Mohammed*, 21, who was detained at Mikkeli’s Suonsaari asylum reception a week ago on Monday (10.12), will probably face deportation on Wednesday and flown with a one-way ticket back to Afghanistan. Mohammed, who lived a part of his life in Iran, admits that he is penniless.
The young man came to Finland like so many of his countrymen in 2015. He has four rejections for asylum from the Finnish Immigration Service.
Mohammed was apparently taken from Joutseno to the Metsälä immigration removal center of Helsinki to deport him on Wednesday.
Mohammed writes on Messenger:
It’s a very difficult situation.
But I don’t have any money.
What should I do?
Even if Mohammed wants to return to Iran, he would need money to do so. There are no bus connections between Kabul and Iran. The only way to get Iran’s capital is by plane.
The cheapest flight from Kabul to Tehran, if he left on December 28, is 265 euros. But then, Mohammed would need a passport and visa to travel to Iran. A passport would take two months to obtain in Afghanistan, according to him.
Certainly, we could wire money via Western Union to Mohammed. This is, however, not possible since he needs a valid ID, which he doesn’t have, to retrieve the money.
The total cost to go to Tehran? Between 1,000 and 2,000 euros.
Considering the high price, wouldn’t the most sensible thing would be for Mohammed to go to his parents in the Daykundi province, which is located about 250km west of Kabul?
It is a possibility but the Taliban have been active in that province as well.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOzCT93kO4k
For Mohammed, returning to Afghanistan is like returning to year zero.
* Mohammed’s name has been changed.