A Chorleywood journalist has told her story after experiencing brutal treatment at the Turkish border.
Alexandra Foreman was in the country to document more than 100 members of the Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light, a persecuted religious minority, as they tried to cross the border into Bulgaria.
Alexandra, together with camera operator Serman Al-Khafaji, witnessed first-hand the persecution suffered by those practicing the religion; they were swept up with the bedlam as 104 asylum seekers reached the border.
On June 7, Alexandra spoke out about her experiences in a video posted to the Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light website.
She said: “It was incredibly traumatising. As soon as we got to the border, we were met with the most horrific violence and aggression from the Turkish border guards.
“It was an insane amount of aggression. No one could have expected this on asylum seekers who want nothing more than to practice their faith in a place of safety.
“I was shoved into a van with some women and children, but then they put me in a police van. Guards came in to shout at me, brandishing their guns. We were forced to sign Turkish papers which consented to staying overnight. They also tried to make us sign a document that said we were affiliated with a terrorist organisation.”
With British passports, Alexandra and Serman agreed that their traumatic experiences were only a glimpse of what the Ahmadis were experiencing.
A petition has been started to demand asylum is granted to the stranded refugees.
View the petition here.
Photo Credit: Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light
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