1/ I cried after this interview. Guest on my show at @akhbar was Haidar (@Mrjan_97). During 2019 protests in Baghdad, he was hit by tear gas canister, lost half his face. Hoping for treatment he flew to Belarus, walked 4 days to Poland, now in Germany.
Before & after 😢
Thread:
2/ Haider explains when he was hit: "Gas canister fired by riot police hit me. It was 2300 hr. I fell on the ground. I'm laying on my back, looking at the sky. My body cold. I feel smoke getting out of my ears, mouth &eyes. I was unconscious for 5 days".
3/ After 5 days Haider woke up in the hospital, he asked his family for a mirror to look at his face. "They hesitated, said it's only a minor injury. But I said: Give me a mirror! I looked in the mirror - I saw my youth, my future, my life is gone. Everything for me is finished."
4/ I asked Haidar if he now regrets that he ever joined these protests in 2019? "I don't regret I participated in the protests", he said, "but I regret that I stood up for people who aren't worth it...people who love to be obedient & subordinate."
5/ I also asked Haidar why he decided to leave Iraq. "The government didn't help me, the people didn't help me. I went to the health ministry I asked them for treatment. 'You protested against the government, so why should we treat you?', they said."
6/ Hoping to change his life & get medical treatment in the West, Haidar left Iraq and flew about a month ago to Belarus. After four days of walking in the cold forests near the Polish border, he managed to get to Poland. A car then drove him to Germany.
7/ Haidar already applied for asylum in Germany. According to him, he is still waiting for one paper and then he will be allowed to go see any doctor.
And hopefully they can help him with restoring his face.
8/ My full @akhbar interview with Haidar is now available on youtube. It is in Arabic. Here the link:
9/ I normally don't do this but I am making an exception. If there are journalists out there who want to interview Haidar or highlight his situation, pls contact me. My dm is open. Thank you.
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