B Mufalme, Ankerzentrum should be close

We painfully narrate the death of our beloved brother, Kamara Joseph, whose life was lost under conditions that involved serious neglect and failure within the Ankerzentrum, including the actions of security staff and the house master.

Kamara Joseph was in a very weak physical condition. He had serious difficulty moving and could not safely access basic facilities. Despite this, the house master refused to relocate him to a ground-floor apartment or to a place where he could easily reach the canteen and move safely within the building. This decision left him isolated and forced him to use stairs that he was physically unable to manage.

As a result, Kamara Joseph fell several times from the third floor, suffering repeated injuries. These incidents were known, yet no adequate protective measures were taken to prevent further harm.

During this period, security staff denied us access to bring him food. He was left severely hungry and weak, without regular meals and without proper care. He did not receive the medical treatment he needed, despite his visible condition and repeated falls.

There was no consistent medical attention, no nutritional support, and no effective response to his deteriorating health. The combination of immobility, hunger, lack of treatment, and isolation caused his condition to worsen rapidly.

Kamara Joseph did not die suddenly. He declined over time while help was available but not provided. His death reflects systemic neglect, poor decision-making, and a failure to protect a vulnerable person who depended entirely on the Ankerzentrum for care and safety.

We believe that the actions and inactions of the Ankerzentrum administration, the house master, and security staff contributed directly to his death. This case raises serious concerns about responsibility, duty of care, and the treatment of vulnerable asylum seekers.

Destiny Joshua Nduka, ordered Ankerzentrum to be close, before something darker than trauma happens again

Ankerzentrum must be close

B. Mufalme took time to speak about his experience, often breaking down in tears while narrating his encounters with the Polish and German police. His story reflects fear, confusion, and deep psychological harm.

In Poland, he was treated like a criminal despite committing no crime. He was arrested, detained, and sent to prison without clear explanation. Instead of receiving protection as an asylum seeker, he was denied basic rights and prosecuted by a system that was meant to safeguard him.

He was deported back and forth between European countries, including Poland and Germany, under migration enforcement procedures. This repeated transfer left him unstable, frightened, and without any sense of security. Throughout this period, asylum lawyers failed to provide effective legal support, leaving him unprotected and uninformed about his case.

During these transfers, he was handcuffed and treated as a criminal, despite having no criminal charges. He was imprisoned again in Hof, Germany, where he spent one month in detention before being transferred to the Ankerzentrum in Bamberg.

His time in the Ankerzentrum marked a severe decline in his health. He reported feeling constant fear and believed he might die there. Medical examinations later confirmed that he was suffering from depression, ulcers, and other stress-related illnesses. These conditions developed as a direct result of prolonged detention, uncertainty, and mistreatment.

Eventually, he was transferred to Lichtenfels, Germany, but the damage caused by his experiences across multiple systems and countries remained. His case shows how repeated detention, deportation, and lack of legal protection can seriously harm the physical and mental health of asylum seekers.

A. Muzamil is from Ghana. He is a refugee and is currently doing a vocational training as a kitchen chef in Bamberg. Before starting his training, he lived in the Ankerzentrum in Bamberg for more than six months. During this time, he went through serious and disturbing experiences.

After only a few days in the Ankerzentrum, his behavior and personality changed. He was no longer the same person he used to be. He became withdrawn, anxious, and emotionally affected. The person he was before arrival slowly disappeared as a result of what he experienced inside the center.

Muzamil reports repeated harassment by security staff, including unnecessary control, intimidation, and disrespectful treatment. He also faced constant pressure related to the Dublin Regulation, which created fear of transfer to another country and made him feel unsafe and unstable.

In addition, he received negative decisions and official letters without proper explanation or legal support. These letters caused confusion, fear, and emotional distress. During his asylum process, his interview was interrupted, which affected his ability to explain his situation fully and fairly.

These combined experiences had a strong negative impact on his mental health and sense of identity. Life in the Ankerzentrum did not only delay his future; it changed him as a person. Even after leaving the Ankerzentrum, the effects of this period remain visible in his daily life.

Voice Without Borders is committed to examining our lived reality inside the Ankerzentrum in Germany, with particular focus on Bamberg. We speak from within the system, not about it from a distance. We analyze how we live, how we are treated, and how the asylum system shapes our daily existence.

Our focus is on three core areas: our living conditions, the asylum process we are subjected to, and the security practices we face. Inside the Ankerzentrum, overcrowding, isolation, limited access to healthcare, poor communication, and endless waiting define our daily lives. These are not temporary conditions; they become our normal reality.

The asylum process places us in constant uncertainty. Many of us wait months or years without clear information, adequate legal support, or stability. We live with the daily fear of transfer or deportation, which affects our mental health and strips us of dignity and control over our own lives.

Security practices are one of our most pressing concerns. We experience excessive control, intimidation, discriminatory treatment, and harassment by private security personnel. Our movement is restricted, our privacy is limited, and respect is often absent. Instead of protection, we are met with surveillance.

Voice Without Borders documents our experiences through observation and our own testimonies. Our purpose is clear: to make our reality visible, to challenge abuse and neglect, and to demand humane, lawful, and respectful treatment for all of us.

The speech brought out the true me, hidden for a long time. It was one task that uncovered who I really was, a task that forced me to speak when silence had been safer. It educated me in ways no classroom ever could. It pushed me to learn, to question, and to understand the systems around me.

That single task shaped my path. It made me a musician, a writer, a poet, a speaker, and a political activist. It became my teacher when there was no guidance, no support, and no clear future. Even when hope was absent, that task demanded honesty, courage, and voice and through it, I discovered myself.