31/01/2015
Audio Testimony in French
I have been in the closed centre of Bruges for two months and ten days. I live in Ninove. The police came to my house but I wasn’t there. My husband was; he said the police had called for me, I asked him why and he answered he thought it was concerning our marriage. To tell you the truth, I said ‘I don’t want to go to the police’, but my husband said ‘We are going together, it is for our marriage file’. So we went to the police. They asked me why I was there so I explained the situation. They said, Ok, there is no problem. So I waited and then someone told me that they needed something from me. My husband didn’t understand. He went to fetch my passport. Then I was told ‘Ok, you are illegal’. I asked them why I was illegal since I had been living in Belgium for six years. I introduced a marriage request, I have my residence address fixed, the agent of my commune knows me, the neighbours know me. I didn’t do anything wrong. I am OK with everyone. He tells me that we are going ot the Foreigners Office and that they will send me to the closed centre of Bruges.
So, here am I now. They told me that I have to go back to Morocco. But if I go back to Morocco what will I do there? I have my life here, my husband, an appartment, everything! I don’t know why I should be going to Morocco, I don’t have a house there, I don’t understand.
You have been in the closed centre for more than two months. Does your lawyer do something?
Yes, he says that we are going to do this and that, but I don’t know… I got the ticket to go back to Morocco and what did he do? Did he block the ticket? No he didn’t.
Is it the first time they will try to put you on a plane?
No, it is the third time. The first time I refused.
The second time I didn’t leave because I had requested asylum, but the lawyer said my request was refused. It is always negative for the Moroccans. They do not grant us asylum, I don’t know why. The lawyer said it might be because there is no war in Morocco.
And why did they refuse your marriage?
I asked in Roosdaal. I paid my lawyer. I said the truth. I found the man quite racist with me. My file stayed there for four years and for four years I was going there and they kept telling me to wait and wait and wait. I was told that we could get married and then they said ‘since you are not living in Roosdaal, you can not get married.’ Because of the racist man at the townhall of Roosdaal I can not get married. My lawyer wasn’t doing anything, hence my husband and I we left and introduced our marriage request here in Ninove.I came to Ninove, I pay my lawyer but he doesn’t do anything. My husband was working, now he is unemployed. At the townhall of Ninove they said they needed my file. I went to the commune of Roosdaal to fetch it and I told them that the mayor of Ninove said we could get married because we had been living together for a long time. We already made the Islamic marriage, the one we do in Morocco. Then I was told to make another request, which I did. The commune sent letters but the problem is that we have a lot of mailboxes and that we never got the letters concerning the marriage. Then the marriage was refused. I went to see my lawyer which did not understand why the marriage had been refused. I went to the commune and they said that the marraige had been refused because the letters had been sent to me but I never received them. This is the reason why I am now in the closed centre, I didn’t do anything bad you see, I don’t know why I am here.
And how is it in the centre?
What do we do all day? We watch TV. I don’t know, I am sad here. I lost almost 8 kilos, 8 kilos can you imagine! Every day I cry and cry. I am lost, I do not eat, I do not sleep, I have problems, problems.
And how about the food?
I am saying the truth, I do not eat because I don’t feel well. I drink coffee, I eat bread and butter. I don’t eat, I lose weight. When my family looks at me they are shocked! I lost 8 kilos! I am so stressed, so stressed…
And among the detainees, how is it?
Personally, I am sad, for the moment I don’t have any friend. I am saying the truth. I am always alone, and I think, I think. ‘What am I doing? Where am I going?’ That is my problem now. I don’t have the means to go back to Morocco.
Do you still have family in Morocco?
No, I don’t have family there.
Do you mean that everybody is here?
Yes, I have a brother in France, my sister is here. I don’t have no family over there.
For more info about the lovers site in FR:http://amoureuxvospapiers.com/31-2/
