Name: Jaweed Shirzad

Profile: Hazara refugee from Afghanistan, living in Indonesia since 2014.

Advantages: UN-certified, good English skills, experienced driver, automobile salesman and construction worker.

Risk: At risk of being tortured and killed by the Taliban if returned home.

Canadian contact: Stephen Watt

Jaweed escaped from the Taliban’s prison, and could not live in his country since the Taliban had been looking for him, so he came to Indonesia in 2014.

While living in Indonesia, he has been facing many restrictions and there is no option for him to continue his life like this. He hopes to find a group of Canadian friends who can bring him to Canada where he can start his life again.

Abducted

Jaweed Shirzad was born in January 1994, in Jaghori district in Ghazni province in Afghanistan. He used to buy and sell cars in the village.

The Hazara people of the region have long been targets of persecution and massacres because of their culture, religion, and love for education. On November 10, 2014, he was going to Kandahar to buy a car. On the way, he was intercepted by the Taliban. From there, he was taken to a mosque where he asked the Taliban the reason of being arrested. A member of the Taliban told him that he had been arrested because of his brother and cousin who had been working for the National Security in Afghanistan. Jaweed disagreed and said that it was not true, but the Taliban already had evidences and they said that they had received reports about them.

Jaweed heard members of the Taliban talking on the phone with those who had given reports of him to the Taliban. He figured out that the Pashtuns who had been working with Jaweed in the car selling shop might had reported to the Taliban. Later on, the head of the Taliban called and told them to bring Jaweed the next day to Qalat, a dangerous place which is populated by mostly Taliban.

“Hearing the name of Qalat district, I realized that they would kill me there.”

Escaping from the Taliban

There were two other prisoners whose relatives were also in cooperation with the government. Jaweed told them that they would be martyred by the Taliban there. Then they decided to escape from there in any way.

While going to the toilet, Jaweed had noticed a window through which they could get out of there. In the middle of the night, Jaweed luckily woke up and saw the night watcher asleep. He then woken up the two other prisoners and they made it out and then kept running for 30 minutes until they reached a governmental outpost. The soldiers took them to a station from where they went to Kabul by car and stayed hidden in a hotel.

The Way to Indonesia

Since Jaweed had escaped from the Taliban, he was at the risk of being captured and killed if he stayed in his country. After the hotel manager helped him arrange for a people smuggler, he flew to New Delhi, India in November 2014. From there, he went to Malaysia by plane and then on to Indonesia by boat in December 2014.

Detained

After arriving in Jakarta, he registered himself with the UNHCR in December 2014. Due to not having the right to work or way to support himself in the new country, Jaweed went to Makassar Immigration Centre to ask for assistance. He was then transferred to a detention centre in March 2016.

The detention centre was overcrowded and badly ventilated, and refugees faced many challenges, like lack of food, water, and proper medical care. Jaweed received his freedom from the detention centre in May 2018 and was transferred to a community house in Makassar. Since then, he has been living there.

His Situation

As a refugee, Jaweed faces many restrictions. He cannot work, get proper education, drive, travel to another city and even open a bank account. Also, he has been very worried for his family who is left in danger in Afghanistan – especially after the Taliban have over taken his country.

“I hope to live with freedom one day and reunite with my family in a peaceful country.”

It is possible for Jaweed to live his life with freedom and reunite with his family again.

As a UNHCR refugee, he is eligible for Canada’s private sponsorship program. He needs a group of five Canadian friends to support him.

To help support him as a sponsor, please contact Stephen Watt on Facebook.

You can also reach out to Jaweed directly on Facebook – or through WhatsApp: +62-897-4327-277

Reach out and discover how wonderful it is to privately sponsor a good person to start a new life – with your help – in Canada!

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