A quote circulating on social media perfectly captures the story of Amir Taghinia of East Vancouver.
He says: Canadians were born all over the world. It just takes a little while to get here.
For the 28-year-old Iranian-born man, the “little time” was around 10 years, of which four and a half were held in a notorious refugee detention camp halfway around the world.
The most recent and happiest chapter in its remarkable history happened on October 15 when he became Canadian in a virtual swearing-in ceremony.
The certainty of citizenship is sinking further.
“For some it is a birthright. For me it is a privilege after more than a decade of battle,” he said. “I got a lot of my rights back from five years ago … when I was treated like less than an animal because of politics.”
Taghinia left Iran on her own at the age of 16, living in Malaysia for five years before her visa expired.
As a Christian and persecuted minority in Iran, returning home was not an option. So he finally found his way to Indonesia and a ship to Australia, where he hoped to seek asylum.
But Australian officials had other ideas.
Rescued from the sinking boat alongside dozens of other asylum seekers, Taghinia was forced onto a plane and delivered to desperate limbo at the refugee detention center on Manus Island, Papua New Guinea. Guinea.
“We were told you will never go to Australia. And on top of that, we were told you will never get out of here,” Taghinia said. “They said you would rot in this detention center unless you come home.
His story has been well documented in Canadian and international media: how he survived the unsanitary conditions of the camp, deprived of food and water, how he was called an agitator for speaking out on behalf of 700 detainees from Manus Island, and how a chance encounter with a Coquitlam nurse put him on the path to eventual release.
But now he’s ready to tell his own story. Taghinia has just finished a book and has started looking for a publisher.
“I believe this story needs to come out. I think people need to be made aware of what is happening on the other side of the planet in the name of border protection and the number of lives being ruined by Australia [for] what is called border protection, “he said.
One less human being out of the politically manipulative hands of the#Australia. #WelcomeToCanada ! After almost a decade of incarceration, he finds #freedom #Manus #Nauru # auspol2021 pic.twitter.com/7jnju7vFcW
Taghinia has become a beacon of hope for other asylum seekers, but has also drawn countless tragic stories from desperate families. He said that after arriving in Canada it was almost too much to bear.
“It was a difficult few years when I used to receive messages about missing persons – people who [were] deceased, drowned or captured … or tortured. Their family members … begged me to save their children, from Indonesia, Malaysia, the ocean. “
Taghinia continues to work on behalf of other refugees through Mosaic, one of the largest non-profit settlement organizations in Canada.
In fact, just this week, he says, he couldn’t help but be overwhelmed by conflicting emotions of happiness and grief while welcoming another survivor from Manus Island in Canada at the airport. from Vancouver.
“It was very, very strange and sad to welcome someone who has been in jail for almost a decade,” he said. “He is entering his first day in Canada and I salute him as a Canadian citizen.”
“Coffeeaholic. Lifelong alcohol fanatic. Typical travel expert. Prone to fits of apathy. Internet trailblazer.”