The email from the Passau immigration office reads soberly and bureaucratically, but for Reza R. the news of September 26 must have sounded like hope. “Dear Mr. R.”, says the short cover letter, “Your passport is now back from the check. The employment can now be entered in your tolerance.” For the Iranian, who has been living as a refugee in Bavaria since 2018, it was unclear how long he would be allowed to stay in Germany. His application for asylum was rejected because the authorities do not believe that he is actually being persecuted as a practicing Christian in Islamic-ruled Iran. In the asylum bureaucracy he was considered “tolerated”. In April he was fined for illegally staying without a passport; he only presented his passport later.
But now the 41-year-old saw the opportunity to train as a nurse and work long-term in Germany – in an industry that is urgently looking for staff. The responsible office pretended to support the plans, as can be seen from an email that the SZ has received. In order to clarify the formalities, R. should come to the district office in Passau “promptly”, writes a clerk and assures: “The employment will then be entered directly at the appointment.” But that’s a lie.
When he appeared in the district office last Thursday, two police officers were already waiting to take the Iranian into custody for deportation. This Wednesday, Reza R. is to be deported to the Iranian capital, Tehran, by plane. “Luring a refugee to the immigration office with a false promise in order to have him arrested there is fraudulent,” says Stephan Dünnwald, spokesman for the Bavarian Refugee Council. “This is behavior that is unworthy of a constitutional state.” He appealed to Bavaria’s Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann (CSU) to review the process. The Interior Ministry left a request unanswered on Tuesday.
“In Iran, anyone who discredits the state is currently being arrested”
Iran is currently being shaken by the largest freedom protests in years. Since the death of a young woman, thousands have been demonstrating against the Islamist rulers, and security forces have repeatedly used violence. Dozens of people died. Reza R. is also said to have taken part in protests before fleeing. “In Iran, anyone who discredits the state is currently being arrested,” says R’s lawyer Maral Noruzi. She tries to prevent his deportation at the last minute. “The deportation must be stopped.”
Mojgan Heidary is stunned that the 41-year-old was even targeted by the authorities. She is the head of a small nursing service on the outskirts of Munich, where R. has done an unpaid internship in recent months. “He should start his training with us on October 1st,” she says. “The only thing missing was permission from the office.” R. learned German and worked hard. “Patients were incredibly happy with him.” The entrepreneur also feels deceived by the authorities.
The Passau district office does not want to comment on the case, only informs SZ in general that deportations are usually never announced – “especially if there is a suspicion that the person who is obliged to leave the country could avoid deportation”.