We wanted to share with you the
wonderful news of an asylum victory of a young Syrian activist that came to
National Alliance for Syria (NAFS) for legal support upon his arrival to the
US.
NAFS connected him with our legal
team, who took on his asylum case. Tarek* (name has been changed to protect
client’s privacy) is an inspiring 22-year-old Syrian activist who came to the
United States only months ago from his native city of Homs.
Being in the epicenter of the
revolution, Homs, Tarek took to the streets to protest the atrocities of the
Syrian regime’s crackdown against opposition activists, which has claimed the
lives of more than 15,000 Syrians, including women and children, since March
2011. At the first protest he attended, Tarek was shot in the chest by security
forces with a rubber bullet. Because the regime targets wounded protesters at
hospitals, Tarek was forced to seek treatment at a secret medical clinic in a
family home to have the bullet removed without anesthetic. Tarek continued to
protest bravely while watching his neighborhood friends being detained and
killed one by one insisting that his life was no more valuable than theirs.
When his family learned that he was
wanted by the Syrian intelligence, Tarek fled and came to the United States. He
was forced to leave his parents and sister behind. After he left, security
forces came to his parent’s home searching for him. Although he was fortunate
enough to escape, there are sadly thousands upon thousands of Syrians that have
suffered a different fate.
We learned last week that Tarek
will now be permitted to remain safely in the United States as an asylee and
has begun his path toward permanent residence in this country. Working with
Tarek has been a humbling experience and we could not be happier for the
approval of his case.
