No passport after all these years: young man recounts his misfortune

The Algerian citizen Abdellah ben Ahmed (35) from the region of Ghilizane (west of Algeria) is still unable to explain the Algerian authorities’ denial to deliver him a passport after more than five years on the basis that this later was one of the many young people who took part in the “Human Shelter” campaign for Iraq before the US colonization of this country.

• In a declaration to Echourouk, the young man recounts the genesis of the story behind his present problems with the Algerian administration, saying that on February 18th 2003, he decided alongside some of his friends to move to Syria seeking for a job there and find away to reach on of the Gulf countries.
• But, he says “Luck was not on our side and went out of money, so decided to go back to Algeria”. The group moved to an Algerian travel agency based in Damascus to facilitate the procedures for their return to their home country, but being on dire straight, they couldn’t wait for the fixed date.
• They had no choice but to go to the Iraqi embassy in Damascus which issued free visas for them in order to join an anti-war organization called “Human Shelter” but the war broke out two months later forcing the Algerian nationals to flee the zone of conflict leaving behind their passport confiscated by the organization.
• After a series of investigations carried out by the Algerian officials at the embassy in Damascus, the young men were repatriated to Algeria without their passports on April 19th 2003, which in itself means that the group had nothing to do with terrorist activities.