Alaz’s story
The first time the authorities in Kurdistan threatened me, they sent people close to me to deliver threatening messages. They hacked my Facebook account three times. It was worrying, but I kept doing what they hated, which was speaking the truth. I was a journalist, and I was exposing the corruption of political leaders. That’s what journalists are meant to do. But then the threats got more serious. I was arrested and imprisoned for doing my job. Two years later, they came to my home and set it on fire. I was not home but my wife and daughters were. …
Zoran’s story
When Zoran was a young boy growing up in Iran, his mum and dad were murdered by the government for their political views. His grandfather raised him in a small, remote village where Zoran got no schooling. Bring Kurdish, Zoran was part of a persecuted minority with little chance of a job. His parents’ deaths marked the start of years of unhappiness and depression for Zoran, and being isolated and persecuted in the village only made things worse. He knew he had to escape. Aged just 16 he left home to search for a safe future with the chance …