Illegal migrant from the Middle East: 'With one shoe across the border' – hopes for asylum in Latvia
Ahmed (name changed) illegally crossed the Belarus–Latvia border after traveling over 5,000 km and is now hospitalized in Daugavpils with abdominal inflammation. He hopes to be granted asylum in Latvia.
In the hospital ward
In a ward of Daugavpils Hospital, a young man with a darker skin tone, brown eyes, and dark hair asks his roommate for a cottage cheese snack. His name is Ahmed (changed), an asylum seeker from a Middle Eastern country. The hospital meal – vegetable stew with pork – remains uneaten, as Muslims do not eat pork.
Ahmed has been diagnosed with abdominal inflammation, which started at the asylum seeker reception center in Mucenieki. An ambulance brought him to Daugavpils Hospital.
Journey to Latvia
A month ago, Ahmed illegally crossed the Belarus–Latvia border near Daugavpils and was apprehended. To reach Latvia, he covered more than 5,000 kilometers. He now hopes for asylum in Latvia, though his future remains uncertain.
