Syria, Palestinians and Iraqis What conditions do refugees have at the Kosovo center of Asylum

(Photo used in article: Illustration) 

The Lipjans' Magure Asian centre is the only one in Kosovo where asylumers from around the world are accommodated. Center of Asylum Director Fitim Zariqi in an interview for Periscope has said most of the refugees come from the Middle East, mainly from countries where the wars are held. Zariqi also points to asylum accommodation procedures, treatment of them, central conditions, and other details.

Periscope: How does the Center of Asylum work here in Magure?

Fitim Zariqi: The Magure Asylum Research Centre is known for the admission and accommodation of asylum seekers to Kosovo, or for those applying for asylum in Kosovo. Initially they appear near the Migration Police, either anywhere at the Kosovo police station or even at the border. And the migration police are mandated to take the fingerprints. After that procedure, they are brought to the center for Asia. Then the Center for Asylum announces the rights and obligations of applicants. This is how it offers food, clothing, hygienic packages, language courses, when computers. The center is open type. From 7:00 to 10:00, they have the right to move outside the center. Come in and out. Asylum seekers are equipped with an identification for asylum and a certificate for asylum. We actually have about 45 asylum seekers. This figure should not be taken as non-impressive because any moment can change, and now, when we're talking, there are new demands to enter the center of Asia and we have arrivals, and we also have evacuations. So for now we have 45 asylum requests. And as for this year, from January until now we have 458 asylum applications, which means there is a huge increase compared to 2017, which we have had 147 asylum applications.

Periscope: You said there were others leaving, going out of the mall, and never coming back. What happens to those refugees?

Fitim Zariqi: According to the centre's regulation, they're free to come out from seven o'clock to ten o'clock, and in case they don't come back until ten o'clock, the centre alerts the Migration Police. They report the Department of State, Asia and Migration that an applicant has not returned, or some applicants have not returned to the centre and their location is unknown. If police take them back to the centre, they certainly do not have the right to go through official border points, but in a word they illegally walk away as if they even came to Kosovo. We mostly had Albanian territory that entered Kosovo. So on the basis of the statements we have from them, they moved from the country of origin, through Turkey, Greece, then to Albania, or through Macedonia to Kosovo.

Periscope: Which countries come most from, and through which roads?

Fitim Zariqi: So most of them come on illegal roads and then they either meet from the Kosovo Police, or they appear at a police station and they seek asylum. For this year, it leads Syria, where we have 199 requests from Syria, then they come in line, like Palestine, Pakistan, Iran, Iraq and so on. So we have somewhere from 19 different countries that have sought asylum in Kosovo. It's mostly from countries where wars are held, or rather with Kosovo asylum seekers saying so asylum seekers claim that their rights and human freedoms are being suppressed. In 2017 we have had 147 asylum applications, and now we have 458 demands for this year, which means there is a great increase compared to last year.

Periscope: Why the rise right now?

Fitim Zariqi: According to our estimates, because the routine has changed, so they have moved through Macedonia and then moved through Montenegro, that is, Albania, Montenegro and beyond. While Montenegro has recently, according to estimates, tightened its borders and found, applicants have moved from Albania to Kosovo. So this is an assessment we've done, based on the claims of asylum seekers.

Periscope: What is their average age, are there more young people or even older ones?

Fitim Zariqi: Mostly, the age is about 30, because they travel alone and there are difficulties on their way from Greece and other countries, but these roads mainly take young men who are about 300 years old, who are the age we have as statistics like this.

Periscope: In this center, are all conditions offered for living?

Fitim Zariqi: We offer all conditions according to the standards required for asylum. So like I said, all services are free. From food, clothing, sanitation, then various courses, medical and legal services, psycho-Social services, and so on, offered by the center for Asia.

Certainly more co-operation with other international and local organisations, as well as other organisations.

Periscope: Do they also receive financial assistance?

Fitim Zariqi: The applicants also receive some financial assistance from the Ministry of Labour and Social Management. So we as a center for Asia apply in the name of asylum seekers, then MPMS shares an individual or family budget, according to the law on social schemes. So for one person it's 50 euros, for the family it's around 75 euros and progressive opportunities if there are more members in one family. So it's 130 euros.

Periscope: So you mentioned that they have the right to stay outside the center. Have they faced an unpleasant situation or even caused a problem?

Fitim Zariqi: According to some data we have, there are times they caused some trouble somewhere. Some theft, I'm saying that. But the police have intervened and dealt with these reasons. So despite when they break the rules or the law, the police deal with them.

Periscope: Based on their statements, what did you notice? Do they have a goal to stay in Kosovo, to ask for permanent permission, or do they want to take the road to another country?

Fitim Zariqi; According to their statements, we have made the assessment, and most of them have indicated that they will continue on their way to Western countries. To more developed countries. But we cannot deny asylum because the Law says that any person who is not a citizen of Kosovo has the right to submit the request for Asia, as well as if it then meets some of the criteria required by law. Most of them, according to the assessment, use Kosovo as a transit nation, to go into other venes, as do other Balkan countries. Because they do not stay in Albania, Macedonia or Montenegro. Their goal is Europe.

According to the Law, each person can seek asylum at the border, at the police station, all of these treat the Emigration Police first, where I said I fill out the initial form, the sacred and the fingerprints, take photography, and after that procedure, bring them to the Center for Asia, which means they should then be accommodated and offered all the services I've referred to.

Periscopi? Several days ago Periscop has even reported on images as over 20 refugees from Syria arrived about 2 p.m. in Pristina. How are the procedures? Where This Refugees Go First

Fitim Zariqi: They first came to the immigration police in Pristina, some have come because they are not only them, but there have been others within these days. So it was 28 Friday and Saturday, if it was these groups, there were 17 from Syria, Palestine were five, Morocco 3 and Iraq 3. Most of them were individual, there are also those who are among them, and they were all treated by the police first, then brought to the Center and then we handled them according to procedures.

Periscope: Do you have any information that they came here through?

Fitim Zariqi: Some of them say they came from Albania, and some say that from Macedonia, we're doing the assessment, because we keep asking them. Some of them also do not speak the truth. But we have to take it just as the procedures come, or it's the interview phase where Asian officials interview everyone separately and come to a truth, because many of them don't tell the truth because they don't have documents, primarily identity is the word. They say identities other than they really have. Most of them do, I can say freely, somewhere around 80% don't have and come without documents, so they give the data the way they claim it.

We make interviews for everyone separately and they say they're satisfied, but they're not even very interested in getting the services they offer because we say most of them from the start say they won't stay here. We have cases that the Albanian language course teacher and other services are offered, but most of them do not attend.

Periscope: Besides food, clothing supply and other elements, what else is offered to the asylumers here in the center?

Fitim Zariqi: The centre for asylum seekers within itself has departments, there are individual rooms, there are rooms with four people, five people. Then there's the library within the center. It's a playground for kids. It's inside the center facility. It's the computer room. The learning or reading room where the Albanian language course is held is then the fields in outer spaces, such as basketball, soccer, and then the angle of the outside - center games, and in some parts, centers for asylum seekers.

There are but few. Because the course is understood to help them, learn Albanian and get to work on obtaining the status of Asia and integrate into society tomorrow, but are saying we are not interested in staying in Kosovo. We cannot force them because it is their right not to participate.

Period? Is employment available to asylumrs?

Fitim Zariqi: Asylum seekers under the Law have no right to work in Kosovo. Because they're in the interview phase and in case of status giving, they're entitled to work.

According to the Law, status giving is six months, plus 3 me. That means nine months. Therefore, at this stage it has not happened to work, and if status is delayed for legal reasons, then the right to work can be granted without status.

Periscope: Where do children carry out their schooling?

Fitim Zariqi: According to the Asian Law, every child asylum seekers should be enrolled in school within three months. The Center for Asylum applies to one of the nearest schools and enrolls in these schools. An Add-Hoc commission must be established and assigned to class.