Name: Sadiq Mohseni

Profile: Hazara refugee from Afghanistan, living in Indonesia.

Advantages: UN-certified, excellent English skills, experienced constructor and tiler.

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

Canadian contact: Stephen Watt

Sadiq Mohseni is a Hazara refugee from Afghanistan, certified by the UNHCR, with excellent English skills and expertise in construction and tiling. Escaping Taliban persecution, he reached Indonesia and seeks to resettle in Canada through private sponsorship. He needs a group of five Canadian friends to bring him to Canada, where he can work, pursue his dreams, and live a life of freedom.

Early Life

Sadiq was born in 1991 in Malistan district in Ghazni province in Afghanistan. Due to financial problems, he had to leave school in the year 2008, and his father sent him to Ghazni City to work in house construction with his father’s friend named Bashir.

From 2008 to 2013, Sadiq worked as a tiler in Ghazni City. Due to unemployment, he returned to his home in 2013 and started living with his family. Since there was not any tiling work in his village, he started working as a laborer there.

Captured

The Hazara people of the region have long been targets of persecution and massacres because of their culture, religion, and love for education. On September 17, 2014, a conflict broke down between the Taliban and Afghan National Army in Arjistan, which is approximately 4 hours away from Malistan district. During that time, Sadiq found a job as a food server for the government forces. His job was to prepare food and water and deliver them to the frontline forces. He used to be paid daily for his service to them. The conflict ended on October 9, 2014.

On October 23, 2014, Sadiq was on the way to Ghazni City to shop for the necessities of his family which were cheaper in Ghazni. In the place called Dasht-e-Qarabagh, the van he was in was stopped by five armed members of the Taliban. After getting Sadiq and the other passengers out of the van, they started interrogating them and searching the van. In the end, they let everyone go except Sadiq.

“They showed me a photo of myself and said that I had worked with the government forces during that conflict. Hearing this, I got very terrified and thought that I would be punished and killed by them.”

Sadiq’s hands were tied up and he was being taken to somewhere on the Taliban’s bike. On the way, he begged them to release him but members of the Taliban kept abusing and beating him.  

Leaving Home

While being taken to somewhere, Sadiq heard a sudden heavy gunfire. As a result, members of the Taliban stopped and started firing on the other side. Sadiq noticed that They were Afghan Armed Forces who were shooting at the Taliban.

“Despite being scared, I took the opportunity and managed to run as fast as possible and got away as far as possible until I got to a road.”

Sadiq then went to Ghazni City by a van. He hid there for a night and then went to Kabul where he stayed hidden at a hotel. After he contacted his elder brother and told him what had happened, his elder brother advised him to find a way to leave Afghanistan immediately. Since the Taliban had his picture, they could easily find him from any corner of the country and kill him.

Journey to Indonesia

With the help of hotel employees, Sadiq arranged for a people smuggler who then arranged his travel documents. On November 3, 2014, he flew from Kabul to Tehran, Iran, and stayed at a people smuggler’s house for about 5 months. On March 20, 2015, he flew to New Delhi, India and stayed there for 5 days. From there, Sadiq went to Malaysia by plane and then on to Pekanbaru, Indonesia by boat on March 31, 2015.

Detention Centre

After arriving in Jakarta, he registered himself with the UNHCR on April 14, 2015. With no right to work or way to support him in the new country, Sadiq went to Manado Immigration Centre to ask for assistance. On March 30, 2018, he was transferred to a detention centre in Makassar.

“The detention centre was overcrowded and we (refugees) were being treated like criminals.”

Despite living in the detention centre, Sadiq kept himself busy learning the English language and doing exercise. On July 25, 2018, he received his freedom and was transferred to a community house in Makassar. Since then, he has been living there.

The Last Word!

Sadiq's journey is a testament to his resilience and the pursuit of a better life. Having overcome immense challenges and escaped persecution, he now has the opportunity to resettle in Canada with the support of five generous sponsors.

It is possible! Since Sadiq is officially certified as a refugee by the UNHCR – unlike the vast majority of the world’s refugees – he qualifies for Canada’s private sponsorship program.

If you would like to sponsor him – or if you’re just interested in helping to bring him here – please contact his friend Stephen Watt on Facebook.

You can reach out to Sadiq directly on Facebook – or through WhatsApp: +62 896-4659-1118.

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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