Our journey with Ali began a few months ago when we received a call from a refugee centre.
They were asking for our help in preparing a young Tunisian gay man who had recently arrived to Italy.
Tunisia is listed as a “safe country” in the infamous Italian security bill of 2018, and this got us quite concerned. Furthermore, if the Commission rejects the request, asylum seekers from “safe countries” are not even granted a temporary permit while applying for an appeal.
Italy considers “safe countries”: Albania, Algeria, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Cape Verde, Ghana, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Morocco, Montenegro, Senegal, Serbia, Tunisia and Ukraine – the latter has been given a temporary suspension. Quite a controversial list, on which il Grande Colibrì has extensively voiced its concerns, also in a joint appeal (link). There is evidence that women, sexual, ethnic, religious, and political minorities are persecuted in these countries, as well as there is of violence related to human-trafficking.
For instance, in the case of Ali, article 230 of the Tunisian penal code sanctions same-sex relations with prison.
Nonetheless, we didn’t lose heart.
With the help of an Arabic-speaking mediator, we listened Ali tell his story for five hours, we then put things in order, clarified several points, and we prepared him, even emotionally, for what to expect at the hearing before the Commission.
How did it end? Everything turned out pretty great: Ali was granted the state of refugee even though he comes from Tunisia!!!
We are super happy for Ali and we will keep supporting him in this new chapter of his life, here in Italy.
On the other hand, we are also very concerned about all the LGBTQI+ asylum seekers who come from “safe countries” who might not get the support they need to properly address the Commission.
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translation by Antonio Pauletta
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