Former NATO adviser and Afghan refugee says migrants who attempt dangerous crossings have no choice
Joanne Roberts | CBC News | Posted: February 28, 2023 11:00 AM | Last Updated: February 28, 2023
Reflecting on Italian shipwreck, Zobair Deen says war and tyranny force people to flee their home countries
A Winnipegger born in Afghanistan says the news of a shipwreck in southern Italy that killed at least 61 migrants last week brings back memories of his own experience nearly 30 years ago, when his family escaped Afghanistan by crossing the border into Pakistan on rafts.
"I remember ... when I was on a boat, hopelessly looking for a home to settle in to feel safe," said Zobair Deen.
Deen, now 45, said the journey, which he took with his parents, three siblings and grandmother, lasted three days. His 16th birthday was spent floating on a raft meant for two to four people, but somehow fit a group of nine.
"The gentleman that was taking us across, he was struggling to keep us safe. That raft was about to sink a couple of times," Deen said.
Incredibly, Deen's family has photos from their dangerous voyage — there was a photographer among the group of 28 people who made the crossing, and he managed to salvage his camera before fleeing, said Deen.
"He ended up taking our pictures in that river and he told us that if we make it to safety, he's going to be able to find us somehow.... Years later he was able to track us down [in Pakistan]."
On Monday, officials said the death toll continues to rise from the wreck of the wooden vessel that sank near the southern Italian coast last week.
It was carrying people from Afghanistan, Iran and several other countries. The 61 victims confirmed so far include 12 children, Italian officials have said. Another 80 people were rescued.
Deen said he understands why people would leave their homes and risk such a dangerous journey. He watched his parents weigh the decision between staying in a war-torn country — whose regime already killed members of their family — and fleeing. They ultimately made the decision to leave Afghanistan, knowing they would likely never return.
"People have no choice but to run away from their home country because of the tyranny of regimes, or the war that is imposed on them," Deen said.
"We were on the run from violent extremists.... We had to [leave]. There was nothing left for us."
'Nobody wants to be in those situations'
Deen actually did go back to Afghanistan. In 2004, he returned on a NATO-led mission, working as a political and security adviser.
After his 10-year service with NATO, Deen returned to Afghanistan many times as a researcher on violent extremism and to offer humanitarian aid.
He's now calling for changes to Canada's refugee sponsorship process to make it easier for refugees to come here if they have sponsors who can support them financially in the long-term.
"The Canadian government should simplify the process for sponsorship groups to be able to sponsor persecuted refugees ... to bring them safely here," he said.
Arian Arianpour, the president of the Iranian Community of Manitoba, said there are stark differences between being an immigrant and being a refugee.
"Immigration has always been a part of human civilizations as a very positive cultural and economic phenomenon. The story of refugees, on the other hand, is always a tragedy," he said.
"Nobody wants to be in those situations. Nobody wants to be on the sea alone, or seeing their beloved ones dying in front of their eyes."
Arianpour said he regards the deaths from the shipwreck as no different than murder.
"They were forced to leave their land — in many cases their friends and families, their memories, [to] go on a dangerous route which is known actually as a route that kills many people.... In my eyes, yes, that is murder."
Arianpour is also calling for more support for refugees. He wants world leaders, including the Canadian government, to condemn organizations like the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps — a branch of the Iranian forces that has been designated as a terrorist organization in the U.S., but not in Canada — and push for democracy in all countries.
"The dictatorships forced these people to flee their country, yet the leaders of the free world facilitate that by ignoring the situation in those countries," Arianpour said.
On Monday, the federal government added 12 senior Iranian regime officials to its sanctions list, saying they participated in "gross and systematic human rights violations in Iran."
A spokesperson for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship department also said last month the federal department was firm in its commitment to resettle at least 40,000 Afghan refugees by the end of the year — a promise made after the Taliban took over Afghanistan in August 2021.
Deen said he wants other Afghans to know "there is hope."
"There is tomorrow, and there is a future for us."