Eritrean dissident advocates in Germany allege translators are contaminating the asylum process for refugees

• The co-founder of Frankfurt-based dissident group United4Eritrea related stories of omissions and hostile environments with translators that increased asylum seekers’ insecurity.
• Displaced Eritreans fear pro-regime agents in the diaspora who can derail the asylum process and send information back to Eritrea that leads to threats against family members, activities that a recent U.N. report acknowledged.
• German officials responded that although they do not monitor possible relaying of information back to the Eritrean government, all translators are rigorously tested before being put to work.

“For example they tell them not to explain things the way they are, the political situation – they say ‘you can’t say this, you have to say it like this.’ They try to give as little information as possible, so then they leave the political things out. They want the refugees to arrive here to be recognized only as economic migrants.”

Read the full story at Deutsche Welle.

(Image Credit: imago/epd, via Deutsche Welle)