After I listened to David’s story, I was deeply affected. Not because I had never heard stories like his before, but because of how closely his experience reflected realities I already knew too well. Hearing his account confirmed that the violence, torture, and abandonment migrants face are not isolated incidents. They are part of a system that operates openly and repeatedly.

David’s testimony was difficult to hear. The details of kidnapping, torture, ransom, and being left to die in the desert were not exaggerated. They were precise and factual. What struck me most was not only what happened to him, but how easily his life could have ended without anyone knowing or caring.

As someone who works closely with refugee stories and lived experiences, I recognized the patterns immediately: the trafficking networks, the ransom system, the denial of medical care, and the assumption that migrants are disposable. David’s experience reinforced the reality that many migrants are not moving by choice, but are being forced into situations where survival depends on chance and outside intervention.

Listening to David also strengthened my sense of responsibility. Stories like his cannot remain private or unheard. They must be documented accurately and shared publicly, not to shock people, but to confront false narratives about migration and expose the human cost behind them.

After hearing David’s story, it became even clearer to me that storytelling is not just about memory. It is a tool for accountability. When survivors speak and their stories are recorded, it becomes harder to deny what is happening and harder to look away.

Claudia Koehler conducted and led the storytelling session with David Amos. She works in the field of migration and has been involved in several refugee-focused projects that center lived experience, documentation, and public awareness.

Her work includes participation, collaboration and organising in initiatives such as Voice of Refugees, refugee storytelling projects, and Culture of Refugees. Across these projects, she has focused on creating spaces where refugees can speak for themselves, without their experiences being simplified, distorted, or reduced to statistics.

Through her engagement with survivors of migration routes, detention, and displacement, Claudia has developed a grounded understanding of illegal and irregular migration. Her insight is based on direct contact with refugees and long-term involvement in storytelling processes, not on assumptions or abstract policy discussions. She emphasizes that illegal migration is often the result of forced circumstances, including violence, persecution, trafficking, and the absence of safe and legal migration pathways.

During the interview with David Amos, her approach was structured, attentive, and respectful. She allowed space for difficult details to be expressed clearly and without interruption. Her role was not to dramatize the story, but to document it accurately and responsibly.

Claudia’s work challenges dominant narratives that portray refugees only as economic migrants or passive victims. By focusing on testimony and first-hand accounts, she contributes to a more realistic understanding of migration, one that reflects coercion, survival, and the long-term impact of displacement on individuals and families.

B Mufalme, Ankerzentrum should be close

We painfully narrate the death of our beloved brother, Kamara Joseph, whose life was lost under conditions that involved serious neglect and failure within the Ankerzentrum, including the actions of security staff and the house master.

Kamara Joseph was in a very weak physical condition. He had serious difficulty moving and could not safely access basic facilities. Despite this, the house master refused to relocate him to a ground-floor apartment or to a place where he could easily reach the canteen and move safely within the building. This decision left him isolated and forced him to use stairs that he was physically unable to manage.

As a result, Kamara Joseph fell several times from the third floor, suffering repeated injuries. These incidents were known, yet no adequate protective measures were taken to prevent further harm.

During this period, security staff denied us access to bring him food. He was left severely hungry and weak, without regular meals and without proper care. He did not receive the medical treatment he needed, despite his visible condition and repeated falls.

There was no consistent medical attention, no nutritional support, and no effective response to his deteriorating health. The combination of immobility, hunger, lack of treatment, and isolation caused his condition to worsen rapidly.

Kamara Joseph did not die suddenly. He declined over time while help was available but not provided. His death reflects systemic neglect, poor decision-making, and a failure to protect a vulnerable person who depended entirely on the Ankerzentrum for care and safety.

We believe that the actions and inactions of the Ankerzentrum administration, the house master, and security staff contributed directly to his death. This case raises serious concerns about responsibility, duty of care, and the treatment of vulnerable asylum seekers.

Destiny Joshua Nduka, ordered Ankerzentrum to be close, before something darker than trauma happens again

Ankerzentrum must be close

B. Mufalme took time to speak about his experience, often breaking down in tears while narrating his encounters with the Polish and German police. His story reflects fear, confusion, and deep psychological harm.

In Poland, he was treated like a criminal despite committing no crime. He was arrested, detained, and sent to prison without clear explanation. Instead of receiving protection as an asylum seeker, he was denied basic rights and prosecuted by a system that was meant to safeguard him.

He was deported back and forth between European countries, including Poland and Germany, under migration enforcement procedures. This repeated transfer left him unstable, frightened, and without any sense of security. Throughout this period, asylum lawyers failed to provide effective legal support, leaving him unprotected and uninformed about his case.

During these transfers, he was handcuffed and treated as a criminal, despite having no criminal charges. He was imprisoned again in Hof, Germany, where he spent one month in detention before being transferred to the Ankerzentrum in Bamberg.

His time in the Ankerzentrum marked a severe decline in his health. He reported feeling constant fear and believed he might die there. Medical examinations later confirmed that he was suffering from depression, ulcers, and other stress-related illnesses. These conditions developed as a direct result of prolonged detention, uncertainty, and mistreatment.

Eventually, he was transferred to Lichtenfels, Germany, but the damage caused by his experiences across multiple systems and countries remained. His case shows how repeated detention, deportation, and lack of legal protection can seriously harm the physical and mental health of asylum seekers.

After I listened to David’s story, I was deeply affected. Not because I had never heard stories like his before, but because of how closely his experience reflected realities I already knew too well. Hearing his account confirmed that the violence, torture, and abandonment migrants face are not isolated incidents. They are part of a system that operates openly and repeatedly.

David’s testimony was difficult to hear. The details of kidnapping, torture, ransom, and being left to die in the desert were not exaggerated. They were precise and factual. What struck me most was not only what happened to him, but how easily his life could have ended without anyone knowing or caring.

As someone who works closely with refugee stories and lived experiences, I recognized the patterns immediately: the trafficking networks, the ransom system, the denial of medical care, and the assumption that migrants are disposable. David’s experience reinforced the reality that many migrants are not moving by choice, but are being forced into situations where survival depends on chance and outside intervention.

Listening to David also strengthened my sense of responsibility. Stories like his cannot remain private or unheard. They must be documented accurately and shared publicly, not to shock people, but to confront false narratives about migration and expose the human cost behind them.

After hearing David’s story, it became even clearer to me that storytelling is not just about memory. It is a tool for accountability. When survivors speak and their stories are recorded, it becomes harder to deny what is happening and harder to look away.