I am stateless but still fighting to get the Dutch nationality

Tilburg University is a melting pot full of interesting people. Student Rebekka Rohe finds and portraits them. Today: Haik Pogosian, second year Liberal Arts and Sciences student. Because of the unrest in his home country, he is stateless.

“I like to consider myself a fighter. Because I am!” Indeed, listening to Haik, who is calm but firm in sharing his story, gives every reason to agree with that statement.

Living in Nagorno-Karabakh, a region in the south Caucasus, ripped apart by daily conflicts, shooting and combats between Armenia and Azerbaijan, Haiks parents decided to flee when he was only 6 years old. Through hitchhiking, they reached the Netherlands, to spend the next nine years in a refugee camp there. Only in 2008, after a long and complicated immigration procedure, they were allowed to live on their own. Yet, Haiks struggle is not over so far. Like ten thousands of other refugees, he has to deal with the consequences of not having a valid identity proof: being stateless.

Due to the conflicts in his birth town it was not possible for Haiks parents to get a birth certificate for him or his sister, making it impossible to request a passport.

“Even though I should have the same travelling rights, every time I fly my stuff gets checked, there is a lot of distrust and I always have to explain myself. Also financial support brings a lot of problems”.

Yet, Haik does not want people to feel sorry for him. “ I want to stay positive about everything I experienced because it made me a stronger person. It made it possible for me to pick myself up again and drive myself to my full potential”. Indeed, despite all the struggles Haik made it into university; he is studying Liberal Arts and Sciences and has big plans about starting an international business career.

Still, he is passionately fighting. Fighting to set an example and encourage other refugees, seeing that “democracy is not as utopian as it is being portrayed because even such well-developed countries as the Netherlands have issues like these”. Fighting for less segregation, and seeing a big problem in the way The Netherlands handle the refugee problem. And finally, fighting for himself, to get the Dutch nationality at last.

For questions and remarks please contact r.a.rohe@tilburguniversity.edu

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