For Refugee Week, our Operations Assistant Laurence Hamieh tells her personal story of how Country of Origin Information played a key role in the success of her asylum application.

By Laurence Hamieh

As I lit my cigarette, and sat at my favorite spot on my balcony, appreciating the clear blue summer skies. My mind could not help but reflect on the past year, my first year with my new status as a refugee.

I look back and remember the emotional and physical toll this process had on me. It was a year of deep intense fear, uncertainty, limitation to freedom, and entrapment. It was also a year of resilience, perseverance and hope.

“There is always this glimpse of hope that keeps you moving, keeps you hanging, continuing the process until the end”

There is always this glimpse of hope that keeps you moving, keeps you hanging, continuing the process until the end. This hope for me was supported by the kindness the lawyer representing me showed me, and by the faith I had in the merit of my story. These two factors were the fuel for my survival in that year. 

As much as I was aching, as much I was in paralyzing pain, I still had the drive in me to survive, I held on to the hope of a better life, a safer life. 

I channeled this drive into the research I did to understand the asylum system in the Netherlands, and how to ensure the success of my case. With the guidance of my angel of a lawyer I further understood the cruciality of not only providing evidence about my case but also to provide research about the overall situation in my home country to support my case. 

The privilege of being a law graduate provided me with the basic understanding of legal principles and the importance of evidence in any legal matter. This had led me to collect personal evidence that supported my case before I even applied for asylum.  

While my case was ongoing, I was fighting for myself by collecting research on the situation of my home country, especially in relation to the grounds I based my asylum application on. I was already a skilled researcher, I thus combined both my language and research skills and collected reports published by international organisations, local NGOs, as well as news circulated by activists and media platforms that explained factually the situation in my home country. I was trying to weaponise myself with any piece of information that could support my case. 

Finding relevant information regarding my case and the general situation in my home country provided me with a sense of reassurance and confidence, before heading into my interview, a deciding moment in my case. 

“This file of evidential printed papers felt like my sword, my weapon to protect myself during the interview, and eventually played a role in the success of my case”

Holding this file of evidence in my hand, which took months of focused work from my already drained self, made me feel very supported when I entered the interview. It resulted in me speaking more confidently and surely about my case to the interviewer. 

Every time they asked me a challenging question with doubt in their eyes, I was able to point back to my file, and say I have added document x that proves it, or I have added report y from NGO z, which supports what I am saying. This file of evidential printed papers felt like my sword, my weapon to protect myself during the interview, and eventually played a role in the success of my case. I won my case from the first trial, did not even go to appeal. A shocking and extremely positive outcome, that I had not expected from the first attempt. 

“It was heartwarming to see that there are people out in the world supporting asylum cases through research”

Six months into receiving my temporary residence permit as a refugee in the Netherlands, a dear friend of mine shared a job vacancy with me advertised by a charity I wasn’t familiar with, named Asylos. I looked over Asylos’ website, and read the term Country of Origin of Information (COI) for the first time in my life. I realised at that moment that what I personally did for my case actually had a term, with experts and institutions working on the continuity of it. It was heartwarming to see that there are people out in the world supporting asylum cases through research. 

I was able to recognise the importance of Country of Origin Information in asylum cases, through my own experience and I was excited that there was an opportunity out there to be part of a community that is providing evidential support to asylum cases across and beyond Europe. I remember telling my friend that I think I am a perfect fit for the job and the mission of this charity. I took a leap of faith and applied, and here I am now, the Operations Assistant at Asylos. 

“Objective Country of Origin Information is crucial for the credibility of asylum cases”

In less than one year, I have been given the opportunity to deeply understand the COI world, and to contribute to research reports for other people’s asylum cases. Most importantly, I was able to witness the impact of this work on asylum seeker’s lives, especially when I was writing a story for Asylos. During the interview I conducted to feature the story, with the caseworker representing the client at the time, I learned the impact the Asylos report had on the success of the case. I could barely hold my tears back when I heard that a report that our volunteers drafted helped a family that suffered for years in reuniting. 

Objective Country of Origin Information is crucial for the credibility of asylum cases. I hope that in sharing my story, I inspire you to understand the importance of information in asylum cases, to share my gratitude to everyone who is working on supporting and protecting refugee rights. And to continue advocating for the importance of evidence in asylum procedures. 

Your support allows us to produce more Country of Origin Information Reports, and to continue to fill information gaps in the refugee and migration field