5. Registration and screening: A wheel of misfortune 25 »I think the police did not believe me. They did not let me free like the other Somalis.« Soraya, from Somalia69 15 days in prison. I think the police did not believe me. They did not let me free like the other Somalis. Others had the same problem, but they are still inside. ■ Even though Soraya was registered as Somali she stayed more than one month in mixed detention. »We were seven women among more than 150 men. I could not sleep, go to the toilette or take a shower because I was afraid. There was no co-operation among women from different countries or even among women from the same country speaking different languages. If, as a woman, you want to be protected, you need to find a man that you trust and stay close to him. I chose a young Somali who crossed the border with me. He was telling me the whole time that we will manage everything, trying to give me hope. This is why I trusted him. He was protecting me. My friend has a problem with his heart; he has a hole in it. There was no doctor to visit us and see him. He even did not ask for a doctor, because he was afraid if he would ask for something, it would take longer for him to get free. We were more than 20 Somalis when we arrived. Some of them left after a few days and some of us were kept. I was Kenneth from Sweden interviewed me. He was very nice. He asked me everything about my name, family name, mother and father’s name, birthdates, nationality… and then he asked about Somalia. Which cities are where, which tribes live there, what languages do people speak there, who is the president now and who was the former president? I think they wanted to see if I really know my country. But then they did not let me go with the others. I got another paper saying that I have to stay for six months in prison. Many others received the same message. There is also another paper we got about our fingerprints. »When they were bringing us back to the Turkish border I fainted and they beat me.« J.O. from Palestine70 were bringing us back to the Turkish border I fainted and they beat me. Maybe they thought I was playing but it was real. I could not breath. Then I fell.« ■ J.O. and her brother are from Palestine, but they spent many years as refugees in Syria. They were registered incorrectly as Syrians in Tychero borderguard station. At the border they were picked up by the Turkish authorities and brought to Edirne detention centre. There they were put into different cells. After a month in detention the Turkish authorities returned them to Greece. In May 2011 they were arrested in Tychero, from where they were transferred to Feres. J.O. suffers from psychological problems since her parents died. Once a week she has a crisis. In July 2011 both of them were sent back to Turkey from Feres borderguard station. Together with two men from Iraq, they were put into a van without windows. Upon their way to the border J.O. had a panic crisis. »When they 68 Mr. Tom Königs talked to one of the group of 13 Afghans who were registered as Iranians. In his report about his travel to Evros he refers to the case and says that, based on his own experience in Afghanistan, he could recognize that the person he was talking to was Afghan. The Afghan told him that he could not understand why the authorities registered him as Iranian. Tom Königs notes that the nationality screening should be more sensitive to persons who have not been to school and Yesterday some of my friends wanted to protest against the long detention period and they started a hunger strike. The police did not like it. They entered the cell and started beating them. Finally they were forced to accept the food to be put into the cell. The other refugees asked them to take it, so that the police stops the beatings.« They were returned back to Feres where they stayed 25 days. Again they were registered as Syrians. At the beginning of October 2011, they were again brought to Tychero. In total they spent five months in detention. In mid-October they were taken from Tychero. J.O.’s brother was sent to Xanthi, whereas J.O.s’ wherabouts are unknown. They are still in danger of readmission. thus lack geographical knowledge of their own countries. He also writes that the Afghan reported that no interpreter was present during the screening. (Travel report of Tom Königs to Evros, November 25, 2010, p. 4) 69 Soraya from Somalia; August 5, 2010 – Alexandroupolis, Interview carried out by Infomobile 70 J.O. from Palestine; October 12, 2011 – Tychero