Migrants have shown what reality behind bars is like: their government lies in everything, we are seen in inhumane conditions

“I don’t know what they are complaining about here, but most are satisfied,” said Gintaras Klimavičius, director of the Kybartai Alien Registration Center. – They come from conditions in which it is difficult to live. Now both warm and fun, and the rooms and bedding are changed weekly, eating 3 times a day. He goes out, can play basketball and soccer, and lift weights. “

However, the migrants themselves have many complaints. They have agreed to communicate with Delphi on the condition that their names are not made public for fear that this could harm the processing of asylum applications.

The prison order is not fascinating

“It was better in the camp in the sense that there was cleaner water, hot showers, we had more food and the order was not as strict. They pick you up here at 8pm in the morning, if he doesn’t get up, he won’t have breakfast, “said one resident.

Additionally, the migrants said they only spend a few hours outdoors in the morning and afternoon. However, at least for the moment, this is not a big problem for them: in the open air they have already managed to stay in Rūdninkai.

“There are 18 more people living in my room. In total, maybe 150 people use a bathroom,” he said.

That toilets and showers are a problem mentioned by another interlocutor, he complained about the lack of privacy.

Imagine that you wash and a man stands in front of you, there are no barriers, no doors, no curtains, nothing. Everything is in one big room, “he said.

According to G. Klimavičius, these problems are known and at least some of them are solved. He assured that migrants have the opportunity to wash with hot water in a separate building once a week. It is expected that hot water will also appear on each floor, but so far the purchases are still in process.

“There really is no privacy, we have not bought the curtains yet, but we will try to buy and manufacture them.” It will be resolved, “he promised.

Speaking about the fact that residents are getting out of bed early, the director of the Kybartai Center explained that nothing could be done about it.

“7:30 is already breakfast. It takes a long time to feed 700 people. They eat breakfast until 12 noon. Lunch begins at 12 pm, they are eaten until 4 pm From 5 pm dinner begins. Meals last about 8 hours. We won’t do anything, they have to get up and go eat. We can’t feed all 700 at once because the kitchen only seats 100 people. We cannot start feeding them from 9 o’clock, because then breakfast will end at 3 o’clock in the day, “explained G. Klimavičius.

Speaking of only migrants being able to spend limited time outdoors, he said that it would be too difficult to handle everyone otherwise.

“We need to manage the flows so that they do not tie, because we will not catch who ate, who did not eat,” he said. “They don’t go into that field too much, but anyone who likes to go out and see how he plays football out the window is enough for them.”

He added that additional entertainment is also being considered. Cards and backgammon have already been promised to be provided to each room, and there is a pool table.

“I still don’t have books, there are social workers who come every day, interact with them, prepare for employment,” he mentioned.

Stores are missing

Migrants interviewed also complained that their food was scarce and that they were constantly hungry. They recognized that the dishes were delicious, but they were already beginning to wake up.

The problem would be solved if you could go to the store and cook there yourself, but make sure there is no such possibility. In Rūdninkai, there was a constant arrival of tents on wheels, the so-called “autolafkės”. There, migrants could buy more than just extra food.

“I need a lot of smokers,” said a Delphi caller, sending a photo with the two remaining cigarettes. “The price of the interior package is now 25 euros.”

“We still need a hairdresser, we need phones and extra bills, clothes, we can’t buy anything. A friend could have sent me items from the United States through DHL, but the security guards told me they couldn’t deliver them.” said the man.

He mentioned that the caretakers at Kybartai were kind and friendly, but could not be persuaded to bring cigarettes or other items for the money.

“The supervisors explained that the store would not come because this place was too far away,” he said.

However, G. Klimavičius, when he learned of such complaints, was very surprised: the store has been operating since last week.

“The store was open last week and it is open today. There is a day for each floor and they buy. There are both cigarettes and buns, everything is less pork. They have all the phones and the recharge cards that they get in the store. We changed the bedding once a week, they wash everything, they don’t have to worry – taught the head of the center. “And they didn’t tell us the problem that they needed a hairdresser, they were cutting themselves”.

After these explanations, Delfi learned about the store from migrants who complained about it, who said they had heard rumors about its opening, but had not yet had the opportunity to visit it.

“Yes, the store is opening, today too, but there is a very big problem. Different floors do not have the same opportunities to buy there. A few days ago, the neighbors on the first floor bought there, today they can buy again. Everyone else has no food or cigarettes. I don’t know why they treat us this way. I guess maybe they are doing it on purpose to annoy people and make them make noise. Then it will be explained again that the migrants are causing disturbances, “said a resident of the Kybartai Center.

Press back

The migrants also complained that their asylum applications were not scrutinized in detail. An interlocutor turned up in Yazidi, a religious minority in northern Iraq. Islamic priests have called them heretics for centuries.

In 2014, this rage erupted when the Islamic state committed the Yazid genocide, killing entire villages and forcing roughly half a million people to flee their homes.

“There are about 100 jazid here. You know very well what happened to us in 2014 and what the Muslims did to us.” And no one was punished for that genocide, said the interlocutor. – We have escaped from them and now we are forced to live with 500 Kurdish and Arab Muslims. Nothing has happened so far, but we are a minority in both Iraq and Kybartai, so we are afraid of the danger of ethnic cleansing. “

It is true that he emphasized that nothing has happened so far: Muslims do not discriminate against them. “They are afraid that later they themselves will be punished and not get asylum,” the man shared.

However, what offends him the most is not living in a situation like this, but the fact that no one listened to him in his asylum application, but is already urging him to return home.

“The applications of several of my friends have already been rejected. I am very afraid that they will force me back. He said.” Someone comes constantly and explains that we have to go back, otherwise we risk being imprisoned and deported, and then we will not be able to enter the European Union. “

“We see that your country does not want migrants. But why keep us closed? Let’s go and go where human rights exist. What do I need to do to get shelter, to die? ”, He added.

Commenting on such statements, G. Klimavičius assured that no one really threatens deportation, only people are informed about their situation.

“We have posted advertisements and each time they are offered to return home voluntarily. We have a duty to inform people that it is possible to return home safely and on time. But we are not talking about deporting them yet. For those who have already been taken the decisions of the Migration Department and they will be returned to them, we inform them in writing, we give them to sign, ”he said.

The interlocutor hinted that there were 11 who wanted to return, last week there were 11. There are currently 677 migrants in Kybartai, double the number of prisoners just over a month ago.

In addition, the interlocutor assured that the formation of castes previously denounced in the media was prevented as much as possible.

“We have separated the Iraqis from everyone else. We have practically 70%. They are Iraqis, they occupy practically all the floors, but people from other countries live separately. Also, they live in rooms, like a room only for the Jesuits, in another part just for some other guy. As far as possible, we take it into account. If you have any questions, please, we will definitely move you, “assured G. Klimavičius.

He denies talking about weapons and castes

Another migrant interviewed says that he closely follows all the news in Lithuania and translates it through Google Translate.

“The government tells a lot of lies, but I have no idea how to transmit them to public organizations or human rights activists,” he said. What they are doing to us is a clear violation of human rights, but I am in prison and there is nothing I can do. We are strangers here and we cannot find help. “

When asked what specifically he is lying, he shared an article on how weapons were found in Rūdninkai after the expulsion of migrants.

“I can’t believe the newspapers are writing this, even though we don’t even have the essentials. How can we manufacture weapons under such conditions? This is an absolute lie. After all, the press visited him when the camp was empty, did you see any weapons? If that had been the case, I would have been the first to report to security, “he said.

He added that the reports of caste and sexual exploitation in Rūdninkai were unfounded rumors.

“All the brothers there, nobody has complained about anything. I have also spoken with people from other countries, I have not heard anything about sexual exploitation. There were some disputes, but all were resolved peacefully, “he said.