The best reporting of 2016 on the Brexit, refugees, corruption, the Turkish coup and more GroeneAd-April2017.pdfGroeneAd-April2017.pdfGroeneAd-April2017.pdfGroeneAd-April2017.pdf 1 03/04/2017 1 03/04/2017 12:121 103/04/2017 03/04/201712:12 12:12 12:12

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‘Voor ‘Vooreen perfectionist‘Voor een‘Voor perfectionist een een perfectionist als perfectionist ik wasals ik de alswas voltooiing als ik de ikwas voltooiing was de een devoltooiing voltooiing een een een enormeenorme bevrijding!enorme enormebevrijding! bevrijding!Ik bevrijding!vond Ik hetvond Ikniet Ikvondhet snelvond niet het goed hetsnel niet nietgenoeg. goed snel snel genoeg.goed goed genoeg. genoeg. Het wasHet ook wasHet moeilijk Hetook was was moeilijk ook beslissingen ook moeilijk moeilijk beslissingen beslissingen te beslissingen maken. te maken. Hoe te maken.te Hoemaken. Hoe Hoe loopt hetloopt af, loopthet watloopt af, doet het wat het af,mijn doet af,wat wathoofdpersonage mijn doet doet hoofdpersonagemijn mijn hoofdpersonage hoofdpersonage wel, wat wel, wat wel, wel, wat wat niet? Elkeniet? keer Elkeniet?niet? als keerElke je Elke jeals keer vastlegt, keerje alsje vastlegt,als je sluitje vastlegt,je jevastlegt, sluit andere jesluit andere sluit wegen je andereje wegen andere wegen wegen af. De af.doorbraak Deaf. doorbraak af.De Dekwam doorbraak doorbraak kwam toen kwamik toen kwamhet ik slottoen hettoen van ik slot ikhethet vanhet slot slothet van van het het verhaalverhaal hadverhaal bedacht hadverhaal bedacht had en had hetbedacht bedachten kon het uitwerken.en kon enhet hetuitwerken. kon kon Toenuitwerken. uitwerken. datToen af Toendat Toen af dat dat af af www.schrijversvakschool.nlwww.schrijversvakschool.nlwww.schrijversvakschool.nlwww.schrijversvakschool.nlwas, konwas, ik kon was,kleinewas, ik kon kleine stapjeskon ik ikkleine stapjes kleineterug stapjes nemen.terug stapjes terugnemen. Eerstterug nemen. zag Eerstnemen. ik zagEerst Eerst ik zag zag ik ik schrijvenschrijven vooralschrijvenschrijven vooral als iets vooral als vooralromantisch, iets als romantisch, als iets iets romantisch, iets romantisch, wat iets je watdoet iets ietsje opwat doet wat je op doetje doet op op al dertigal dertig jaaral aldertig succesvol jaardertig succesvoljaar jaar succesvolschrijfonderwijs succesvol schrijfonderwijs schrijfonderwijs schrijfonderwijs momentenmomenten vanmomentenmomenten bezieling van bezieling van ofvan bezieling inspiratie. bezieling of inspiratie. of Maar ofinspiratie. inspiratie. eigenlijkMaar Maareigenlijk Maar eigenlijk eigenlijk is het gewoonis het isgewoon het isheel het gewoon hard gewoonheel werken. hard heel heel werken.hard Enhard werken.als werken. Enhet als dan En het En luktals dan als het is lukthet dan dan is lukt lukt is is 020 0202600066 0202600066020 2600066 2600066 schrijvenschrijven hetschrijven mooisteschrijven het mooiste het werk het mooiste datmooistewerk er werkdatis.’ werk er dat is.’ dat er is.’er is.’ [email protected]@[email protected]@schrijversvakschool.nl The European Press Prize 2017

The European Press Prize (EPP) annually salutes and encourages the highest achievements in European journalism. In this special magazine of De Groene Amsterdammer, made in collaboration with EPP, we present the winners of the European Press Prize 2017. This year the shortlist featured 28 projects from 18 countries in five categories: The Investigative Reporting Award, The Distinguished Writing Award, The Commentator Award, The Innovation Award and The Special Award. The judges praised a flood of investigative pieces that were alive and vibrant, genuinely distinguished writings from all over Europe, commentator entries that show how journalists can become a part of readers’ lives and innovation projects that salute bright new ideas that push the practice of journalism forward. Together they form an impressive selection of modern European journalism. These articles were translated into English and shortened to these 36 pages. The full versions, both in English and the original language, can be found on europeanpressprize.com.

Distinguished Writing Award Investigative Reporting Award 4 Step-uncle Sam 14 Fighting corruption Childen are special refugees, Are Serbian politicians really in Berlin 3000 unaccompanied successful in prosecuting minors have arrived within corruption? a year Ivana Jeremic Dialika Neufeld & Milica Stojanovic

Colophon 10 The Story of Ahmed and Alin Special Award De Groene Amsterdammer groene.nl Ahmed (10) and Alin (11) fled 20 Colectiv This special magazine is made in collaboration with The European Press to Turkey and now work as child The Colectiv Clubfire sparked Prize (EPP), europeanpressprize.com laborers in a sweat shop. not only overwhelming emotion, They dream of escaping but also arrests and public Editor in chief Xandra Schutte Editorial chief Evert de Vos Claas Relotius quarrels over emergency Design Christine Rothuizen systems Picture editor Floor Koomen 16 71 Lives The DoR Team Editors Rob van Erkelens, Hugo Jetten, Alison Fisher On 27 August 2015 a lorry Web editors Katrien Otten, Jan Postma, is found abandoned on the Innovation Award Michael Royall motorway near Vienna. In 24 A coup in WhatsApp Contributors Felix Hutt, Ivana Jeremic and Milica Stojanovic, Dialika Neufeld, Fintan its load: 71 corpses. Who were The plotters from the Turkish O’Toole, Claas Relotius, The DoR Team and these refugees? Coup used their smartphones Christiaan Triebert Felix Hutt to communicate with Translator Vesna Nikolovska (German) Acquisition Tiers Bakker, Hans Boot each other. Bellingcat analysed Publisher Pieter Elshout Commentator Award the conservation 8 The politics of the fake orgasm Christiaan Triebert Cover Photo by Djamila Grossman, Refugee Clinton in Brandenburg The Brexit: Boris Johnson was only playing, but he was playing with fire Fintan O’ Toole

26.04.2017 DE GROENE AMSTERDAMMER 3 The Distinguished Writing Award Step-uncle Sam Children are special refugees; in Berlin alone, 3,000 unaccompanied minors have arrived within a year. A youth office in the south of the city is theoretically responsible for them, but in practice the officials are, all by themselves. by Dialika Neufeld

On the second floor of a brick building in Ste- months, the rules have no longer been applied. The 15-year-old glitz-Zehlendorf, where Berlin is plastered and ‘For some, we don’t even know where they live’, Clinton who lives quiet, between urban villas and tall trees, far he says, ‘many of them we’ve never seen.’ on a converted sheep farm in from the reality of an asylum-seeker life, the Van der Heide is 47, a training shoes type, Brandenburg filing cabinet stands in room number 202 in Adidas with blue stripes, a well-shaved bald which Danilo van der Heide is trying to stow head, trim beard, a short-sleeved shirt and a away the madness. The cabinet is cream colou- bold gold-shimmering watch. He could also run red, compact, head-high, with green cardboard a betting shop without having to move around covers on paper hanging there, containing the a lot, and his work has to do a lot with gam- lives of 800 refugee children. They are without bling these days. How many children can an parents in Berlin, some 10, some 16 years old. official attend without something going wrong? They were alone when they got into the dinghy; ­Without a child in jail, disappearing or dead in a they are alone when the nightmares come into cellar? 50, says Van der Heide, ‘if at all’. 50, says the bunk beds of their accommodation at night. the law too. The reality, however, brings 200 to The file of Ilyas from Morocco hangs in this his table, into his file cabinet. And soon a few cabinet, he is 17, has been in Germany a year, 30 hundred­ more. investigations for theft, robbery, bodily injury, Van der Heide and his colleagues have divi- msd. Now he has an inflamed stomach and ded the filing cabinet. On the right are the older urgently needs an examination. Van der Heide is cases, 50 files per employee, they are thick, they to sign the approval form. document a lot of attention, a lot of time already Clinton’s file from Ghana also hangs there, paid: the children who belong to these files are he is 15, he doesn’t know who his parents are, he lucky. fled from several homes before he became a good To the left hangs the rest. All the children who student and class spokesman with the assistance came too late. They reached Berlin when the of the German state. Van der Heide is to allow ‘welcome summer’ turned into autumn and then

him a week’s holiday in Majorca. into winter, and Merkel’s sentence ‘We’ll manage GROSSMANDJAMILA The file of the boy from Guinea is there, 16, that’ changed into a frightened question. injured on the dealer line at Gorlitz Park with The files on the left are thin. ‘This is really a knife. The file of Muhammad from Syria, 14, dangerous’, says Danilo van der Heide, ‘we don’t waiting for his family. even know the children anymore. We don’t know They reach out to Danilo van der Heide, these who is making the contact. They’re lost, they’re children, they reach for him from this cabinet, going to be criminals, I can imagine everything they need his care, his knowledge, his signature up to them culminating into sleepers’, he says. on asylum applications, library records, fitness On this Tuesday afternoon at the end of Janu- tapes, credentials, accompanying notes, they all ary, except for Van der Heide, there are also Ms need something. But Van der Heide has nothing Klieber, Ms Dietze and Ms Schönbeck, who just more to give. He shrugs his shoulders. He says, ‘I returned from the magistrate’s court because have to protect myself’. one of her clients doesn’t have a perspective to The official, Van der Heide, is a legal guar- stay and he ‘thieves like a magpie’. The others are dian of Steglitz-Zehlendorf, responsible for sick. the guardianship of almost all unaccompanied Van der Heide had to take over the manage- ‘We don’t even know the children and adolescents coming to Berlin. His ment of the department a few months ago. The children anymore. We don’t department is the LaGeSo for children, if you overtime is building up. On his last days off in will, a center where they should have someone early summer he didn’t go anywhere, he just know who is making the who knows them and can make decisions for slept. He smiles a lot as he speaks, his cheeks contact. They’re lost’ them. Once a month Van der Heide is expected push themselves up, his eyes become small, to see his ward in person, as prescribed. But for it’s the protective mask of a desperate person.

4 DE GROENE AMSTERDAMMER 26.4.2017 Hier nog een streamer van een aantal woorden Hier nog een streamer van een aantal woorden. Hier streamer

‘The worse it gets here, the quieter I am’, he More than 60,000 unaccompanied minors live bags in the refrigerator of his drug-dependent says, it’s frightening, that’s a strange form of in Germany, many are traumatized. Who is to foster father. At that time the legal guardian ­resignation. When he sits on his turquoise desk turn them into healthy, decent people? Who was made responsible. The prosecution accused opposite Ms Schönbeck, looking down at Beet- is to protect them? ‘We are only reacting from him of negligent homicide. Since then there is hoven street, there are usually several cases piled emergency to emergency’, says Van der Heide, a limit on the number of cases, a maximum of up on his table. On this day there are two Syrian and a little later this news spreads like a night- 50 children, this is the red line. But it cannot be cousins, 14 and 15 years old, who have a court mare: According to Europol, 10,000 juvenile sustained in these times. session at which Van der Heide is to accompany refugees are missing all over Europe, 4749 are Some 4252 minors with no parents registe- them. One is to leave his foster family because in Germany, according to the Federal Criminal red in Berlin last year, of which a third is clas- he has an aunt who wants to take responsibility Police Office. sified as over 18 and adult after completion of for him; the other one cannot be controlled, ‘he Most of them, the people of the Steglitz Youth the ­clearing procedure. There are still 3000 doesn’t go to school, he likes hanging out with Office assume, have been moved to other states, children and adolescents who need a guar- Arab guys on the street’. to some cousins. Perhaps they also made their dian. Van der Heide has 4.5 places. In order Then there is a Moroccan known to police way to Sweden, ‘they don’t deregister from their not to exceed the limit in the number of cases, who needs a mri, because he has ended up ‘with address’. But what if it’s not like this? ‘You have he would theoretically soon need more than 50 recurrent vomiting’ in the emergency centre, so your hands full’, says Van der Heide, ‘that keeps staff members. ‘We should be a huge authority’, the report says. ‘He’s spitting blood now’, says me awake at night.’ he says. But when he looks around the rooms of Van der Heide. He must clarify the assumption There was once the case of Kevin, the boy the Youth Office, there are only Ms Schönbeck, of costs. ‘Is this necessary for survival or not?’ who had been found in 2006 wrapped in plastic Ms Klieber and Ms Dietze sitting between the

26.4.2017 DE GROENE AMSTERDAMMER 5 towers of files, potted flowers, desk sets and cof- the magazine Landlust without fee cups as the last survivors in the fight against moving a stone. In addition to the doom. The red line is far behind them. the pigs, the horses and the res- ‘Coffee?’ asks Ms Dietze. cued circus dog, there is a large Van der Heide rubs his bald head. He exha- workshop in which a construction les loudly and sounds like a kettle from which car sauna is being built, there is a the pressure is escaping. Then he talks about his group room where the children eat favourite, Clinton, and the story is so good that together what the cook has freshly you want to visit this Clinton. The group heads prepared, a piano is in the room, out to Brandenburg. and behind the house, in the ‘sum- Clinton is a boy in jogging pants and snea- mer land’, the carers live in red kers, he is standing in front of a pigsty with a and green painted construction bright and a dark speckled pig. Clinton points site caravans, which they use to to the horse standing behind and says, ‘I always take the children to the cinema in have to dodge the horses. Twice a week is man- Luckenwalde and for swimming. datory. I don’t like it, but I have to’, he puts his It’s an idyll, as if left from the hands in his pockets. He is 15 years old, an active time before last September, when boy, friendly, almost 1.90 meters tall, in his desirable things still happened heart-shaped face there is something childish. in Germany. Where the case for He has shaved off his hair on the sides and gra- youngsters was still fought for dient, a footballer, a bit of Boateng. because society wanted it so. He’s just finishing school. Clinton is pretty Where no one should be lost, no good at school, there are a few low marks in his matter where they came from. But certificate. This is sensational for a boy who was what when 3000 Clintons arrive in a school refusal project until two years ago in one go? When summer fairyta- and who was not allowed to go anywhere wit- les turn into winter? hout a guardian at his side. One who attacked It’s lunch time in the Youth his carers and kicked the doors. Today Clinton Office Steglitz-Zehlendorf, Danilo is a class spokesman. Best friends: Thilo and van der Heide returns from the Marie. court. ‘It was sad’, he says, the two The youth welfare project, which saved him, Syrian boys, whose papers he had

lies behind wide, green fields, in a converted his- GROSSMANDJAMILA on the table the day before, are torical sheep-farm with a residential house. Up leaving their foster family. The to eight teenagers live here, girls and boys. The Danilo van phone is ringing. Van der Heide next city is Dahme, 5000 inhabitants, to get to der Heide: looks at the orange flashing but- Berlin takes an hour and a half, there is a school Momo saw the family’s ‘The worse ton and then back to his computer it gets here, bus, but otherwise ‘there is nothing here’, says labrador and refused to enter. the quieter screen. ‘I only answer the phone Clinton. Afterwards he rolled with I am’ operatively’, he says. ‘When I see He went missing early. As a baby, he was that it’s an external number, I expelled from Ghana to Germany. The woman the dog on the kitchen floor don’t pick up anymore.’ He knows who took him pretended to be his mother. A test who’s calling, he says. later revealed that this was a lie. No one knows They are people who want to help. A few who Clinton’s parents are. At the age of three or months ago his superiors didn’t take an emer- four, he was out in the streets, neglected, star- But nothing went smoothly. He had to change gency call. In the Tagesspiegel they talked about ved. The woman, who was not his mother, left facilities all the time. No one could stand him, the conditions in the Youth Office Steglitz-­ him alone in the apartment and had gone to he wasn’t welcome anywhere. He went ballistic. Zehlendorf and called on citizens to take on Ghana. Clinton managed to free himself some- A clinic for child and adolescent psychiatry diag- voluntary guardianships and to give foster how. The people from the youth office took him nosed ‘posttraumatic stress disorder (develop- children a home. Within a very short time 1000 to a home. There began Clinton’s picture book ment trauma), disturbance of social behaviour people called. career of an unaccompanied minor foreigner. and a combined developmental disorder’. He They continue to call to Van der Heide every When Danilo van der Heide, his guardian, was just eleven years old. day, his inbox is full of enquiries, all of which saw him for the first time, he saw a disturbed When Clinton fled the last establishment, sound the same: ‘Ladies and gentlemen, I child, seven years old, perhaps a small, helpless Van der Heide began to plead with the youth would like to express my wish to provide a guar­ man. Van der Heide came by motorbike to the office, so finally he got what he needed. At first dianship for a minor unaccompanied refugee…’ youth facility in Kreuzberg, he remembers, a Clinton refused to go to the country. Van der But why doesn’t this man put in the earpiece 1000 Suzuki V-Strom, Clinton was allowed Heide took him by the hand and went with him himself and shout ‘Welcome’? Why does he bury to ride along. It was the beginning of a relati- to the closed psychiatry. ‘Do you want to end up the e-mails from its inbox in a hidden folder? onship which still characterises the boy to this here?’ He asked. Clinton chose Brandenburg. ‘I’m not responsible’, he says, ‘no one is responsi- day. His guardian and he (then there was still There he was given individual care, was ble. It’s simply impossible.’ time for that) went for a regular meal together, accompanied psychologically. When he went Anyone who wants to take over a guar­ rode on the motorcycle, Van der Heide even to school, a guard was sitting in the last row, dianship or hospitality for a child takes a great took Clinton to his home, there are still pre- watching him. So Clinton, the Ghanaian found- responsibility, needs to be trained, needs a gui- sents at Christmas and his birthday. ‘He’s ling child, became probably the most expensive dance certificate, needs someone to ask them family’, Clinton says about Van der Heide. The youth of his Youth Office. 1000 questions. Van der Heide cannot be this term ‘family’ becomes elastic if you don’t know In the converted sheep farm, which is now someone at the moment. And no one else from where you come from. his home, one could photograph a story for the department, no one of the political emergen-

6 DE GROENE AMSTERDAMMER 26.4.2017 cy-callers thought of that. What could be salva- The senate administration has now opened 39 on the kitchen floor. ‘Charly has been his best tion is only robbing more time. Van der Heide posts, and the social workers can only look after friend ever since’, says nurse Gündogdu, ‘Charly is in the situation of a starving person, who gets the young people on an outpatient basis. A few treats him.’ When we set up the Christmas tree, a care package full of preserves, but has no can months ago Mohammed was still one of them, Mohammed began to put decorations on it. ‘We opener. he lived on Wupper street in Room 227. Some- had the kitschiest Christmas tree of all’, says Ms After all, there are independent, individual times he comes to see if he can find his friends Gündogdu. custodians who relieve the office, organisations again. He wanted to buy them presents, ‘we were that are specialised in guardianship, but they He is now a foster child of the Gündogdus, very relieved’, she says. Momo needs a lot of are all full. There is a list of judges and ­lawyers for eight weeks. Has a bike and a family. The attention, a lot of closeness. When Mr. Gün- who are willing to become guardians, but a res- Gündogdus live on the upper floor of the for- dogdu takes his own son in his arms, Momo ponsible coordinator is missing. Eight job place- mer director’s office of a school in Zehlendorf. waits until he is gone, then throws himself in the ments were confirmed for Van der Heide’s office, Mr. Gündogdu is a caretaker, his Mrs Inci is an arms of the foster father. When he realises that months ago. Now, in February, the first new elderly nurse, they have raised four children. someone wants to leave the house, he runs to employee starts. It will take months before they One son is a theologian and married to a priest, the wardrobe and pulls his jacket on. After a few learn the ropes. Van der Heide has no idea when the other has just become a father, a daughter weeks, he named his foster parents ‘baba’ and the others are coming. is still a student. She and the youngest son, the ‘anne’, papa and mama. The Youth Office Steglitz-Zehlendorf has 15-year-old, live at home. ‘It is unbelievable how quickly he got closer to so far been able to provide five caring families, When the three-year-old Aylan Kurdi was us’, says Ms Gündogdu, it makes her very happy, one of them the Gündogdus, they have received lying on the beach in Bodrum and the photo but also a bit frightened. ‘We have to teach him Muhammad. went around the world, the family made a deci- that we also need privacy’, she says. The boy is standing with a mountain bike in sion. They would take a refugee child. They The worst thing about Mohammed is that he front of the clearing in Wupper street and points had also read about the emergency in Steglitz-­ cannot bring his family there as well, at least not immediately. When he learned that the process could take a year and a half, he fell into a hole. ‘There is a big burden on him’, says Gijogdu. He is afraid his family cannot survive another one and a half years. In the evenings Momo is often sad, sitting on his bed and crying. In the beginning, he sat down at the computer and watched vio- lent videos on YouTube, corpses, decapitations, things that until recently were his reality and which are still the reality of his family at home. The Gündogdus told him that they didn’t want him to watch the videos anymore. ‘You should be a child, Momo’, they said, ‘you should look at happy things.’ Since then, Mohammed has been watching episodes of a Syrian comedy. There are good moments when they go out together with the dog. Or drive to Neukölln, in streets where all the signs are in Arabic. Then Momo wants to take them to restaurants, order

DJAMILA GROSSMANDJAMILA them food, then he is the one who can show the Gündogdus something, give them something. to a child in a large red down jacket. ‘Baby’, says Zehlendorf. ‘We were sure, but we Mohammed On the walls in his room he hung pictures Mohammed, ‘all by himself.’ The boy he points were also afraid’, they say. at home that he painted in his welcome class, with acry- to is maybe six, maybe eight. He was separated Origin, skin colour: they did not with his lic paints he painted the names of his family on foster­ from his brother in Germany, because he was care. What was important to them: parents small canvases, ‘Mama, Papa, Mohammed’, in over 18 years old and was staying in an accom- ‘That he accepts me and my daugh- Arabic characters and ‘LOVE’. At school, he also modation for the year, Mohammed says. He had ter as women’, says Inci Gündogdu. created a poster, which says: ‘I am 14 years old, to cry, he says, when he first saw the little one. ‘Can he accept that we like to drink a glass of I come from Syria, I speak Arabic. I love dogs.’ Mohammed comes from Aleppo, he came champagne in the evening?’ asks Mr. Gündogdu. He has drawn up a plan and presented it to alone over the Mediterranean, 14 years old. He ‘We also celebrate Christmas’, says Mrs Gün- his host family. It shows the floor plan of the was beaten and imprisoned on the way by the dogdu. ‘And I love Bratwurst’, says her husband. apartment in which he now lives, on the dra- police, travelled across the Balkan route, on foot, ‘When we saw Mohammed for the first time, wing he has rebuilt the upper floor. When the on the bus. On August 20 he reached Wupper he was standing in the corridor of his third home elder daughter of Gündogdus leaves the house, street in Berlin. in Neukölln, he was trembling.’ He was afraid that is his idea, his parents can come from Syria The initial reception for children is in a that he would never see his biological parents and live upstairs with him. This is how he could U-shaped construction, through the windows again, when he went to a German family. ‘He keep both families, the German and the Syrian. you can see bunk beds, in front of the gate gave us a hand’, says Ms. Gündogdu, ‘his lips His foster mother, Inci Gündogdu, looks at it a loungers in jogging pants waste time, watched were closed.’ little helplessly and laughs. Mohammed does by a security man. Actually, the new arrivals are When they took him home for the first time not laugh. The boy from Aleppo is the only one first investigated, questioned, estimated, but in after the third visit, it took an hour to get him in who wants to believe in it. the meantime the Wupper street is so crowded the apartment. Momo, as they soon called him, that they distribute the children to hostels and saw the family’s labrador and refused to enter. This article was first published by Der Spiegel, pensions all over the city. But shortly afterwards he rolled with the dog Germany

26.4.2017 DE GROENE AMSTERDAMMER 7 The Commentator Award lines from the apocalyptic poem The Second land, Germany and Italy.) Then he corrected this Coming: ‘The best lack all conviction, while the to say that it applied only to Islamist terrorism. worst/ Are full of passionate intensity.’ This is not a politician refining a serious But this is to miss the point of our particu- policy proposal or even a fascist planning an out- Brexit lar political moment in the Anglophone world. rage. It is just a spoofer trying to remember what It may be true that the best lack conviction, but spiel he came up with last. the second part of Yeats’s comparison empha- Consider, too, the now infamous £350 mil- tically does not apply. The worst are not full of lion a week that the official pro-Brexit campaign and the passionate intensity; they are, to borrow from a claimed was being ‘sent’ to Brussels and would, different Yeats poem, just a pretty bellows full of after Brexit, be spent on the British National faux-angry wind. They have no serious intention Health Service. (The Leave referendum broad- – no plan and no means – of doing the things casts featured a split-screen with a before and politics of they say they will do. after hospital emergency department, one coldly Here are some of the things that are not going indifferent and overcrowded with dark-skinned to happen in the next few years, even in the unli- men, the other so empty the staff were only too kely event that we end up with President Donald delighted to meet the sick old lady the fake Trump and Prime Minister Michael Gove. who came in.) There will not be a wall across the Mexico/US This was a double lie: there was border, and Mexico will not pay for it. Muslims no £350 million a week, and John­ will not be barred from entering the United Sta- son, Gove and their allies were also orgasm tes on the grounds of their religion. Immigration promising large chunks of it to into the UK will not be drastically reduced. An farms, education and research. extra £350 million a week will not be put into But even calling this a lie is to by Fintan O’Toole the National Health Service. British fisherman miss the point about the new poli- will not be hauling in greatly increased catches. tics. A lie has a relationship, albeit Vast steel plants will not reopen in Pennsylvania an inverse one, to the truth. The Boris Johnson was only playing, after all. But he and Port Talbot. truth content of the £350 million was playing with fire. The point is that neither Trump nor the Brexit claim is absolute zero. It floats We are living with the politics of the fake leaders have ever believed for one moment that freely above any actual intention orgasm. The leaders of the Brexit campaign are any of these promises are real. to do something in the real world. obliged to join in with the ecstasies of their fol- Consider the evolution of Trump’s most lurid Like Trump’s Mexican wall and ban lowers. They must let out a few polite yelps of (and, according to the polls, most resonant) pro- on Muslims, it is a statement of the satisfaction. But a week on, it is increasingly position: the ban on Muslims entering the US. sort invented by the linguistic phi- clear that theirs is a phony consummation. The It is indeed a staggering suggestion – it would losopher Noam Chomsky: ‘Colour- earth may have moved – but not for them. overthrow the US constitution. But we can say less green ideas sleep furiously.’ As shown by Boris Johnson’s retreat from the with some certainty that one person who has Chomsky pointed out that this prospect of having to actually govern the new never taken it seriously is Trump. sentence is entirely grammatical; it kingdom he did so much to create, it was all a follows all the rules of the way we performance. It will not be long before those construct statements of fact. But it they embraced – the alienated, the dispossessed When Trump says, ‘I will build is still nonsense. It refers to nothing – realise that they have been had in more ways whatsoever. than one. a wall and Mexico will pay for When Trump says, ‘I will build a Like the followers of Donald Trump in the it’, he actually says, ‘Colourless wall and Mexico will pay for it’, or US, white working-class Brexit voters are expe- green ideas sleep furiously’ Boris Johnson and Michael Gove riencing a new kind of political relationship. say, ‘We send the EU £350 million GUY BELL / REX / HOLLANDSE HOOGTE These movements may look like the reactionary a week – let’s fund our nhs instead’, populism we have seen many times before, but they are actually saying, ‘Colourless they are profoundly different in one crucial res- As recently as last September, he was saying green ideas sleep furiously.’ Their claims have the pect. Syrian refugees should be allowed into the US: form and grammar of traditional political pro- The old reactionary politics is utterly serious: ‘Something has to be done. It’s an unbelievable mises, but they bear no relation to anything they its leaders really intend to do what they say they humanitarian problem.’ By December, however, actually intend to do. will do, and they really mean to reshape systems he called for a ‘total and complete shutdown of The problem with pure nonsense is that it of government to allow them to do it. When they Muslims entering the United States until our cannot be contradicted: it is no good arguing say they are going to cut out the contagion that is country’s representatives can figure out what the that colourless green ideas don’t really sleep at corrupting society – the Jews, the Catholics, the hell is going on’. all. And so it is with these claims. You can point blacks, the communists – they really mean to act He then said customs agents would be out, for example, that even if Trump could build on their twisted obsessions, and they have every instructed to ask incoming travellers if they are his wall, it would have to run through the middle intention of creating the authoritarian systems Muslim, and that those who said yes would be of the Rio Grande. But in order to do so, you are that will allow it to happen. turned away. In May he retreated, saying the depending on something that is entirely irrele- What’s different about the new reactionaries whole thing was ‘just a suggestion until we find vant to Trump’s claim: the real world. is that they are not at all serious. The farce of out what’s going on’. In the old politics, we know what would have Boris Johnson’s abortive leadership bid is just a On June 13th, Trump changed his mind happened to the £350 million claim. Once it was token of a deeper truth: this is a game of thrones again, saying he would ban everyone from ‘areas comprehensively proven to be a lie, the Leave side that is all game and no throne. of the world where there is a proven history of would have had to withdraw it and the Remain In the days after the Brexit vote, a number of terrorism against the United States, Europe or side would have made hay. In the new politics, rueful commentators were drawn to WB Yeats’s our allies’. (This would, of course, include Ire- however, the protestations of the Remain side

8 DE GROENE AMSTERDAMMER 26.4.2017 that their opponents had been caught out in a Trump is even further along this postmodern by late capitalism to consume fantasies. They huge lie were entirely ineffectual. Exposing the road, a longtime harbinger of the new world know very well that buying and wearing an acry- lie was like revealing that Snow White didn’t live in which you don’t make money by creating lic T-shirt with the colours and advertising logos with seven dwarves. People simply shrug and say and selling things, but by being known as a guy of Manchester United or the Cleveland Browns that maybe she lived with six dwarves instead. who makes money. His real business career is doesn’t really make you one with the multimillio- So what? pockmarked with bankruptcies. But he had the naire sports star whose name is on the back. And Where is this new politics of fake reaction genius to understand early on they know that cheering for Trump or having a coming from? Like all products, it has a supply that reality was entirely irrele- selfie taken with Boris doesn’t actually make you side and a demand side. The supply side is the vant; he went into self-branding. one with these entitled scions of the ruling class. The bigger world of media and branding. The Leave cam- As a New York Times inves- and more But there is a comfort in the illusion: it breaks paign was the product, not just of media barons tigation of Trump’s business outlandish the the boredom of a hopeless existence. such as Rupert Murdoch and Paul Dacre, but of career concluded: ‘Putting his political claim, Listening to Trump tell you that he is going to the Frankensteins they have specialised in crea- name on products and services the more build a wall or to a Brexit leader telling you that reason there ting – chimeras who are half politician and half and collecting fees – was often is to buy the there will be no more immigration is like buying professional journalistic provocateur. where his actual involvement ticket a lottery ticket. You don’t have to actually believe that you are going to win $100 million or £100 million this week. For even if the chance is one in a billion, it’s a chance: it keeps the boredom at bay by introducing a fantastic possibility. In this logic, the bigger and more outlan- dish the political claim (No more Muslims! Your industrial job is coming back!), the more reason there is to buy the ticket. You don’t have to actually believe that Trump is telling the truth when he says he will build a wall. You just have to believe that there’s a one in a million chance he might. The more desperate you are, the more brightly the prospect of a transformative moment glimmers on the distant horizon of your dreams. The problem now is that, with Brexit, many of these people think their numbers have actu- ally come up. Brexit, a mere linguistic construct to its leading champions, has become a real world event. The transformative moment has arrived. And then their leader, Boris Johnson, walks away, tacitly admitting that his successful advocacy of this great upheaval was no more serious than winning a debating competition at the Oxford Union. He was only playing, after all. But he was playing with fire. The fantasies that he and Trump have pumped into public life are not harmless – these dreams are other people’s nightmares. And these dilettantes may have opened the door for more serious people. It would be enti- rely in keeping with this weird postmodern It says it all that Johnson’s first pronouncement began and ended.’ Trump is a performer who drama that the simulacrum could become a on what the campaign he had led actually meant acts out the role of mogul: an act perfected and reality, that the cold reactionaries could usher for the lives of UK citizens came, not in a press popularised, of course, on The Apprentice. In in the real ones. In the fake orgasm scene of the conference, but in his ‘exclusive’ Daily Telegraph that role, he has learned that political statements film When Harry Met Sally, Meg Ryan’s perfor- column, for which he is paid £275,000 a year. may be even more powerful when they have the mance of ecstasy is observed by another custo- Johnson and Gove have followed the same same relationship to reality as his mogul brand mer in the cafe, who mistakes it for reality and path, from the Oxford Union where they learned has to actual business: none whatsoever. tells the waitress, ‘I’ll have what she’s having.’ to argue opposite sides of any case with an equal On the demand side of the equation, we know, Now that xenophobia, ruling-class anar- pretence of conviction, to Murdoch’s Times to of course, that this new reactionary politics chism and self-destruction have been placed on the Tory Party and high office. They are, as Nick appeals to something all too real: the despera- the menu of popular political stimulants by the Cohen put it in The Observer, ‘the worst jour- tion of people who have been dumped out of the reckless fabulists, the rapidly disillusioned mil­ nalist politicians you can imagine: pundits who working-class lives of industry and aspiration lions may be ready to place the same order. have prospered by treating public life as a game’. they once knew and into the humiliating expe- Perhaps another Yeats line will have its day: Both are highly practiced in a kind of rience of being discarded as human set-aside. ‘We had fed the heart on fantasies,/ The heart’s meta-politics, in which commentary and acti- We should not underestimate the extent to grown brutal from the fare…’ vity, medium and message, are fused into one. In which Trump and the Brexiteers feed off the that meta-politics, what the US satirist Stephen anomie of life in left-behind communities. Yes, it 2 July 2016 – This column was published by Colbert called ‘truthiness’ – stuff that feels like thrives on anger, but it also thrives on boredom. The Irish Times, The Observer and The Guar- it should be true – trumps the truth every time. Working-class communities have been taught dian, United Kingdom and Ireland

26.4.2017 DE GROENE AMSTERDAMMER 9 The Distinguished Writing Award Syrian Orphans Trapped in Turkey Ahmed and Alin were 10 and 11 years old when their parents died in Aleppo. They fled to Turkey and now work there as child laborers – collecting scrap and working in a sweat shop. They dream of escape, but don’t know how. by Claas Relotius

One early morning this summer, 13-year-old Alin, her left foot on a pedal and grabs a pile of clothes. fatigue visible in her eyes, walks alone through She takes a black T-shirt, lays it in the machine the dark, pre-dawn streets of the Turkish city of and begins sewing – first one seam and then Mersin. The slap of her flip flops accompanies two, three, four. By the time it grows dark again her as she makes her way through the factory upstairs on the streets of this Turkish city on the district, passing dilapidated buildings, with dogs Mediterranean, it will amount to a thousand. still asleep and streetlights unlit. Alin is singing Later in the day, after a few hundred seams, as she walks, a hopeful song about two children she will start getting cramps, in her neck, in her with little to hope for – two children who had buttocks and in her shoulders. But she won’t experienced the worst, but who were to be saved complain, she won’t say a word. She does what nonetheless. Once upon a time there were two she has to do. It is only after 11 or 12 hours that children, a boy and a girl, the song’s lyrics go, she will sneak a peek at the small clock on the and they had lost everything – their parents, wall and think about her brother, who at that their house and their country. They came from moment is beginning a night shift 300 kilome- an old city and, when a war broke out in their ters to the east, at a scrap yard in Gaziantep. country, they fled to a distant kingdom. They found safety, but in the service of their protec- Stooped and Hungry CLAAS RELOTIUS tors, they were forced to work so hard that their They can’t see each other or talk to one another, backs bent and their hands bled. They almost but Alin imagines Ahmed, several centimeters tory in Mersin and on the scrap heaps of Gazian- died. But one day – Allah is great – they were shorter than she, climbing mountains of trash tep. They use simple words, speaking loudly at rewarded richly for their suffering. God gave and rubbish, a boy 12 years of age with oil- times and quietly at others. Sometimes, their them their country back and bestowed them smeared clothing, thin arms and broad hands. voices quiver – at other times, they fall silent. with gold and happiness. Now, according to the Alin imagines these hands carrying heavy loads They tell their stories vividly and honestly – in song, one that schoolchildren once learned from – car tires and engine parts. How her brother the way that only children can. Raqqa to Damascus, the two children were to Ahmed collects them piece by piece, piling them The day the war arrived was a summer’s day become the king and queen of Syria. on a cart behind him and pulling it, stooped and two years ago. Ahmed and Alin, the children of a Alin sings with a thin voice. She turns into hungry, for kilometers through the city until his laundry service owner in Aleppo, were 10 and 11 an alleyway and, from the building entrances bones ache. When Alin leaves the basement after years old. He was a boy with big ears who liked on the right and left, the clatter of hundreds 14 hours of sewing, she no longer has a song on to eat licorice and preferred riding a bicycle and of machines can be heard growing louder and her lips – only prayers. She folds her hands, playing football to praying. She, a girl who liked louder. Alin slows as the noise drowns out her closes her eyes and pleads for someone to come doing homework, had the best grades in her song. Ultimately, she stops singing altogether, and rescue her just like the two children in the class and had been taught how to cook by her bows her head as she passes under a low door song. She and her brother – the son and daugh- mother, a baker. and slides down 15 steps into a damp, window- ter of parents killed in the war – fled Aleppo and They had just sat down to dinner. Their less basement. are now trapped in southern Turkey. mother Adeeba had made couscous with dates. Inside, the smell of sweat hangs in the air. The story of Ahmed and Alin is one of two Mohammed, their father, had been telling them Neon light emanates from the ceiling, casting a children, a boy and a girl, who fled the bombs about his work. A Syrian family sitting together bright glow on two dozen tender faces – 19 girls in Syria and are now struggling to survive in the at a table – when an explosion, out of nowhere, and five boys, all still children. Some prop them- shadow economy of Anatolia – children who knocked all four off their chairs. The bomb, selves up on crutches and three are missing a leg. dream of a queen named Merkel and a faraway which had fallen on the neighboring building, They line up next to each other like soldiers as a island called Europe, but who can’t find a way tore through three walls, leaving their living man calls out their names, shouting in Arabic, to get there because, for the 1.5 million children room in rubble. The children screamed and their ‘yalla, yalla!’ – ‘hurry up! hurry up!’ – and the who have fled the war in Syria, there is no longer father called for help. The only person silent was children set to work. Alin sits down on a plas- a path out of Turkey. They tell their stories sepa- their mother, who was buried beneath the stones. tic stool at one of the wooden tables lined up in rately from one another, at different times and in ‘She was just lying there’, says Ahmed. She was rows. She slides a pillow behind her back, places different places like a subterranean clothing fac- no longer breathing, and when the smoke and

10 DE GROENE AMSTERDAMMER 26.4.2017 If she could, Alin says, she would just swim away to Europe

and Ahmed didn’t know where along the kilometers of barbed wire fences they actually passed into Turkish territory. They only recall that the march lasted two nights and two days and that it rained almost non- stop. The first thing they saw of the foreign country, Alin says, were men with weapons. Sol- diers picked them up behind the border – the traffickers had left them on their own. The men spoke loudly in a language that Alin and Ahmed could not understand. As if to keep them away from the rest of the dust finally cleared, they could see blood flowing return. He had wanted to pick up food for them country, they led the children to a forest in Hatay from her forehead. In Alin’s words, it looked ‘like – pita bread, flour and a canister of water. The province, Turkey’s southern-most corner. It was red water in a river’. last remaining store in their neighborhood was here, several months later, that the siblings located just four blocks away, but snipers lurked would be separated from each other. It was here ‘Our Uncle Told Us to Leave’ everywhere on the rooftops, as neighbors would that Ahmed and Alin, without even suspecting An aunt washed the corpse. Ahmed and his later tell them. A regime solder, claimed some, it, would go their own ways – possibly forever. father buried his mother at the last remaining had shot their father in the back of the head. At first, though, they lived in the forest cemetery in Aleppo, located not far away from Others were sure it was Islamic State fighters. together with hundreds of others who had fled, their destroyed home. They moved in with an Alin and Ahmed say they never saw their father in a camp under the trees, in huts made out of uncle. Not long after losing his wife, their father again. cardboard and plastic tarps, without beds or Mohammed also lost his business. Even though They have a hard time talking about it even food. Ahmed says the only electricity came from bomb after bomb fell on their neighborhood, he today. When they do, their soft features become the battery of a broken-down tractor and the didn’t want to leave Aleppo. Alin and Ahmed say rigid and their eyes begin to wander. They don’t water for washing, Alin recalls, came from a dirty he cursed Assad and the dictator’s soldiers, who have many memories of their last days and canal. Alin and Ahmed never saw doctors, social had encircled half the city. The children were not weeks in Aleppo – only that, at some point, per- workers or anyone else charged with caring allowed to leave the house – at first for weeks, haps months later, they left the city. ‘Our uncle for them. To earn money and obtain food, they and then for months. During the day, they told us we had to leave’, Ahmed says. ‘He stayed’, soon joined forces with other refugees. They fol- could see smoke rising above the homes of their says Alin, ‘but we were to disappear.’ lowed them to the surrounding fields where they friends. At night, they laid in bed together with One of their dead father’s brothers used the picked cotton for Turkish farmers and harvested their father, clinging tightly to him each time an last money he had to pay two traffickers. The watermelon, 10 hours a day, seven days a week. explosion shook the walls. first took the children out of the city hidden They saw Syrian girls older than them collapse It was on a hot morning one year ago, both in the trunk of a car. The second led them and under the sun. They themselves kept picking say, that their father left the house never to other Syrians across the border on foot. Alin until the season ended. Then winter arrived. The adults began look- ing for new work and a roof over their heads to protect them from the cold. At this point, the When he’s unable to fall asleep, Ahmed takes out men and the women split up, as did the boys his mobile phone and looks at the pictures of his parents and the girls. It wouldn’t be for long, they were

26.4.2017 DE GROENE AMSTERDAMMER 11 told, and the children didn’t ask any questions. the city’s south – in the direction of Mecca and kneeling man. He yells ‘Allahu akbar’ – God is Alin, who had been taught to sew by her mother, Aleppo. The view from the heights extends far great. And then he hacks off the man’s head. climbed onto the bed of a melon truck and rode out over the dark homes and crescent flags, just Ahmed says he filmed the video himself on with the women along the Mediterranean coast, a one hour drive from the Syrian border. Almost Aleppo’s market square. His father was furious, 300 kilometers to the northwest – to the textile 2 million people now live here, with close to one yelling at him to delete the video and never to factories in Mersin. Ahmed traveled with the in six having fled from the war to Gaziantep. look at it again, but Ahmed ignored him. Now, men to the northeast for two hours in a window- Ahmed sits on the ground cross-legged and he shows it to the others and the boys watch with less livestock truck until they reached Gazian- says they built their hovel themselves using tools big eyes. Mahmud, the oldest, furrows his brow tep, a city of well over a million people. that they either found or stole. They are nine and looks up at the night sky. ‘There are wars’, On one evening in May of this year, with boys from Homs and Aleppo, from bombed-out he says, ‘because there are bad people.’ Moham- warm air announcing the arrival of summer, cities and villages, all on their own in a coun- med, the youngest, asks how you can identify Ahmed, not even 1.5 meters (4’11”) tall, is pulling try that none of them had known about before. them, how you can tell the bad ones from the a cart behind him in his worn out tennis shoes. They throw some trash bags and a few wooden good ones. He passes industrial ruins, car repair shops and slats and twigs on a pile to build a fire and place Ahmed often spends time with his mobile abandoned factories. Stray cats are following a pot of sweet tea on top, just like adults. phone after work, writing to his uncle who him. Dusk is the best time for his kind of work Each has his own task and his own story. fled Aleppo a few months ago but who hasn’t and he is on the lookout for anything that might Mahmud, the oldest, is 15 and had already been ­managed to cross the border out of Syria. His still be of use – a discarded car cylinder here, a orphaned long before the war. Mohammed, the uncle upbraids him frequently and writes that metal tub there. Every few hundred meters, he youngest, is 11 and he lost his parents as they Ahmed should go looking for his sister. But bends down and throws his new find onto his fled. They hadn’t known one another before, Ahmed says he doesn’t want to leave. ‘I never cart, which eventually becomes so heavy by the first finding each other at the construction sites, want to go away again.’ end of the night that he can barely pull it. His without guardians to look after them. They built There was a time when Alin and Ahmed boss, a Turkish scrap dealer, has promised him their own family – one comprised solely of chil- grew up like most siblings do. They didn’t have five Kurus per kilogram, or 1.5 cents. On a good dren. They now get up together and gather scrap much room to themselves and shared a bedroom night, Ahmed says he can collect 300 kilograms, together. They pray together and they share until Ahmed was nine, with stuffed animals in for which he earns about € 4.50. He goes to bed their bread. the beds and pictures on the walls that they had in dirty clothing each morning at sunrise, the All that Ahmed still has from home is a back- drawn themselves. They pestered one another same time his sister Alin descends into the base- pack. Inside is a T-short emblazoned with the and pulled each other’s hair. Sometimes, when ment in Mersin to start work. words ‘I Love Syria’, a pair of pants, socks, a bag they would tell jokes late into the night, they Months have passed since Ahmed fled Syria, of chocolates, a small toy robot and a scratched would pull their beds close together so their and this is now his fifth job. He says the bruises up mobile phone. Sometimes when he’s unable ­parents couldn’t hear them. But now, now that on his shoulders are from carrying heavy loads to fall asleep after work because the morning the war has driven them away, they are separated and that the scars on his stomach are from the heat has already become unbearable, he takes by hundreds of kilometers in a foreign country. sharp edges of the metal items he has ­scavenged. out his mobile phone and looks at the old pho- They must feel like they are in different worlds. The marks on his throat are from sparks that tos, pictures of his parents, pictures of Aleppo Their only connection is the text messages burned his skin. In the beginning, when he first and pictures of Alin. they send each other from their mobile phones arrived here, he slept together with six men On this night, Ahmed runs a thumb across almost every evening. Alin often writes how and 10 boys in a tent, sleeping bags and blan- the device as he looks at photos from his old many dresses she sewed that day and she’ll occa- kets packed close to each another. They worked school. They show boys with gelled hair and girls sionally send a picture of the room she is allowed together, welding steel in a shop, firing clinker with colorful headscarves, arm in arm. Ahmed to sleep in, a tight space full of torn mattresses where a dozen other children sleep as well. She writes that she is often hungry after work, but In Alin’s dreams Merkel isn’t a matron in pant-suits, that she has no money because her entire recom- but a young woman in white robes with long, golden hair pense is being able to sleep in this small room. When Ahmed asks his sister what she misses most, she answers: school. When Alin asks her at a cement factory or hauling stones around doesn’t know where any of his friends are today brother what he misses most, he is unable to construction sites where five-story buildings or how they are doing. He sends them messages, answer. stand today. The grown-ups saved every single but they no longer answer. Sometimes, he thinks A few weeks ago, when Angela Merkel lira, saying they wanted to use it for a spot on they might still be in Aleppo. And sometimes he ­traveled to Gaziantep and was led through a boats that would take them to Europe. In Ger- imagines that they’re already dead, ‘perhaps in nicely tidied up refugee hostel for the cameras, many, they told the children, life would be bet- Paradise’. Alin wrote to her brother: ‘The girls here are say- ter for everyone. But then, this spring, police ing the queen of Europe is at your place. That discovered­ their tent on the edge of the city, The Good from the Bad she’s coming to get you.’ Ahmed didn’t under- stomped it to the ground and beat them all, Ahmed says he is no longer afraid of death. In stand. He didn’t have a clue who Angela Merkel pushing the men into trucks like cattle. Only the fact, he says, he’s already seen a lot of people die. was and had never heard her name before. boys were allowed to stay. They weren’t taken He was just starting second grade – he had only Even today, he doesn’t know where Germany anywhere – they just stayed on the streets. just learned to read, he says – when he watched is located, just that it’s part of Europe and that as a man was beheaded not far from his school. Europe is safe and children don’t have to work A Small Toy Robot He scrolls through his mobile phone until he there. Ahmed says he hates working and hates Now that it is daylight in Gaziantep, Ahmed finds a wobbly video. The clip, recorded over two it when his arms ache. He’d much rather play leaves the scrap yard and heads for the place years ago, shows a blindfolded man kneeling in football – but then, as he well knows, he’d starve. where he now sleeps, alone with the other a puddle of dark blood. Next to him is another The only German Ahmed thinks he knows ­children. It is a corrugated metal and wood man in black robes and they are surrounded is Arjen Robben. The bald football star is, of shed furnished with blankets – a hovel nailed by onlookers. The robed man is holding a large course, Dutch, but for Ahmed, light skin is the together on one of the brown hills that rise in sword in his hand, pressing it to the neck of the equivalent of being German. In Aleppo, he says,

12 DE GROENE AMSTERDAMMER 26.4.2017 he used to watch FC Bayern Munich games onward, Nasser says – it ‘keeps them in rhythm’. injured. The driver, it was said, was a young on television sometimes in a tea house on his He paces through the rows, his hands clasped ­Syrian, still a child. street. The team in the red jerseys always won behind him like a teacher walking through a When Alin heard about it, it was as though and the man with no hair, says Ahmed, always classroom. The children are not allowed to talk she had once again been reeled in by the horrors scored a goal. Since then, Ahmed has believed to each other. Talking, Nasser calls out to them, of Aleppo. Ahmed wrote to tell her that he was that Germany is ‘a good country’. Every one of delays production and costs money. They only okay, but that wasn’t enough for his older sister. his friends thinks the same, every one of the have a single 40-minute break each day, during She resolved to go get her brother and take care eight other boys on the hill. But none of them which they drink warm soft drinks, eat lentil of him herself. The next morning, she took all knows how to get to Germany. And weeks ago, soup and relieve themselves through a hole in the money she had, 50 lira, and climbed into a when Merkel – a queen, in the eyes of the chil- the cement just behind an old curtain right next bus heading for Gaziantep. dren, who wanted to help them – visited the to the factory floor. The drive took five hours. Out the window, camp not far away, she was gone almost before Now, because it is the fasting period of Alin watched the cotton fields of Adana roll by she had arrived. ­Ramadan, Alin says during one of these breaks, where she had once worked. She also saw the Ahmed and Alin know nothing about refugee she can’t eat or drink anything at all during stone quarry near Gaziantep, where children are quotas. They don’t know anything about Turkey, the day. She has squatted down on the floor now working as well. When the bus arrived, Alin about a president named Erdogan or about a between piles of red and black fabric. It’s only called her brother, but Ahmed didn’t pick up. deal with the European Union. All they know midday, but she is already so exhausted that she She sat at the bus station and dialed his num- is that they can’t return to Syria because it’s too can hardly remain upright. She tries to think of ber around 20 times, but got no response. Alin dangerous and they can’t continue on to another something nice and says that her favorite thing kept trying for hours, until it got dark. Then she country because the other countries don’t want to sew is the little crocodiles. She likes crocodiles boarded the last bus heading back to Mersin. them. because they are strong animals. If she could, During the ride, Alin says, she prayed hard In Alin’s imagination, Europe is a small Alin says, she would just swim away to Europe for her brother and for a chance to see him again island surrounded by the sea ‘somewhere up just as other women and girls did after they were sometime. She also thought of the song about north.’ And in her dreams, Merkel isn’t a matron unable to find shelter and work here in Mersin. the two children – a song she once learned at in pant-suits, but a young woman in white robes with silky soft skin and long, golden hair. She has never seen a photo of the German chancel- Alin decided that Allah could perhaps save two children, lor, but some of the girls she sews with have told but certainly not hundreds of thousands her that all Germans are ‘rich and beautiful’. Alin doesn’t wonder how all Germans can be rich and beautiful when she, a child, is forced to sit in a They arranged a bus ticket and drove down the school, in another life. The children in the song windowless basement. She simply figures that coast to Bodrum, where they climbed into a rub- had been saved, and when the war was over, they there are enough children in Germany already. ber dinghy. After that, Alin says, she never heard could return home again. Alin started thinking Alin is sitting in the Mersin factory sewing from them again. and decided that Allah could perhaps save two little crocodiles onto white polo shirts. Lacoste, She knows that people drown in the Mediter- children, but probably not hundreds and cer- Adidas, Puma, Nike: she rapidly sews the logos ranean. But she also knows that many manage to tainly not hundreds of thousands. And then, onto sweat pants and T-shirts – counterfeit make it across. Alin says she is jealous of the chil- Alin says, she started thinking about what would products that are brought from Mersin to Istan- dren that have made it because they don’t have to happen to her and Ahmed if luck never found bul and from there to Bulgaria and on to Ger- work and can go to school. She always dreamed them – if their fate was not that of the two chil- many. At least that’s what Nasser says, a man of becoming a doctor, Alin says, but now she is dren in the song, but a different one, without a with bad teeth and a shirt wet with sweat. He afraid that she’ll have to spend her entire life in happy ending. is 34 years old and comes from Syria, just like a basement. She hasn’t been to school for two Then, a message from Ahmed arrived. He the children who work for him. He came here years and her brother Ahmed, she says, ‘doesn’t wrote: ‘Hello sister. We were collecting scrap all four years ago from Aleppo, where he worked even have any idea how much 12 times 12 is’. day and all night. Soon, I’ll have enough money. as a tailor. After he left, he sold his car, bought The streets of Gaziantep and Mersin are I’ll have enough for you and me together.’ around 20 Juki sewing machines and started his now full of children like the two of them. And On the morning after her return from factory in a quarter of the city where police hav- every day they walk past signs in Arabic that are ­Gaziantep, Alin went to work in the pre-dawn en’t patrolled for quite some time. posted on the sides of the buildings, next to ads darkness, just like every day. She climbed the Initially, mostly locals worked at his machines, for Coca-Cola and images of Erdogan. The signs 15 steps down into the damp basement that almost all of them adults. But then, more and are from Islamic State, promising pocket money, smelled of sweat. Nasser, her boss, received more Syrians began arriving, including children food and a ‘huge family’ that will take care of the her with vicious cursing because she had been ‘who were half as expensive.’ Nasser walks up children. ­missing for an entire day, leaving thousands the stairs, opens the door to the street and looks Alin doesn’t know exactly what Islamic of seams unsewn. She walked silently to her down the road past dozens of factories. They are State is. She is only familiar with the pictures machine, shoved the pillow behind her back, put all cellars like his, full of thousands of boys and of masked fighters that cut off people’s heads or her left foot on the pedal and laid her right hand girls. The only difference is that he is a refugee burn them alive. Sometimes, on her way back on the machine. Then tears began pouring down himself, the only Syrian factory owner around. from the factory to where she sleeps, she sees her cheeks. She was ashamed and covered her Nasser takes a drag from his cigarette and says other children who have dressed up to re-enact face with her hands, but she couldn’t stop cry- he has four children himself and doesn’t have a executions. ing. She wasn’t crying for her dead parents. She choice. wasn’t crying because of her body’s aches and Feeling Like a Child pains. It was, she says, because Nasser, an adult, Crocodiles Not that long ago, Alin says, she heard Nasser had scolded her. She felt, just for a moment, like Down below, by the sewing tables, he has set up and other men talking about a bomb that had a child. a CD player that plays Arab music 14 hours a exploded in Gaziantep, where Ahmed lives. A day. A high-pitched woman’s voice sings of hope car loaded with explosives had driven up to a This article was first published in Der Spiegel, and happiness. The music spurs the children police station. Two people were killed and 22 Germany

26.4.2017 DE GROENE AMSTERDAMMER 13 ‘The Investigative Reporting Award Fight against Corruption Spectacle on Camera, Silence in Courtrooms

Serbian politicians often ten years, boils down in practice to media you, you’re on the central news show and natio- announcements and arrests on camera. These nal breaking news. When the prosecutor’s office boast of their success in are followed through with a flurry of criminal drops its investigation (…) and says “this man is prosecuting corruption charges, but indictments are then in short sup- innocent”, then it’s published in small print in a and organised crime. CIJS ply, and guilty verdicts are few and far between. newspaper’s crime section which only my family decided to check if their Even when a verdict is handed down, suspended and my friends would read.’ sentences seem to be the order of the day. Petty statements are true. corruption is prosecuted more often. Arrests as Reality Show Over a six-month period, cijs journalists col- Police raids and arrests over alleged corruption by Ivana Jeremić lected data from judicial institutions in Serbia have been front and centre on the cover pages about the prosecution of ten corruption-related of Serbian media in the past three years. The and Milica Stojanović criminal offences from 2013 through to the end last one in a series was the Scanner 2 operation of 2015. A total of 6,179 individuals were repor- which took place at the height of the election ted to the police for these crimes. According to campaign in April 2016, in which 49 persons the data from prosecutors’ offices which provi- were detained. Early in the morning of 24 September 2013, ded information, almost 3,000 individuals were Experience so far suggests that only a few will police officers interrupted Borislav Novakovic’s charged. end up being convicted of corruption. According physical therapy and took him to a police station. Information collected from lower and higher to the Interior Ministry data, from 1 January A whole month and a half earlier the media had courts showed that 1,861 sentences were han- 2013 to 31 December 2015, 254 persons were reported that Novakovic, the Democratic Party ded down, though one should bear in mind that arrested in Serbia and 6,179 persons were char- caucus leader in Vojvodina’s parliament and some individuals received two sentences, e.g. a ged with corruptive criminal offences, as analy- former director of the Novi Sad Construction suspended sentence and a fine, so that the total sed by cijs. Bureau, would be arrested as ‘a robber baron’ number of convicted persons was about 1,500. The new Criminal Procedure Act, in effect over mismanagement of construction land. Of the total tally, the majority were suspended since 2013, lowered the threshold of suspicion Another seven individuals were arrested on sentences – 1,268. required for launching a criminal investigation. the same day, including Novi Sad businessmen The lion’s share of cases was dealt with by cijs’s interviewees described a number of cri- Petar Matijevic, the owner of meat-processing lower courts and prosecutors’ offices, which are minal charges that were brought as a potential company Matijevic, and Vojislav Gajic, the authorised to prosecute crimes for which more vehicle for political score-settling as well as a ­general manager of Aleksandar Gradnja Con- lenient penalties are stipulated – fines or up to means for the citizens to ‘collect debts’ through struction Company, respectively. This informa- ten years’ imprisonment. The Organised Crime the police and prosecutors’ offices. tion soon became the news of the day, so much Prosecutor’s Office and a special division of the The deputy prosecutor with the Third Basic so that even Ivica Dacic, the then interior minis- Higher Court in Belgrade (the Special Court) Prosecutor’s Office, Nenad Stefanovic, said it ter, bragged about it at one of his press confe- dealt with the bigger cases. Over three years, this was now possible to initiate investigations based rences. prosecutor’s office charged 232 persons for cor- on a low threshold of suspicion ‘just because Eight individuals in total were suspected of ruption-related crimes, and the Special Court someone doesn’t like you or wants to frame you’. inflicting damage on Novi Sad and the Republic issued 200 guilty verdicts over the same period. President of the Serbian Judiciary Trade of Serbia. Novakovic and his female associates Borislav Novakovic told cijs he had first been Union, Sladanka Miloševic, was of the opinion from the City Construction Office were suspec- interviewed by the police about three months that there were both genuine criminal charges ted of alleged abuse of public office and failure prior to his arrest, and added that he did not and those used for political score-settling. ‘They to prevent misappropriation of land, while the expect to be arrested. bring charges, prosecutor’s office pokes you a others were charged with abuse of authority in ‘They did not even know how to pronounce bit, no evidence there, but regardless, the whole economy and tax evasion. properly either my name and surname or my judicial machinery is set in motion, it ends up But the case has never found its way to a public office title. They came to my door, showed in court, but in court this can’t hold water or no courtroom. A little more than two years later, the their official IDs and asked me if I were Branis- guilty verdict is likely, and then we, all the citi- investigation against all suspected individuals lav Novkovic, a director of the public enterprise zens, pay for this shadow play involving judici- was dropped as the Higher Public Prosecutor’s Urbanizam’, said Novakovic. ‘When they arrest ary, politics and police.’ Office in Novi Sad abandoned further prosecu- The cijs investigation shows that the fight tion. In its reply to the Center for Investigative against corruption in Serbia for the most part Journalism of Serbia (cijs), the Prosecutor’s ‘We, all the citizens, comes down to only three criminal offences: Office stated that there were no reasonable pay for this shadow embezzlement (982 criminal charges), abuse of grounds for their prosecution as the suspicions public office (2,361) and abuse of position by a were not substantiated. play involving judiciary, responsible person (2,098), which was introdu- The cijs investigation shows that the fight politics and police’ ced through amendments to the Criminal Code against corruption, although highlighted as in 2012. a priority by every government in the past Depending on the gravity of a given crimi-

14 DE GROENE AMSTERDAMMER 26.4.2017 nal offence, i.e. prescribed sentence or damage types of crimes against public office are not which the money would be repaid to the muni- inflicted, the whole proceedings are conducted “covered” by some other criminal offence so the cipality. by either the lower or higher public prosecutor’s only thing possible is to prosecute for abuse of ‘Meanwhile, Kosjeric was placed under office. As in the case of the criminal charges public office’, said Ilic. emergency management and I left the munici- mentioned above, the prosecutors’ offices most The Justice Ministry, which has drafted new pality so this wasn’t finalised, and then someone often bring indictments for abuse of office and amendments to the Criminal Code, is also aware took advantage of it to attack me. (…) I didn’t do embezzlement. However, the difference in the of this problem. anything that hadn’t been done before to fund number of people who were reported for cor- Radomir Ilic, state secretary to the Ministry the football club. This was a procedural mistake ruption and the number of those actually char- of Justice, explained that these changes would there, but it had nothing to do with corruption ged with corruption is significant. introduce new types of criminal offences, but whatsoever’, explained Prodanovic. Statistics for the three biggest cities in Ser- also modify the abuse of position by a responsi- Prodanovic’s suspended sentence is a part bia – Belgrade, Niš and Novi Sad – illustrate ble person, which would be used only if no other of the aggregate statistical data provided by the point vividly. In the past three years, the offence was applicable. the lower courts which responded to the cijs Higher Public Prosecutor’s Office in Belgrade Otherwise, said Ilic, the court will not allow request, where 80 per cent of all the sentences processed reports for embezzlement, abuse of the indictment to take effect, but if that hap- were suspended ones. public office and abuse of position for a total of pens, it will not be able to stand the test of the Higher courts have fewer convictions, but 1,376 persons, whereas bills of indictment and appellate procedure. they hand down prison sentences equally often, indictments were brought against 362. The in about 80 per cent of all cases, since they pro- Higher Prosecutor’s Office in Novi Sad proces- Helped Themselves cess more serious criminal offences, resulting sed reports for corruption involving 843 indivi- from Solidarity Fund to Give also in higher fines. duals, but indictments were brought against 68. Over to Football Club Out of a total number of sentences handed The Higher Prosecutor’s Office in Niš received In the autumn of 2008, a sum of about 700,000 down by courts in the past three years (1,861), reports for corruption against 210 persons, but dinars was transferred into the account of a 538 persons received house imprisonment and indictments or bills of indictment were brought small football club in Kosjeric, Crnokosa, from proper prison sentences, while 55 were fined. against 72 individuals. the account of this municipality’s Solidarity Suspended sentences were given to 1,268 per- Housing Fund. This payment was approved by sons. Abuse of Abuse the then mayor Željko Prodanovic. As regards the verdicts themselves, taking Two criminal offences of abuse of office are This was why, in 2014, he was handed down into account all analysed corruptive criminal problematic, according to some legal experts, a suspended sentence of two years. Over the offences in the past three years, there were 871 because they are formulated in such broad course of those two years, Prodanovic was first acquittals as well as 463 nonsuits (where the terms that, in practice, it is possible to prosecute working as a deputy mayor and then, following court did not accept the plaintiff’s charges). people for a variety of things, but without sig- his resignation from this office, as a deputy in Overall, there were 1,118 guilty verdicts, some of nificant results. In its latest progress report on the municipal assembly. which pertained to several individuals with dif- Serbia, even the European Commission stated Prodanovic told cijs he ferent sentences. that the abuse of public office was used excessi- just wanted to help the Marko, a son of Miroslav Miškovic, was vely, ‘including in those cases where objectively local football club until recently acquitted of charges for a corruptive there is no criminal conduct’. it received a previously offence. His arrest and that of his father were A judge of the Court of Appeals in Belgrade, promised payment, after captured on camera by the Interior Ministry in Miodrag Majic, explained that serious errors are December 2012, and the charges were brought often made in the interpretation of these offen- five months later for the criminal offence of ces, so it is possible to prosecute ‘everyone and abuse of position by a responsible person and no one’. Hence, he went on, it would be better tax evasion over alleged infliction of damage to either remove or replace these offences with to privatised road construction companies. others that would be far more specific. In March 2016, Marko Miškovic was sen- ‘I always say the abuse of that abuse is taking tenced on tax evasion charges to 3.5 place’, said Majic. ‘How many such cases are years’ imprisonment and fined 8 million meaningless in legal terms from the very start… dinars. He was acquitted of the charge but there is a certain political pressure of abuse of position by a responsible seeping through the media and then you person. The proceedings against Miroslav plunge yourself in a stream with no end Miškovic are still under way. and no beginning, where everyone more The President of the Judges’ Association or less clearly sees that this will lead to of Serbia, Dragana Boljevic, said that the out- nowhere.’ come in court depends on how well the police High-level corruption cases are not and the prosecutor prepare their case. even investigated as long as the indivi- ‘It is not a duty of a court of law to convict duals in question are a part of the current someone at all costs. If there is a reasonable government, added Majic. Serbian deputy doubt, the court must find a way to acquit public prosecutor Goran Ilic explained the defendant because the court is not there that abuse of public office, as it now to mete out convictions but to administer stands, provides ‘a very broad discretion in justice’, said Boljevic and added that judges prosecution’, going on to say that it should needed additional training in the field of eco- be specified in more detail. ‘More often nomy as some offences therein were difficult than not, prosecutors resort to the charge to prove. of abuse of public office when they are not sure if a more specific offence against public The rest of the articles in this series can be

ĐORĐE MATIĆ ĐORĐE office is at issue in a given case. (…) Some found on: europeanpressprize.com

26.4.2017 DE GROENE AMSTERDAMMER 15 The Distinguished Writing Award 71 Lives On 27 August 2015 a lorry is found abandoned in a parking bay on the motorway near Vienna. In its load compartment: the corpses of 71 refugees. Their death becomes a symbol of the failed refugee policy and unscrupulous smuggling. But the dead are soon forgotten. Who were these people? The reconstruction of a tragedy. by Felix Hutt

When the two policemen from the Potzneusiedl But this lorry can no longer be ignored. An of mankind. 71 dead, who have not done us the Highway Inspection in Burgenland approached employee of the highway authority, charged favour to drown far away in the sea. 71 lives, who the lorry at around 11 am on 27 August 2015, on with mowing the lawn, has called the police wanted to be transported in a much too crowded the right back door a chicken in a promotional because of the smell. load compartment of a lorry through Hungary photo was looking at them saying, ‘I taste so The officers open the load compartment. and Austria, because at the end of their odys- good because I am fed so well.’ Through the cre- And then step back. They see decaying bodies, sey Germany shone, the promised country. 71 vices of the load compartment a reddish liquid sunk into each other, leaning against each other corpses that deprived us of the illusion of having was dripping onto the asphalt. The stench from as if they were standing in a crowded subway nothing to do with the wars and problems of the lorry assaulted them. When participants are and had fallen asleep. Their feet are stuck up others. A few days later refugees begin to cross asked to describe this smell later, they shake to the ankles in a mixture of excrement, urine, the Hungarian-Austrian border at Nickels- their heads. It’s indescribable, they say, they and corpses. The policemen call into the load dorf, 25 kilometers from the parking bay near have never smelled anything like that before. compartment, but nobody replies. They notify Parndorf, across the highway from Hungary to The refrigerated lorry type Volvo FL 180, with the emergency physician and the service centre. Austria. ‘We can do it’, Angela Merkel says, ope- the Hungarian license plate Z-12198, frequently They take a photo that is supposed to describe ning the doors. transported fowl through Slovakia before the the situation to colleagues, which appears the So many have lost in this story. Nahed Asker, company Hyza discarded it and sold it in Hun- next day in the KronenZeitung newspaper. They 31, has lost her husband. Farah Al Shaikh, 31, gary. It had been standing for over a day in the close the door. It’s too much. At 11.25 am, they her family. Two stories from many, which are parking bay on the A4 direction Vienna, just send a message via the police system ‘SMS Pro’: connected to the refrigerated lorry on the A4. before the Parndorf exit. This highway is called ‘A lorry with about 20 dead found on A4 Parn- After the tragedy, Asker and her children fol- the Balkan route, because it leads from Vienna dorf.’ lowed her dead husband from Syria, and they to Hungary and Serbia, and old vehicles are There are 71 dead. 21 Afghans, 29 Iraqis, 15 are now waiting for asylum in a refugee home frequently parked on it. Plus there are more Syrians, 5 Iranians and a man who cannot be in Austria. Alshaikh has been living in Germany important things to do. It’s over 30 degrees, a identified. 59 men, 8 women, 4 children. The for a long time. She had encouraged her family record summer, holiday season. The Neusiedler youngest, Lida from Kunduz, Afghanistan, is in Syria to flee to Germany. Now they are all See is not far away, and the popular late night eleven months old. Persecuted, despairing, Sun- dead. shopping had started in the outlet centre next nis, Shiites, Christians, teachers, lawyers, tra- The women did not know each other before door, with a Furla ladies’ bag for 70 instead of ders, policemen, teenagers, three families, FC the disaster, although both come from Deir 353 euros. Barcelona fans, Facebook poser, a kaleidoscope az-Zur in the east of Syria. Through the city

16 DE GROENE AMSTERDAMMER 26.4.2017 71 lives, who a garden and more rooms than they needed. She wanted to be asked the woman from the immigration office transported about the application for family reunion, which in a much too crowded load she had submitted half a year ago. She wanted compartment of to bring her mother Fadila, 53, her father Abdel, a lorry through 57, her brother Almuthanna, 23, and her sister Hungary and Hend, 17, to Germany, because everyday life was Austria, because at the end of no longer possible in Deir az-Zur. IS fighting their odyssey against government forces, the situation was Germany shone, unclear. the promised Her brother Almuthanna had studied law country and was arrested by the IS because he smoked. Her sister Hend was no longer allowed to go to school, just before graduating from secondary school. The business of her father, Abdel, who traded car parts, was looted, and the houses of the family destroyed. Farah Alshaikh telepho- ned her mother Fadila daily. She sensed that her mother was afraid, even if she did not say so. At that time, Alshaikh was eight months pregnant. She wanted to bring the family over at her own expense. But the woman from the immigration authority said, ‘With parental leave you get only 60 percent of your salary. That’s not enough to provide for your child and your family.’ ‘We’ll get it. In our house there’s enough space. We don’t want money, really not’, said Alshaikh. The officer asked her boss. The request was rejected. A week later she went back to the office. She begged her at least to let her sister in as she had asthma. Rejected. ‘My father didn’t want to flee. He feared for the family, was afraid of the human traffickers. He only wanted to leave Syria if they could enter legally somewhere’, says Alshaikh. She offered

IMAGO / EIBNER EUROPA him rooms in her house. If it became too unbea­ rable, they should come, no matter how. ‘I’ve been pushing. Maybe I’ve put too much pressure flows the Euphrates, jasmine flowers grow medication her children need when they are ill, on them.’ there, petroleum splutters, pomegranates and because she used to work in a pharmacy in Syria. ‘We can’t stand this any more’, her father cotton flourish. There has been a war raging She cannot work in Austria. She doesn’t speak says when he calls in early July 2015. He sets off for five years. Asker and Al Shaikh have still not German, has applied for asylum for the family with 20,000 dollars and the family. They drive met each other. They write Whatsapp messages that remained. ‘When we last saw each other, in their Toyota from Raqqa to the Syrian-Tur- to each other, make phone calls. Since 27 August my husband told me, “No matter what happens kish border. They abandon the car there, pay a 2015 they share their fate, but not their grief. It to me, always look after the children.” I will fulfil smuggler to lead them through a forest. They cannot be shared. this wish’, says Asker. get to Urfa in Turkey. Another sister of Alshaikh ‘They treated my family like chickens’, says Alshaikh lives with her husband Fateh Alha- lives there. They stay a few days. Abdel Alshaikh, Alshaikh. mad, 41, and her son Omar, 1, in a spacious the father, spreads the word to his acquaintan- ‘My soul is broken’, says Asker. apartment in northern Germany. They speak ces. He is looking for a smuggler. A man named Asker lives with her son Zaid, 11, and her almost accent-free German, have German Abules is recommended to him. A Syrian, who daughter Tala, 5, in a small room in a refugee nationality.­ She works as a gynaecologist and organises smuggling from Urfa. He collects home in Wiener Neustadt. She has placed three is currently on parental leave. He works as an commissions from human traffickers and refu- mattresses side-by-side to form a large bed. They internist in the hospital. During Ramadan they gees. Abules explains the route and the prices to sleep together, wake up together. Asker likes to eat and drink only after dark. Alshaikh wears a Abdel Alshaikh. watch Beyoncé music videos, posts a lot on Face- headscarf, not because she has to, but because On 17 August 2015 the family is waiting at book, wears leggings, lipstick and mascara. She she wants to. Omar has brown hair and eyes, a hotel in Izmir. From the Turkish west coast, cooks with the other Syrians. She knows what is just learning to walk and lands mostly on his they want to go to Belgrade via Samos, Athens butt. Then his mother sometimes smiles. She and Macedonia. There they are to meet a man often walks with him to a small playground at named Afghani, who organises the journey 71 corpses that deprived us the end of the street, and buys food, but other- through Hungary and Austria to Germany. The wise stays at home. The neighbours know Alshaikhs are not alone, their group consists of of the illusion of having nothing about their history. twelve people. They include Alshaikh’s Uncle nothing to do with the wars She went twice to the Immigration Authority Youssef, 39, a brother of her father – and Hasan and problems of others in Saarbrücken in November 2014. They lived Al-Damen, 36, the husband of Nahed Asker. in Saarland, worked in the hospital, owned a car He left Asker and the children in Damascus. and a house in the suburb of Saarbrücken. It had They wanted to conscript him into the military

26.4.2017 DE GROENE AMSTERDAMMER 17 to fight for Assad, whom he despised. As a tea- is asking for 1600 euros per person for trans- via the E75 motorway through flat land to the cher he could no longer earn money. He wanted port. A common price for the route this summer. Serbian border. Outside, the darkness flies by, to bring his family to Germany later. The men agree. They had deposited part of their everything is black. The sense of time and orien- ‘Give us your luggage. That doesn’t fit in the money with Abules in Urfa. He is to transfer the tation is gone. dinghy’, the human traffickers said in Izmir. fee to the human traffickers only after they have The human traffickers drop their passengers Alshaikh’s sister Hend is horrified. She keeps arrived well in Germany. They hope to be able to off in a forest near Domaszék on the Hungarian only her mobile phone, the pants and the T-shirt protect themselves that way, not to be deceived. side of the border. After the first, the third car that she is wearing. In a photo, which she sent to It’s Monday, 24 August 2015, when the arrives a bit later. ‘Wait here, we’ll be back soon’, her sister in Germany via WhatsApp, the wind Alshaikhs call Farah Alshaikh in the afternoon the human traffickers say. The Alshaikhs are in blows through her black curly hair. She stands from a hotel near Belgrade. They are in a good the forest. by the water and tries to look happy. She fails. mood. Her brother Almuthanna had received Only Youssef Alshaikh is missing, the uncle. The 17-year-old is a girl from the city who wants an e-mail from Syria that he passed the lawyer’s The second car in which he was sitting suddenly to listen to romantic Arabic pop music on the examination. ‘Be careful what you say to me in stopped, after two hours’ drive. The human traf- smartphone and to study medicine. She is afraid the future, I am a lawyer now’, he tells his sis- ficker had received a call and shouted into his of the sea. She is wearing her mother’s silver ter. ‘We got a little bit of rest and bought new phone in Serbian. He threw the refugees out of wedding ring on her right hand. It shall protect clothes’, says her mother Fadila. ‘I have a good the car on the highway. ‘Waiting, waiting’, he them. feeling with the trafficker, he doesn’t seem to do shouted, driving away. Youssef Alshaikh had not The human traffickers collect 1200 euros it for the first time’, says her father Abdel. Her bought a sim card in Serbia, couldn’t call any- per person for the crossing to Samos. Two starts one. fail. The first time, they were caught by the Tur- They come to a village at kish coastal police, who left them at the beach dawn and drive back to Bel- Nahed Asker with Refugees need the Internet her daughter Tala and sank the boat. The second time, the police grade by taxi. He buys a sim as much as water. The phone and her son Zaid in patrols caught them as they were casting off. card and calls his brother. Damascus, shortly The third time, they leave at midnight. In the is their only contact with Abdel Alshaikh explains before her husband early morning of 19 August, the boat is captured those whom they left behind that they have been brought Hasan Al-Damen one kilometer from Samos by the Greek coastal together with other refugees began his fatal journey police. Mother Fadila is glad. She vomited the and are waiting in a forest. whole night. As they enter the EU, the sun rises. ‘We are hungry and thirsty, In the port of Samos, they receive provisional sister promises Alshaikh that soon after their bring something to eat and drink’, he says. ‘Don’t travel documents with which they can buy tic- arrival they will go to the zoo, to the Wilhelma go any further’, says Youssef Alshaikh, ‘some- kets for the ferry to Athens. in Stuttgart, because Hend has wanted to do this thing is wrong.’ He doesn’t follow. That saves In Samos they sleep one night on the ground, for a long time. It’s the last conversation with her him his life. The group disintegrates. have little to eat. The next day they take the ferry family. On 25 August 2015, her father writes to Farah to Athens. From there they call Farah Alshaikh In the evening, the group arrives at 6:00 pm Alshaikh, ‘Sitting in the forest and waiting to go in Germany. Her father Abdel sounds tired, but in the park next to the coach station in the cen- on.’ She wants to reply, but suddenly he’s gone. he says, ‘We’re okay. We’ll go on.’ Her sister Hend tre of Belgrade. There it’s teeming with refugees She sees on WhatsApp that the last time he was cries. ‘I’m done, I can’t go on anymore.’ Her and human traffickers. In these weeks, Belgrade online was at 12 o’clock. She can’t reach the rest mother Fadila would like to go back to Syria. is the hub of the refugee route across the Bal- of the family any more. At 10 pm, Nahed Asker In Athens, they rest, go to an Arabic res- kans. Afghani talks all the time on his mobile gets the last news from her husband Hasan taurant. Some of the group would like to stay phone, in a language they don’t understand. His Al-Damen in Damascus. ‘I’m in the woods. The longer. But Hasan Al-Damen, the husband of cell phone is old. Traffickers use old mobile pho- human traffickers say we have to wait for police Nahed Asker, urges them to continue. He belie- nes and prepaid cards, so they cannot be loca- checks. I am hungry and eat apples from the ves the borders will be closed soon. After a day ted. Refugees use smartphones because they trees. Please kiss the children from me. Soon in Athens they take the bus to the Macedonian need the Internet as much as water. The phone everything will be over.’ border. There they split up, trying to get across is their only contact with those whom they had the fence at various points. The border guards to leave behind. A week ago, a man bought a refrigerated lorry beat the refugees with sticks and spray tear gas ‘Wait in the park until it gets dark. There’s a from a used car dealer in Kecskemét. He regis- PHILIPP HORAK into their faces. They catch Alshaikh’s brother lot of police, we have to be careful’, says Afghani. tered the lorry in his own name, didn’t even Almuthanna. He manages to escape, suffering Most of them try to sleep. At midnight Afghani bother to conceal his identity. The business with only bruises. Mothers are separated from their wakes them up. They follow him through the the refugees is going well, hundreds of human children, many cry incessantly. night, along the rails of the tram, over a bridge trafficker vehicles roll unchecked towards The group is reunited after an hour on the that crosses the river Save to a parking lot. From Austria every day. The man belongs to a group Macedonian side. It’s raining, it’s cold, they’re the river banks the basses of the discos drone. of traffickers who organised and carried out freezing, their clothes are soaked. By bus, they The Belgrade youth is partying. over 20 trips. It consists of four Bulgarians and travel four hours through Macedonia towards Afghani calls on them to divide themselves the Afghan. The five men are all involved in the Serbia. They look out the window. They had into three groups. Four people would be taken act on 27 August 2015. The load is valuable, 71 imagined Europe differently. in each car. In the first one, a thug drives mother times 1600 euros. Therefore, the bosses take In Belgrade they meet the human traffic- Fadila, brother Almuthanna and Al-Damen care of it themselves. ker Afghani. An Afghan who has been living away. In the second one sits Youssef Alshaikh, At 4 am on Wednesday, 26 August 2015, the in Europe for some time. He is thin, has black the last to leave the parking lot are father traffickers drive the refrigerated lorry from Kecs- hair, wears a T-shirt, jogging pants and a shoul- Abdel and sister Hend in the third car. ‘You go kemét to the forest on the border. Kecskemét, an der bag. ‘Trust me! I will make sure that you with your mother, take care of her’, says Abdel old Hungarian university town, is situated one are taken directly to Germany without being Alshaikh to his son Almuthanna, who wanted hour north of Domaszék. The sky is clear, it will registered in Hungary or Austria, and your fin- to join his uncle Youssef. The decision costs be a nice, hot day in southern Hungary again, gerprints taken’, he says to Al-Damen and Abdel Almuthanna his life. where tomatoes, peppers, strawberries and apri- Alshaikh, who are leading the negotiations. He The journey takes three hours to the north, cots grow. In the forest the 71 refugees have been

18 DE GROENE AMSTERDAMMER 26.4.2017 hiding for more than a day and are waiting for minutes later the traffickers leave it in the par- The lorry is taken from the parking bay into a the continuation of their journey. king bay near Parndorf. Why? The smugglers hall to Nickelsdorf, which can be cooled. Foren- The Alshaikh family from Deir az-Zur, Syria. are silent. There was no police block on this day. sic doctors carry the bodies out of the load com- The Rahm family from Kunduz, Afghanistan. The group must somehow have realised that partment, photograph them, assign items to Father Khuda, his wife, three children, including their cargo was lost. them, for example, passports that are stuck in the little Lida, and a cousin. Rahm worked as a The load compartment of the 7,5-ton vehicle breast pockets, money sewn into sleeves or belts. policeman in Afghanistan. The Taliban threate- cannot be opened from the inside. The cooling On Hasan Al-Damen, the husband of Nahed ned him and his family. Muhammad Ali and his unit didn’t work. The air would not have been Asker, they find his teacher’s diploma. He had wife Lefana from Tall Abyad, Syria, who married refreshed, no oxygen would have been supplied. had it translated into German in order to find three months ago and want to found a family in The refugees had only the air which was in the work later. Germany. The Iraqi Mahmoud Abidi, who was load compartment at the start of the journey. In As the policemen had opened the load com- just promoted to a four-star officer and fled with order to determine where they died, whether partment in the morning, air had entered and his wife Sine Gailani from Baghdad. She wants the Hungarian or Austrian judiciary has juris- accelerated the decomposition of the bodies. to see her brother in Germany, because as an diction, an expert’s report was commissioned. The victims now look like dark-skinned peo- engineer, he leads a good life there. She persua- It calculated the volume of the load space and ple. Scraps of corpses are glued on backpacks ded not only her husband, but also her siblings divided it by the number of persons. About five and jackets. Most of the phones are in the same Ali and Seineb Gailani to come along. The Kurd refugees were standing on a square meter of the state as if they had been thrown into an acid Saeed Othman from Sulaimaniyya in Northern load compartment. They must have suffocated bath. They can no longer be used for forensics. Nothing can be discovered this way about the last moments in the lorry. The forensic doctors provide the corpses with numbers. The dead are lying there name- less. Unlike a plane crash, there is no passenger list that can be processed. The investigators set up a hotline for relatives. They need the dna of relatives to identify the dead. No enquiries at all arrive for one man. The hotline continues until 10 December 2015, when the identification of the others is completed. In the afternoon of 27 August 2015, Nahed Asker sees a report about the lorry on television. She is living with the children at her mother’s house in Damascus. Asker says she immediately sensed that her husband was dead. A few weeks later, when she called the translator of the Bur- genland state police authority, who was carrying out the identification, she was not shouting. The body of her husband could not be transferred to Syria. He is buried in the Muslim cemetery Inzersdorf in Vienna. Asker wants to say good- bye to her husband. She goes to Vienna with the children. The refugee route is now open. Farah Alshaikh holds Omar in her arms, standing at the window of her house in Saar- brücken and looking into the garden as the call comes. They had found the passports. She drops

LARS BERG Omar. Since the beginning of the year they have been Iraq. He hopes that a doctor in Germany can before eight o’clock in Hun- Farah Alshaikh living in northern Germany. She could no longer help him, because he only has one kidney and gary. There are no traces of with a family stand the questions of friends in Saarbrücken, that causes him pain. Mohammed Baba from death agony in the load com- photo. She lost was fed up with condolences. She recently put a her parents, her Karkur, Iraq, who can’t find a job and believes he partment or on the corpses. brother and her picture of her family on the cabinet over the TV has a promising career as a football professional. It can be assumed that they sister in the living room. The Alshaikhs are also buried Nothing indicates that the refugees had to be fainted from oxygen defi- in the Inzersdorf cemetery. At the funeral on 07 forced to board. ciency and died unconscious. October 2015, Farah Alshaikh insisted on seeing At five o’clock the lorry drives from Domas- The position of the corpses shows that children her mother’s face. She got them to open the cof- zék on the M5 motorway to the north, and is were held up. The bodies of a couple look as if fin. She hasn’t visited the cemetery since. She captured by the cameras of the Hungarian toll they were hugging each other. can’t do it. system. A car escorts the lorry, keeping ten The smugglers were arrested shortly after the On the weekend after the Parndorf disaster, minutes ahead. The escort vehicle is supposed lorry was found in Kecskemét. They were prepa- thousands of refugees arrived at German railway to warn the traffickers in the lorry of any police ring their escape, but the license plates and the stations. They were applauded, given water and checks on the route, and to collect the drivers records of the highway cameras led the investi- clothing. The children got teddies and sweets. when something goes wrong. gators to them quickly. They are being held in Many leave the gyms and shelters during these The lorry passed Kecskemét at 6:03, Buda- remand in Kecskemét and make no comments. weeks and start a new life. pest two hours later, and reached the border In September, the prosecution is scheduled to to Austria at Nickelsdorf at 9:15 am. About 20 begin with the process early next year. 71 Lives was first published by Stern, Germany

26.4.2017 DE GROENE AMSTERDAMMER 19 Special Award The Colectiv Clubfire of 2015 At 22:32, The Evil That Men Do ended with two beats of the drum and Galut (Andrei Galut was the lead singer of Goodbye to Gravity) bellowing out, ‘Oh, yeah!’ The stage lit up in red, and the A horrendous night audience starting clapping and whistling. At that point, the second stream of fireworks star- ted to pour out of the tubes fastened onto the The Colectiv Clubfire occurred during a free concert by the scaffolding that framed the stage. band Goodbye to Gravity. In total, 64 people were killed, 147 First, they burned as slowly as they had people injured. This fatal event led to mass protests over before. Then, they grew more intense. Jets of the corruption linked to the Colectiv Clubfire, which led to sparks flew over the audience. This time, the snakes of fire were two, maybe even three meters the resignation of the Prime Minister of Romania. long and cut through the air. Stray sparks flew toward the pillars in front of the stage. Pascu Researched and written by Ana Maria Ciobanu, Andreea Giuclea, (Alex Pascu was the bass player of GtG) and Galut jokingly called out, ‘Happy anniversary!’ Cristian Lupșa, Oana Sandu & Irina Tacu. Additional reporting: Telea and Alexandru (Vlad Telea and Mihai Georgiana Ilie, Luiza Ilie, Ancuţa Iosif & Medeea Stan Alexandru were both guitarists for GtG) walked

20 DE GROENE AMSTERDAMMER 26.4.2017 over to the sides of the stage to switch guitars. ‘Well this was not part of the plan’, said Galut. He people started to shove, so he continued to move, Galut was left alone in the middle. The people was joking, as if he expected the flame to go out on telling himself he’d go back in to get it later. in the front rows could feel warm sparks touch its own. ‘Does anyone have a fire extinguisher?’ Six seconds. them. It seemed as if the second stream was not One second, two, perhaps, and then the flame Mircea reacted out of instinct. He ­didn’t only more intense, but also lasted longer than started to expand. Within ten seconds it would even have time to look at the people that he and the first one. reach the foam that covered the ceiling. Emma were sharing a table with. It all happe- ‘Thank you for coming’, Galut said. One second. ned extremely quickly. He saw the flame clim- Then, the stream stopped. Gabriel Popescu, the 36-year-old father, who bing, he told Emma, ‘Let’s go’, grabbed her by From where he was standing, Grigoriu saw had plans to go to the park with his daughter the the hand, and left. He could only think of her. that some sparks had latched onto the sound­ following day, had just gotten a non-alcoholic He just wanted to know that she was all right, proofing foam on the pillar to the left, somew- beer at the bar when he noticed that the club and that they were both going to get out of there. here to the side, perhaps three meters off the had gone silent. It had been so noisy up until They started toward the exit. For a split second, ground. The foam caved in, and Grigoriu saw then that the female bartender had had to read Emma thought they were getting their jackets. the sparks turn into a flame, like that of a Zippo his lips to understand what he was asking for. She told herself the fire would probably go out, lighter. It seemed to him the kind of fire you After he took his beer, he turned around and saw but it’s better that people exit nonetheless. They could put out with your bare hand, even if it bur- the edge of the pillar. The flame was now like reached the shipping container and vanished in ned you a little. Telea saw it, too, from the stage, that of a stove. the bustling crowd. and shook his beer bottle at the foam. Some Two seconds. Seven seconds. of the people in the audience did the same. Popescu heard the bartender ask one of her The flame had extended; yellow-orange colleagues, ‘Listen, where do we keep the fire extinguisher?’ The audience didn’t seem to be The day panicking, but he knew from Steaua’s soccer People were cramming toward after the games that when it does, it wreaks havoc, usu- the container, their eyes glued fire people ally after an intervention from the riot police. massively to the door that separated burned People literally trample each other. He didn’t candles for want to go through something like that. Beer in them from the outside the victims hand, he headed to the shipping container – the only way out. Because he’d always been the guy to call the emergency services whenever he saw waves had gobbled up almost all of the foam something go wrong, he took out his phone and that went up to the ceiling. The smell was pun- dialled 1-1-2. gent, burned plastic. Cosmin Lupu, the front- Three seconds. man with the deity tattoo, had also headed for What the hell is going on? Zamfir wonde- the exit. He didn’t think of anything; his body red, seeing the flame. He’d run across the stage just acted out of instinct. People were already during the last song and then resumed his seat, cramming toward the container, their eyes glued to tune Pascu’s bass. The growing light was to the double glazed door that separated them unnatural. He hadn’t thought much of Galut from the outside. Someone was yelling, ‘Yo, saying this was not part of the plan, but when he don’t push!’ The crowd was like a viscous fluid, heard him ask for an extinguisher, he perked up, waving uncontrollably, teetering on the edge of a saw the flame swallow the pillar, put down the funnel. The exit from the container was a double guitar and grabbed his backpack. door, but only the left half of it was open. Four seconds. Eight seconds. The flame climbed up the foam on the pillar A man with a fire extinguisher reached the without any sign of stopping. From the back of burning pillar. People had made room for him to the club, you couldn’t see what was going on too pass. Zamfir was waiting, watching him strug- clearly. The polytechnic student who had invi- gle to remove the extinguisher’s safety pin and ted dozens of his friends to the concert could no quench the fire. The man wasn’t small, and the longer see the band on stage. He thought that red extinguisher was the size of one you’d expect this was an intermission, that some special guest to find in a car, but it seemed to resist him. was coming up, but then he saw the flame, too. Seeing this, Zamfir sprung to action. He told He also saw liquids being flung at it to no avail. himself that if he could manage to put it out, He told his friends, ‘Let’s leave, ’cause I don’t fine. He’d go back up, throw his backpack back think this is ok.’ They started on their way, past in place, resume the tuning, and take the piss: the bar. ‘Hah-hah, whatcha doing there, boss?’ Five seconds. Nine seconds. The flame was rolling down the pillar as well. The flames had swallowed up almost the Grigoriu saw that people had started to move. whole pillar. Dozens of people were now He didn’t like getting caught up in crowds, so he pushing and shoving inside the container, a also started to make his way toward the exit. He dozen others had already made it outside. Some felt as if God was pulling him by the hand. ‘Don’t stumbled in the crowd, fell down, got picked panic’, he could hear all around him. Others were up. They didn’t think something serious could going out, too, but carefully, making sure to clear happen, but it was better to get out just in case. the area, to not get anybody hurt, and possibly to Someone would put out that flame, they might leave some way through for whomever was going even go back inside the club, have a drink with to bring the extinguisher. He also thought of their buddies, and then the guys would take

VADIM GHIRDA / HOLLANDSE HOOGTE HOLLANDSE / GHIRDA VADIM getting his jacket from the cloakroom, but then their places back on stage. Those who knew

26.4.2017 DE GROENE AMSTERDAMMER 21

husband had grabbed the little one’s hand and in an exchange of glances had silently agreed that they leave. They were two or three steps behind her when she turned around again and couldn’t see them anymore. The crowd swept her off her feet, and she felt violently VLAD BUSCA / REUTERS / ANP pulled forward and stuck to the inner wall of the container, right next to the closed door. A few meters behind, the air was heating up, and the fire continued to spread across the foam on the ceiling. Some 30 seconds had elapsed since the sparks had lit up the pillar, and the ceiling was burning so intensely that bits of flaming foam projectiles had started to pour down. They stuck to the people crushed on their way to the exit. There was almost no one left in the middle of the club as the funnel of people toward the door was being constantly Inside Colectiv during the performance of Goodbye to Gravity, before the fire started fed. Some had withdrawn to the bathroom. Someone was trying to pass through the crowd, tripod in hand. Someone else pulled a hood them would poke fun at them. ‘See, Pascu, you An open wound over their face. Two or three people were car- couldn’t even pull off one concert.’ They kept The Colectiv club fire not only sparked over­ rying cameras. Others were filming with their screaming louder and louder. They screamed whelming emotion, but also protests, resigna­ phones. They were making their way ahead, to tell others not to push, and they screamed tions, arrests, pub shutdowns, and public quarrels pressed up against the wall so that burning that everyone should keep calm. Friends were over the proficiency of the emergency systems. foam wouldn’t trickle down onto them. They holding each other’s hands tightly. The tension Within less than a month, the pain, confusion, and were trying to cover their heads. They’d been was mounting, and some had started to panic. helplessness gave way to political statements, caught, glasses and bottles still in hand. They The only open door was slowly spitting people allegations, and speculation. That’s how it always were pushing. It was getting hotter. They were out – in ones and twos – and some stumbled goes. We forget, or re-route the conversation, so screaming. over its threshold and fell outside, face down. we can move on. Mircea had Emma wrapped up in his arms from Colectiv will become a catchphrase, a moment ‘Get out, get out, get out!’ behind. He called out, asking her to hold on, in time that we’ll discuss without being able to ‘I’m dying, man, I’m dying!’ there were people on the floor. But they were recall what actually happened there. History ‘Go, go, go!’ both feeling like their bodies were boneless, they erases that which goes unrecorded, so we go on ‘Don’t panic!’ were very faint, couldn’t feel themselves move; perpetuating myths about how the fire started, ‘Easy, man!’ the crowd was carrying them onward. It was how people got out, how the interventions from ‘No pushing!’ getting hotter and hotter. professionals and individuals alike unfurled, and Grigoriu was close to the door. He turned who saved whom. They reached the container, but they could around and looked over the shoving bodies and None of these moments is easy to relive. barely see. They fell. They tripped over those saw the flame climb to the ceiling. ‘There goes They’re explicit, like looking at an open wound with who had already fallen. They climbed over each the guys’ gig’, he told himself with regret. a blend of guilt, curiosity, and fascination. If we other. They screamed. Some flung themselves Ten seconds. want to understand, we also need to look. With into the cloakroom for shelter. Others had got- The flame latched onto the foam covering the decency, but with clarity, too. With restraint, but ten to the point where they were crawling. It ceiling. It had been washed that summer with without obstructions. was getting hotter. Delia was still stuck, nearly some cleaning product. No one could remem- To reconstruct that night – to the extent that flattened onto the container wall with the door ber what it was precisely, but the fire climbed up chaos can be reconstructed – we spoke to nearly to her left, when she felt someone pushing her and rolled ravenously across it. It rolled straight 30 survivors, read the testimonies of several dozen toward the exit. The double exit door was get- ahead, toward the exit, and toward the stage as if others, saw videos and hundreds of photos, spoke ting closer and closer, but its right side was the foam were gasoline or gunpowder. The lively, to officials, read official documents and reports, still stuck. Suddenly, though, right in front of yellow flames were like neon lights. At this point, and took in as much as we could of whatever Delia, the second door was also released, slam- only the foam underneath the wooden joists of else was said, filmed, or written. This story is an ming into the outer wall of the container with the ceiling was burning. The boards peeked out attempt to put the clipped information we have a terrible thud. Delia was thrown outside by from under it as if they were trying to escape. into some semblance of order. We wrote it, lest the pushing crowd. She was hoping the boys Monica hadn’t even gotten round to put- we forget. We wrote it because we felt we owed wouldn’t be far behind. She took two or three ting her beer down when she took the first it to the sixty dead and dozens injured who are steps, then felt something envelop her. She felt steps toward the exit. She knew she had to recovering among us. the stockings on her legs melt. She took a deep get out. Telea would be fine; she could see Some of them wanted to recount that night so breath and felt it burn all the way down to her him on stage next to Galut. She moved for- it wouldn’t be forgotten. Others turned us down, stomach. She felt that her hair had caught fire. ward, along with the people she’d been wat- telling us we shouldn’t go back to that moment, She instinctively took her hand to her head to ching the concert with, but got stuck one ever. If you don’t want to return to that night in put it out and felt a burn. There was a roaring. meter before the container. The crowd was Colectiv, you might be better off reading some- Then, darkness. getting increasingly compact, and Monica was thing else. having trouble breathing because of the rush. We know this is not the only story about This is the shortened version of this article; the Delia made sure that her husband and their Colectiv that can be told. Yet, this version of the full article is available on the website of the son in the ‘BOO!’ T-shirt were behind her. Her story, raw as it is, had to be told first. European Press Prize – europeanpressprize.com

26.4.2017 DE GROENE AMSTERDAMMER 23 The Innovation Award The Turkish Coup in WhatsApp

‘We’ve shot four people. At 21:29, Colonel Müslim Kaya is the first to a Turkish phrase expressing warmth and affec- mention a unit that is on its way: ‘6 started’, tion, he does not hide his satisfaction, ‘Tell our Everything’s fine.’ A group referring to the 6th Motorised Infantry Regi- police friends, I kiss their eyes.’ of plotters from the failed ment based in Hasdal, a district of Istanbul. The At the same time, Colonel Kaya states that

Turkish coup attempt in link identifying this specific regiment to which troops are on their way to the Logistics Sup- REUTERS / RATNER BAZ July 2016 used WhatsApp Colonel Kaya refers will be discussed below. ports Base (Turkish: Lojistik Destek Üssü, ldü), The first problem arises at the same time. which is a military facility that provides supplies, to communicate with At ‘the academy’, a person referred to as ‘Fatih and sometimes personnel, to troops that are each other. Christiaan Irmak’ is having difficulty convincing his unit deployed or to facilities closer to the deployment Triebert from Bellingcat to join the coup attempt. Major Çelebioglu asks area. One interesting note is that it is Colonel whether Colonel Gerehan can help him out. The Kaya who informs the group of the most mili- transcribed, translated, latter replies a minute later that he is on his way tary movements by far (akom, TRT Radio and and analysed the whole to help, only to discover that there is no problem TV, Bayrampasa Police, Atatürk Airport, and conversation. after all: ‘Fatih and his team are onboard. There’s now ldü). no problem,’ Major Murat Yanık writes. However, a few minutes later, there is a 22.09 - First Army Commander by Christiaan Triebert new problem which will recur throughout the must be taken hostage (Bellingcat) night: traffic congestion. ‘Are the 2nd and 66th While the planned locations are successfully ­having difficulties due to traffic congestion on taken, the coup plotters also want to intern sev- the roads?’ asks Major Çelebioglu. Istanbul is eral military and governmental officials. The notorious for its traffic jams, especially on Friday most important person for this group is their July 15, 2016, 21.15 - Group created night. But again, there is nothing to worry about, superior: General (Turkish: Orgeneral; OF-9) Major Murat Çelebioglu creates a WhatsApp Major Osman Akkaya replies, ‘We have not left Ümit Dündar, Commander of the First Army. group with the name ‘Yurtta sulh’. This refers yet.’ It is Colonel Cebeci who to the first two words of a famous sentence pro- Subsequently, Major Çelebioglu asks again mentions it for the first nounced by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the first for the location of the two regiments. Though time in the conversation A military vehicle President of the Republic of Turkey, in 1931: he is from a different regiment, Colonel Kaya (at 22:09), but it will be near Sabiha Airport, replies that the 6th Motorised Infantry Regi­ in Istanbul. It carries ‘Yurtta sulh, cihanda sulh’: ‘Peace at home, repeated throughout the a number plate peace in the world’. It was later accepted as the ment is about to reach the Disaster Coordi- night and morning. They that starts with approach to foreign policy for Turkey, but also nation Centre (Turkish: Afet Koordinasyon ultimately will not capture 196, which links to became the slogan of the Turkish Land Forces. Merkezi Müdürlügü, akom), which is located in him. Instead, Dündar will the 2nd Armoured Subsequently, Major Çelebioglu adds a num- northwest Istanbul. This appears to show that, be appointed the acting Brigade ber of people to the group and tells them that before taking any other action, the coup plotters Chief of Staff for the anti- he will be making announcements in the group, wanted to take control of the disaster centre. coup military a few hours later (Source: T24). and that the members can share important updates here. ‘I’ll pass them on to Ankara,’ Çele­ 21.45 - Blocking the Bosphorus bridges 22.19 - Commanders try to reach coup bioglu says, referring to the coupist headquar- Major Muammar Aygar reports that the access plotters ters in Ankara. to the Bosphorus Bridge or First Bridge has been Non-coupist military commanders realise that Some numbers that are being added to the halted. The bridge is one of the two suspension something is not right. General Dündar keeps group have been added to the contact book of bridges spanning the Strait of Bosphorus and on calling Kuleli Military High School, while the person’s phone from which we read the con- a vital highway between the European and the Brigadier Kemal Basak, Commander of the 66th versation, as they are shown by name and, most Asian continent. But that is not all: the Fatih Regiment, is calling Colonel Eyyüp Gürler ‘non- of the time, military rank. Others introduce Sultan Mehmet or Second Bridge is also under stop’. They are told not to answer their phones. themselves or can be identified sooner or later the control of soldiers obeying the coup plotters. in the conversation as they reveal more of their This development marks the military start of the Simultaneously, group members discuss the identity. coup attempt. It is over half an hour later before ‘Hadimköy reinforcements’. The coupist head- the development is widely reported by interna- quarters are wondering whether they are ready, 21.26 - Military vehicles on the road tional media. according to a message from Major Çelebioglu. Major Çelebioglu gives the first instructions for They are, and on their way to the barracks in military action: block traffic on Istanbul’s two 22.06 - ‘Vast majority’ Hadimköy. Colonel Gerehan then asks whether main highways, the E5 and the Trans European of Istanbul police complies the reinforcements are going ‘to send location’, to Motorway (tem or E80). Traffic outside of Istan- Another major challenge for the coup plotters which Cebeci replies that this was already sent in bul will be left as it is, but traffic ‘trying to enter will be the police. Will they comply and obey the the morning. Istanbul will be halted and turned back’. military’s orders? At 22:06, Major Çelebioglu Colonel Ahmet Zeki Gerehan replies writes that the deputies of the Istanbul Police 22.36 - LDÜ under control that the locations ‘which need to be taken Chief have been called and informed about the The Logistic Supports Base is now also under must be taken immediately’. Clearly, the coupist intentions: ‘the vast majority have com- coupist control, roughly 30 minutes after Colo- coup plotters had several locations in mind plied.’ Colonel Uzan Sahin also writes that the nel Kaya said that units were on their way to to seize or, at least, show their presence at. Istanbul police deputies have complied. Using take the location. At ldü, ‘Planning is underway

24 DE GROENE AMSTERDAMMER 26.4.2017 for meals to all our troops on the European and vehicles in the middle of the bridge to prevent Quite randomly, perhaps feeling the heat of Asian sides for tomorrow morning onwards.’ police from crossing’. growing resistance, Colonel Sahin mentions that From July 16, Colonel Kaya says he does not their numbers are 20,000, including units from know the ‘overall picture’ of the coup plan, so 22.44 - Atatürk Airport and TRT Radio under Trakya. Open source data of the manpower of ‘someone who does know needs to go to ldü’. No control the different regiments suggest that the follow- one replies. The main entrance and entrance B at Atatürk ing numbers per regiment were identified as tak- At this stage, ldü, akom and the bridges International Airport have been successfully ing part in the coup: 52nd (9,000), 2nd (5,000), are under the control of the rebelling military taken, Colonel Korkut reports at 22:44. ‘They 66th (5,000), and 6th (4,000), the ‘units from officials. Colonel Gürler informs the group that have complied,’ he says, referring to the airport Trakya’ excluded. Those numbers do not tell us units are also on their way to the governorship police who are cooperating. ‘Their superiors are much, however, as they might be outdated and, (though it is unclear which one) and the ibb, coming, too, we are waiting.’ TRT Radio has also more importantly, not reflect the number of sol- while Major Akkaya reports that there is also been taken, Colonel Kaya says in a message. diers who can be deployed. a unit on its way to the Provincial Police head- With Atatürk Airport under control, there Meanwhile, ‘they’ want to send police from quarters, located at Vatan Caddesi. Colonel Kaya are several other interventions going on at Bayrampasa, Major Akkaya writes. ‘Prevent it.’ then writes that the ‘afad provincial directorate the War Colleges Command (‘They have com- Lieutenant-Colonel Düzenli goes as far as to say said that there won’t be a problem at the Gover- plied, they are sitting inside’) and TRT TV, that even the intervention at akp’s provincial norship. (…) He supports the action.’ while a unit is on its way to the provincial office offices should be stopped if ‘Bayrampasa’ needs Meanwhile, General Dünder has arrived at of the Justice and Development Party (akp). back up. the bridges. Major Aygar describes the situation, The Logistic Supports Base, meanwhile, asks Captain Yıldız, who is in charge of the units at ‘They ran away to the Asian side after having for the settings. Colonel Kaya says, ‘It would the Riot Police’s headquarters, is the first to reply, come 600-700 m to the bridge.’ Major Çelebioglu be good if the 1st Army prepared a report.’ ‘Done.’ He says ‘a tank has closed’, which seems suggests that the bridges will be open both ways, Again, no reply. But there are a lot of mes- to suggest he has blocked the main entrance and ‘tell everyone to go home’, perhaps referring sages about General Dünder, who is believed of the facilities. This is indeed what a photo to the many hundreds of civilians blocked by the to be on his way to the Kuleli Military High shows, which can be geolocated to Bayrampasa­ military. Colonel Sahin then tells Major Aygar to School. ‘Has anyone interned him’, Major Aygar Riot Police headquarters, tweeted at 22:50: a open the bridge, but to ‘put a couple of armoured asks. ‘He’s still free’, Colonel Gürler responds. military vehicle blocking the entrance. Captain

26.4.2017 DE GROENE AMSTERDAMMER 25 Yıldız notifies the group that he will send three The transcript is composed of two different 00.05 - TRT news anchor forced to read armoured personnel carriers (Turkish: Gelis- sources. The first source is a video which was coup declaration tirilmis Zırhlı Personel Tasıyıcı, gzpt’s) to the uploaded to Twitter on the morning of July 16, TRT TV news anchor Tijen Karas is forced to location. and appears to show the conversation on the read a declaration from the coup leaders, who phone of a surrendered, captured, or killed call themselves the ‘Peace at Home Committee’ 23.01 - PM Yıldırım makes a statement coup plotter. This video revealed the WhatsApp (again, ‘Yurtta sulh’). They claim to have taken At 23:01, Turkish Prime Minister (PM) Binali conversation from its start at 21:15 to 22:45. over control of the country to restore democracy Yıldırım makes a statement about what he calls The second source is 21 photos that show the and the rule of law. an ‘uprising attempt’ (cnn). This gives a good rest of the conversation, which had already ‘Friends, thankfully we have captured sev- indication of the time, as Brigadier Yigit men- been transcribed. The photos are courtesy of eral targets in Ankara and Istanbul. The state- tions it in the group. No one reacts to his mes- Al Jazeera Türk’s Selahattin Günday, and we are ment has been read on trt’, Lieutenant-Colonel sage. thankful that he was willing to share them with Düzenli writes. ‘Anyone who opposes our acts It is around this time that Taksim Square is Bellingcat. We owe many thanks to ‘Has Avrat’ for will be dealt with harshly. This is the order.’ mentioned for the first time, the heart of modern translating the entire transcript, as well as Television ‘has a significant influence on Istanbul that they want to occupy. Other loca- contributing to the analysis. people in Turkey, especially among older gener- tions are also successfully seized: the Sakarya This article chronologically highlights and ations,’ trt wrote in a post-coup article. akom, governor’s office and the ibb. analyses most of the most striking parts of the TRT TV and Radio have been successfully However, General Dünder has still not been transcript. The WhatsApp group consisted of seized. But unlike the previous coups in Turkey, taken. Major Aygar tried, without success, to get high-ranking military officials, mostly of the the state broadcaster is not the only broadcaster. him to Kuleli by tricking him, ‘I’ve invited him by Turkish Land Forces, including two Brigadiers and There are now also private channels such as saying that I could not control Mürsel.’ eleven Colonels. CNN Türk and Habertürk, which continue live The group is just one coordination group of broadcasting. Politicians and citizens are now, 23.18 - Coup announced on TV the coup attempt, as it focused predominantly on live television, encouraging others to go onto A statement purportedly from the Turkish mil- on land forces in Istanbul and Sakarya only. the streets to protest against the coup attempt. itary is broadcast by TRT TV, stating that the There were likely other coordination groups for Colonel Cebeci says, ‘Privately owned TV sta- country has been taken over by the military to actions elsewhere in Turkey. It is thus important tions must be silenced.’ protect the democratic order. The statement to bear in mind that this is a snapshot of the But that is a little too late. was e-mailed to news organisations by coupists conversation of some of the coup plotters, and (Source: tsk). not a full picture. At least one member of the 00.19 - Citizens pour into the street The statement also announces that martial group communicated with ‘Ankara’, where the Citizens are ignoring the military curfew and law has been imposed, to which Colonel Ömer coupist headquarters was located (probably in are pouring into the streets to protest the coup Faruk Özköse seems to refer. A bit later, Colonel Akıncı Air Base). attempt, as this one of hundreds of videos shows. Kaya asks what will happen to ‘the ones said to That crowd is still getting bigger when Presi- be the Turkish Land Forces’, possibly referring to dent Recep Tayyip Erdogan addresses the nation anti-coup soldiers. Meanwhile, reinforcements for the troops at on CNN Türk around 00:26, urging Turkish cit- Meanwhile, the Istanbul Governorship is Vatan Caddesi are ready to take off by helicop- izens to ‘take the streets’. about to be taken over by units under Colonel ter, Captain Türk informs the group. A reply by President Erdogan’s speech is not mentioned Cebeci, after some initial resistance offered by Major Çelebioglu seems to suggest that he sees in the group conversation, but the direct results the police. The blocking of the bridges will create a chance to let Captain Türk’s helicopter inter- of that speech are clearly noticeable: most units pro­blems for incoming reinforcements, Lieu- vene at the Moda Deniz Club first, before flying are asking for support as they are being sur- tenant Özgenc foresees, and he suggests Major to Vatan Caddesi. Türk replies that, if they hurry, rounded by large crowds of civilians. Aygar needs to be there to control the exits. He they can make it ‘to the empty space in the mid- For example, the helicopter reinforcement for informs Major Aygar. dle of the crowd’, opening fire if needed. It is not Colonel Akkaya at Vatan Caddesi is now itself Lieutenant-Colonel Düzenli then requests clear whether he is referring to the club or to the being surrounded by ‘a really large crowd’ and an intervention at the Istanbul Moda Sea Club, police headquarters at Vatan Caddesi. cannot find Akkaya and his troops. where a wedding is taking place that is being Similarly, the troops at Taksim Square need attended by many senior-ranking military offi- One way or another, a helicopter did intervene reinforcements, and so do the units at Atatürk cials. ‘Many Generals there that need to be at the wedding. A video of a military helicop- Airport. ‘Can armoured vehicles be sent?’ Colo- brought in’, he says, meaning they need to be ter hovering­ above the club’s parking lot was nel Kaya asks. The next message is from Kaya interned. uploaded to Twitter at 23:52. Unfortunately, again (‘We are sending one column to Taksim’), But the WhatsApp group is busy with other the user who uploaded the video has restricted suggesting that at least some of the WhatsApp things: Landings are permitted at Ataturk Air- her account since. This is one of perhaps two group members are not on the ground them- port, while units are about to reach Istanbul’s ­Turkish Air Force AS532 combat search and selves but coordinating their troops through other airport Sabiha Gökçen; and the 5th and ­rescue (csar) helicopters that raided the wed- Istanbul. Understanding the symbolic value of 2nd Corps ‘have been assigned to providing ding. Commandos successfully kidnapped the public squares and the strategic importance of reinforcements to Istanbul’. Colonel Cebeci says person, David Cenciotti writes on The Aviation- airports, Lieutenant-Colonel Düzenli stresses he is about to take the akp provincial office, but ist. that such locations should be kept under control. finds it is crowded outside and postpones tak- At the same time, the units at Taksim Square ‘Units will not withdraw.’ ing action. He asks Lieutenant-Colonel Düzenli are calling for reinforcements, as a ‘crowd is Meanwhile, outside of Istanbul in Sakarya, what to do. gathering’. Captain Türk replies that they are ‘urgent support’ is also requested by Lieute­nant- The former mentions that an intervention is airborne but are bound for Vatan Caddesi, Colonel Çoskun, where crowds are trying to needed at the club, ‘Guys, Air Force Commander not Taksim. While reinforcements are coming stop the coup tanks. He sends another message, Abidin Ünal is at the Moda Deniz Club. Inter- to Vatan Caddesi, Taksim is requesting extra ‘Need urgent air support for Sakarya.’ vention needs to be done there,’ which suggests troops, and so is Colonel Cebeci at the akp pro- The only place that seems relatively calm, that Air Force Commander Ünal’s internment is vincial office. ‘Helicopters would work. Crowds judging from the messages, is Çengelköy, where also important for the coupists. keep gathering.’ the Kuleli Military High School is located. But

26 DE GROENE AMSTERDAMMER 26.4.2017 the calmness came at a price, ‘We have shot the conversation informs the group that some of writes that the Taksim units ‘cannot take [it] 4 people who were resisting at Çengelköy. his soldiers have been taken by the police and anymore’. Everything’s fine.’ The victims were probably that the prosecutor has been called. But then sonic booms are reported above Tak- ­soldiers who were disobeying the coupist sol- sim. Journalist Oz Katerji captured the moment diers. 01.43 - Firing on civilians at the First Bridge on the livestreaming app Periscope. Another location where people are getting ‘We have shot 20-30 people,’ writes Major Aygar, ‘The planes have worked for Taksim’, Colonel shot is the Acıbadem neighbourhood, where who is responsible for the Bosphorus bridges. Kaya writes. ‘It’s calm now.’ Major Mehmet Karabekır and his units ‘were ‘But our guys at the 2nd Bridge are struggling. He asks for more air support when it gets attempting to take over Turkey’s telecommuni- Need helicopter.’ Lieutenant-Colonel Düzenli lighter, as well as ‘helicopter fire support’. Rea­ cations center Türk Telekom,’ according to Daily passes on an order from the coup headquarters: ding the messages, Major Aygar at the bridges Sabah. ‘CROWDS THAT HAVE GATHERED WILL asks if the same can be done for the Second However, they met civil resistance, and Major BE FIRED ON.’ Bridge, where his troops are under heavy pres- Karabekır ordered any civilian standing in the There are videos of the soldiers at the First sure. way to be shot. One of the civilians was Mete Bridge firing on civilians, both from civilians At a certain point, Major Aygar goes as far as Sertbas, the mukhtar of Acıbadem (a headman on the ground as well as from a Sky News lives- to ask whether it is a possibility to conduct ‘an air responsible for the neighbourhood). Major Kar- tream. assault’ on the Second Bridge. abekır then shot mukhtar Sertbas at point blank But the fighter jets flying over Istanbul are range in his stomach. The chilling moment was 02.29 - Clashes at IMKB only a short-lived success: Colonel Kaya writes captured on camera. Sertbas bled to death on A photo tweeted at 02:29 speaks of heavy not much later in the conversation that the Tak- the street. clashes at the Istanbul Stock Exchange (Turkish: sim units are falling back. With regard to Acıbadem, Karabekır does not Istanbul Menkul Kıymetler Borsası, imkb). In Colonel Kaya still asks whether air support mention that a civilian has been shot (after he the conversation, there are only three messages can be increased as soon as the sun rises. ‘The shared two photos). referring to the imkb. There had been clashes planes are important for morale.’ Interestingly, Major Karabekır sends the with police, but Colonel Baykal regained control But when the first rays of the sun light up most violent messages to the chat. ‘Show no of the situation and said that the ‘morale is high’. Istanbul, most of the coup attempt will have compassion,’ he writes, as well as ‘Don’t dare [to] But not for long. The third and last message says failed in the city. hesitate, hit them.’ that imkb is about to fall. ‘They’ve broken the Two people leave the group already, for President Erdogan’s call to take the streets is doors. Need help.’ unknown reasons. strengthened by Turkey’s Directorate for Reli- Lieutenant-Colonel Düzenli replies in Fighting is ongoing at several places. gious Affairs (Turkish: Diyanet Isleri Baskan- caps, ‘FRIENDS, RESPOND WITHOUT ‘Do what it takes to stay alive’, Major Çele­ lıgı). Mosques throughout Turkey begin to recite ­HESITATION,’ while Colonel Sahin reassures bioglu writes. the Sela prayer, used in times of emergency, to the group that the reinforcements from Trakya, ‘Meaning?’ Captain Türk asks. protest the coup attempt and to get people on the 65th Mechanised Infantry Brigade from the ‘Surrender. Or flee’, Çelebioglu replies. the streets. The ‘Sela’ is not the regular call to 5th Corps, are coming. But they never arrive. Another person leaves the group. prayer, but used to alert and gather the public. It ‘The battalion I sent from Lüleburgaz,’ which was used to gather people to their town squares, is in Trakya, ‘never made it past the police bar- The last part of the conversation says it all: the prior to advertisements and the widespread use ricade. The police arrested the battalion com- coup attempt, at least in Istanbul, has failed. of communication networks, and sometimes as mander.’ The story of the Lüleburgaz reinforce- ‘Has the operation been cancelled, Murat?’ a call to arms. ments in these messages: Major Aygar asks. ‘They are whipping up fury among the pub- ‘Yes, commander’, he replies. lic. Is there no way to stop it?’ The WhatsApp But there were also other reinforcements. What Major Aygar, ‘We’re quitting??’ group tries to shut the mosques down. The fol- about them? Colonel Kaya wonders. Colonel Dogan, ‘Which operation, all of it?’ lowing selection from different periods of time Turns out that units that were thought to be Major Çelebioglu, ‘Yes, quit, commander.’ shows that the WhatsApp group is aware of this, on the side of the coupists were transformed into Colonel Dogan, ‘Meaning?’ and successfully closes a mosque (the Arıcılar anti-coup units. Major Çelebioglu, ‘Yes, commander, opera- Mosque in northwest Istanbul, close to akom). tion aborted.’ Later, reference is made to the satellite antennas 03.21 - CNN Türk studio seized Colonel Dogan, ‘Shall we escape?’ at Çamlıca that need to be taken under control At 03:21, coupist soldiers force broadcaster Major Çelebioglu, ‘Stay alive, commander. while coup tanks have them in range. CNN Türk to go off air. The moment is captured The choice is yours. We have not decided yet. on live TV. But we have left our position. I’m closing the 00.40 - Helicopters over Vatan Caddesi The move was announced earlier in the group. Delete the messages if you want.’ A helicopter is reportedly flying over Vatan Cad- WhatsApp conversation by Captain Türk, who Evidently, that never happened. desi. sent helicopter reinforcements to Vatan Caddesi At 4:41, pictures emerge of young soldiers earlier. being taken prisoner by civilians from both 01.26 - Sakarya Governor’s house overrun Ankara and Istanbul. The soldiers look terrified. by civilians 03.38 - F16s above Taksim Square ‘Privates’, people comment. ‘They are just doing Lieutenant-Colonel Çoskun’s forces are overrun It is chaos at all locations. Lieutenant-Colo- their mandatory military service.’ While units by civilians, and he informs the group. nel Düzenli, passing on an order from Ankara, stationed elsewhere could flee or stand down ‘Crush them, burn them’, Major Karabekır orders once again to shoot on the crowds. ‘May with more ease, the soldiers on the bridge were tells Çoskun. ‘No compromise.’ Çoskun replies God help you.’ stuck. that even if he were to open fire, it would not Perhaps the most thrilling event is when Two hours later, they also surrender. help. ‘We’ll hit 3 or 5, but we won’t be able to stop F-16C fighter jets roar low over Istanbul. This them from entering.’ was requested by Colonel Kaya, according to the The full version of this article was published by Ten minutes later, his soldiers are convinced WhatsApp messages. ‘Air support, plane should Bellingcat, The Netherlands. by civilians to leave the premises. fly low over Taksim.’ Lieutenant-Colonel Çoskun’s last message to The situation is so critical that Colonel Kaya It can be read at europeanpressprize.com

26.4.2017 DE GROENE AMSTERDAMMER 27 winnaar FiPrESCi-PriZE bErlijn 2016

een film van Tobias Nölle erbeck Friedrich oV

G N Vo Geor Tilde rnhem a , Kaper Bart ontwerp: grafisch vanaf 20 april te zien in de filmtheaters