Afghan Lawyer Needs Urgent Help
Afghan Lawyer Needs Urgent Help
Latest: Feb. 6, 2023
Victor is alive and safe
A quick note to update our lovely backers and all interested parties that Victor is alive and safe, awaiting a decision on his asylum application. I will email backers separately with more informatio…
Read moreThis fundraiser will help an Afghan lawyer have his Special Application for UK Resettlement professionally represented. Any delay or errors in his application will cost him his life, so anything you can spare is greatly, deeply appreciated.
Who is this Afghan lawyer?
Victor* was a military prosecutor for the Afghan Government working on anti-corruption (a noted British interest) up until the Taliban retook the country in August 2021.
His identity is verified by experts.
Among other factors which make him a target, he put a number of Taliban members behind bars. Here is his story:
What is Victor's claim?
Victor has an open Resettlement Application with the UK, applied for as a Special Case.
Recent case law indicates that the Government is obliged to consider his application, even though he is still in Afghanistan, because of the mechanism he used to apply for it.
The recent ruling is the reason I'm now urgently seeking legal help - so that a specialist to update his case and make sure his rights are upheld.
What Will The Funds Pay For?
First these funds will be used to support Victor's open Resettlement application, second to help evacuate him. Anything left over will go to support others like him.
I've secured leading immigration law firm Seraphus to represent him, as well as a leading authority on Afghan documentation to authenticate and translate his evidence.
Leaving the translation etc to the currently overburdened system is likely to cost many months more than it would if his application arrives authenticated, translated and notarised. Any delays may cost Victor his life.
What are next the steps?
Once Victor's application is updated, we will have to wait for The UK Government to review it and make a decision.
Thereafter we can focus on getting him rescued and resettled. For various reasons, it becomes easier to evacuate Victor once he has an official "yes" from the UK.
And then?
This will not happen overnight, which is part of the problem and reason why Victor needs our help so urgently.
Once he's approved, and rescued, then he will begin the long journey to recovery from his ordeal and the lifelong separation from his family it is costing him.
If you opt-in for updates I will keep you posted on his journey and invite you to a virtual meet and greet once he is ready, so that he can thank you personally. He is truly grateful for even the hope of surviving this.
Leftover Funds
Any funds leftover from this will go to Azadi Charity, registered 1199297 in Britain. Azadi assists at-risk, targeted Afghans to evacuate and resettle. This amazing charity has proven invaluable in helping keep Victor alive by giving me free advice on how to help him, even though it is oversubscribed and unable to commit to even one more beneficiary at the moment.
100% of everything donated to Azadi goes towards assisting its beneficiaries. No-one in the charity draws a salary nor claims expenses.
What About the Afghanistan Earthquake Victims?
There is overwhelming need across the world today, and especially in Afghanistan. Let your heart guide you. Victor is someone who is totally alone and will definitely die , possibly by torture, without this much-needed help. He is passionate about the law and wishes to continue practising it, should he survive long enough to be resettled. If this speaks to you, then please support him. While many aid organisations will naturally rush to the earthquake victims' sides, Victor and others like him still also need our help.
Because even while Afghanistan has been facing one of the worst humanitarian disasters in modern memory, Taliban members have continued and even stepped-up their campaign of revenge.
When the Ukraine war broke out, they became aware that the West is not watching as closely anymore, and things have become even more brutal since.
Anything you can spare is greatly appreciated. Please also share this with others who might care.
* Victor is not his real name, which is protected for his safety. Azadi has verified his identity via professional intelligence checks.
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Candace Watermeyer
Feb. 6, 2023
Victor is alive and safe
A quick note to update our lovely backers and all interested parties that Victor is alive and safe, awaiting a decision on his asylum application. I will email backers separately with more information.
Candace Watermeyer
Oct. 26, 2022
Update on funds and their usage
Third, thank you once again for helping raise £1500 towards Victor’s legal fees. As you can see below, just over £1525 has been transferred to Serpahus, our chosen law firm. £1500 will cover Serpahus’ fee for representing Victor in his asylum application and anything leftover will be used for translator fees. Once Victor's case is settled, any leftover funds will be sent to Azadi Charity.
I have also managed to raise a further £1,150 privately through some very, very amazing people and friends, which I paid directly to Seraphus to cover:
live translator fees
legally-compliant document authentication
a professional country report
an independent threat to life assessment.
Serpahus does not charge any markup for these services, which it pays directly to the experts it hires per case.
Candace Watermeyer
Oct. 26, 2022
Update on Victor
As of 26 Oct 2022, here is how we are getting on:
Seraphus has interviewed Victor through a translator, reviewed and interrogated his evidence. Seraphus confirms that Victor’s case for asylum is valid.
Victor will apply anywhere safe he can get to, but as I am the random Westerner he's connected with, we are trying the UK because of one apply-from-Afghanistan option it has.
We all (Victor, his lawyers, and I) agree his best chance out of the options available* is to apply for special consideration via an ARAP application, given his military prosecution links. Thankfully, this is by a happy fluke the same type of application I made - albeit it without enough information/evidence - on his behalf in March.
Serpahus will now update Victor’s application with the correct legal argument and evidence required, and deal with any queries arising when the Home Office eventually gets around to assessing it. Because his evidence is mainly in the form of paper documentation, having it authenticated, translated and explained with the independent expert reports will hopefully prove helpful.
I do not think without this help the application would be as strong as it is. Until this experience I was labouring under the naive assumption that the law is fair, just and accessible for everyday people. It seems to me that you need
Then, we have to wait for the Home Office to review his application and make a decision. We expect this will take many, many months. During which time we can only hope for Victor's continued safety in hiding.
Candace Watermeyer
Aug. 8, 2022
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