Sent: Friday, 25 October 2024
To: Julian Punch, Rainbow Communities Tasmania
Subject: Re: Hi from John* (*name supplied/withheld for reasons of persecution)
Hi,
Thank you for your reply.
I am under surveillance of the police and government of T* (* - city and country supplied) and my comings and goings and movements are monitored. I don't have a landline and the mobile and the internet connection that I use are not safe. They are bugging my phone conversations. They see my sent and received text messages and tried several times to take over my WhatsApp, Telegram and email accounts. I had to change my email addresses a couple of times and create new accounts with more security layers added like second passwords.They stopped my internet service and I use the neighbor's phone internet via hotspot and very limitedly and my only means of communication at the moment, which is somewhat more reliable, is email.
Last year, I applied for the renewal of my passport, but after a few months of follow-up, they told me that it had been renewed and that it would be mailed to me, but unfortunately it never came in mail, and after following up through the father of one of my friends, who was retired from the passport office, it turned out that I was banned from leaving the country due to my sexuality. But I have one of my old passports
My national ID has also expired for many years, and I went to renew it several times. I was told that, "we were told to refuse to provide services to you". I am afraid to take it again for renewal or to show it somewhere for fear of being arrested
They fired me from my job for almost three and a half years now and the place where I worked for them was government and influential, and everywhere they said that I am homosexual and promote homosexuality and spread corruption, so they didn't let me find and keep another job. I am practically banned from working.
For a while, I accompanied my neighbors to help with construction work, but I could no longer do this. The neighbors were told to stop because people were afraid that if someone complained to the government that I was LGBT and homosexual, everyone would be in trouble.
So I had to advertise for private tutoring of foundation courses, although my mental health was suffering and I had no interest in teaching. I also found some students to teach them; I did this for several weeks and from the income I used to buy food and cover rent. Neighbors and members of the regime brought news to the children's parents and suddenly the parents stopped their children from participating in my classes (because) they thought that I will teach them about homosexuality
Twice with difficulty and despite many dangers and risks, I made it to the border of T* to escape with the help of smugglers, but because I did not have enough money, they did not help me. They demanded several thousand dollars, while I could never pay more than 200 or 300 dollars.
Now I live in fear of my life. I have not been able to escape from the country and I am not able to support my expenses in I*. I cannot even leave my home to make a living because my existence is criminalised under the I* regime.
Sent: Friday, 25 October 2024
To: Julian Punch, Rainbow Communities Tasmania
Subject: Re: Hi from John* (*name supplied/withheld for reasons of persecution)
Thank you for being willing to help me.
My full name is *, but please make sure that my details will remain confidential. If you do share, please emphasize and ask that it remain confidential because the government and regime of T* is very cruel and violent. If they give more freedom to I* women and girls regarding hijab and headscarves, they will not have mercy on us LGBT and homosexuals. Because it is against their Sharia (Islamic law). LGBT people have no rights under their Sharia or Islamic law. If they find out that I have reached out to international human rights and LGBT support organisations and am seeking asylum and protection, they will arrest me and torture me to death. Even if I make it to freedom and safety with the help of international organisations, they will still persecute my family and relatives in I*.
Any contact or visit to/from foreign missions or agencies and embassies inside I* further exposes me, my gender identity, sexual orientation and location and puts me at greater risk of arrest, torture and violence.
In addition to government actions, the social environment in I* is very hostile.They don’t see us as citizens or grant us the rights of citizenship. My problems increase every day. I don’t know how much longer I can live with all these difficulties.
It is not even safe and possible for me to go to the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in T* or to contact them or for them to contact me.
Sent: Tuesday, 24 December 2024
To: Julian Punch, Rainbow Communities Tasmania
Subject: Re: Hi from John* (*name supplied/withheld for reasons of persecution)
Hi,
I want to send you my best wishes for the holidays and I hope you have a great new year. Thank you for your open-minded attitude and for your compassion, with awareness, understanding and acceptance, you have gone to great lengths to help me and to improve my situation as a gay person. I hope to hear from you soon and that your efforts will bear fruit.
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If you would like to help this gentleman escape from his country of origin by making a personal donation, please contact Julian Punch on +61 429 396 605 or by email at jpunch@tassie.net.au.
RCT Inc. has the capacity to accept donations and/or refer personal support contacts to him.
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