me with your family you have to go to sleep, they sent us to a center of welcome called “World Lands” we did 10 15 days in Turin and then we went to San Franceso at the camp outside Turin,

[i] So you’ve found a home?

[r] We have not found us, they have helped us

[i] They offered themselves to you.

[r] Yes.

[i] How has life changed since then? How has your life changed and that of your family?

[r] Since last year we have been taking a residence permit for 5 years, we have finished the project with the welcoming centre, we have found a house in Turin. I work in boxes where there is the airport, in an Italian restaurant called symposium

[i] And how do you feel about working with your colleagues all the time?

[r] Very good, where I work no problems, I’m a cook.

[i] Sure. So you feel well integrated?

[r] Yes.

[i] Now that you and your family have it, could you go back to Turkey one day to see your family, or are you still in danger?

[R] For me it’s a bit difficult for now, because the police are still looking for me, for my family they don’t have a problem, because they came here for me until these problems are over I can’t go to Turkey maybe 5 years or 10 years.

[i] [name] if there weren’t these problems you wouldn’t leave your country, would you have stayed in Turkey?

[r] Yes, in Turkey I had a job, I worked with my father it was a good job, I didn’t have money problems in Turkey, I didn’t come here to look for money I came here because I had problems in Turkey.

[i] Since you arrived here you don’t see your family, how do you feel? The parents? Since I arrived here I haven’t seen my mother yet, we only talk by phone, my father surprised me in February, he arrived here for a week I have two cousins in Germany, they made the invitation to my father arrived only for a week.

[i] Did they surprise you? Were you happy?

[r] Yes, after 3 years yes. Now I would like to invite my mother this summer, she also wants to find my family.

[i] For my part I wish you good luck, and I hope one day then see your mom and return to your country without problems without danger,

[r] Thank you.

[i] Thank you [name] for this interview, and thank you for answering my questions.

[r] You’re welcome