Egyptian refugees in Sweden struggle with new life

Описание: (18 Sep 2017) LEADIN
Many Egyptians who publicly protested in the years following the 2011 revolution were forced to escape the country for their safety.
Large numbers took sanctuary in Sweden, but learning the language and finding jobs has proved difficult for many.
STORYLINE
Amr Faraq takes a relaxed stroll through the streets of Stockholm.
Here in Sweden he is free to shop, go out for dinner and express his opinions.
But life could have been very different if he'd have stayed in his home country, Egypt.
Faraq is the founder of Egypt's Rassd News Network, which was particularly critical of president Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi and his government.
Things escalated for Faraq in 2013.
After a 2011 uprising removed president Hosni Mubarak, the Muslim Brotherhood rolled to victory in a series of Egypt's first democratic elections, bringing Mohammed Morsi to the presidency.
But opposition quickly grew.
A year after Morsi's inauguration, millions joined protests against him, prompting then-army chief Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi to remove and detain Morsi on 3 July 2013.
It was during these events that friends of Faraq warned him that he was wanted for items broadcast on Rassd News Network.
He initially escaped with his wife to Turkey where he stayed for 18 months.
After his son was born he got a permit to Sweden where he and his family applied for political asylum, which was granted after 18 months.
The Egyptian authorities went to Faraq's house in Egypt numerous times after he left and removed things including his laptop.
He now feels it's too dangerous to return and advises others to leave for their safety too.
"Actually, no-one would think of returning back to Egypt in the current circumstances and I advise anyone living in Egypt to leave it," he says.
"Egypt is a great country but the current government needs to give justice to the people. If this happens, no doubt the people will love to live in Egypt and will sacrifice anything for their country. But in the current situation it's impossible for me to return back."
The "current situation" Faraq refers to is the potental jail or even death sentence he faces if he returned to Egypt.
"I knew that my name was mentioned in two cases. The first one is a military case. This case was because of leaks of documents about the military authorities and Abdel Fattah El Sisi (when he was Defence Minister) which Rassd News Network broadcast. In this case I was sentenced to three years in prison. In the second case, called 'Rabaa Operations', I was sentenced to life imprisonment and some of my mates were sentenced to death."
He says that his name has also been added to a list of people belonging to extremist groups which means he cannot apply for a new passport from the Egyptian embassy or deal with Egyptian embassies in any country in the world.
But life in Sweden isn't easy for Faraq.
He's stayed in 11 different places since arriving including refugee camps.
He finds it difficult to learn the language which means he also hasn't been able to get a job.
Since the spring of 2016, the number of asylum seekers reaching Sweden has remained at approximately the same level according to the Swedish Migration Agency.
29,000 people applied for asylum during 2016, and so far just over 13,000 people have applied this year.
This development is expected to continue with approximately 28,000 asylum seekers predicted in total by the end of this year.
Since Egyptians do not require a visa to travel to Lebanon many refugees travel to or via there when seeking sanctuary.
During the demonstration police used firearms to disperse protesters.

Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork
Twitter:   / ap_archive  
Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​
Instagram:   / apnews  


You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...