Shima is a girl whose father disappeared.
Shima Babaei, a 28-year-old with worried faces and tired eyes, looks out from the window of her room in Brussels, the capital of Belgium. She says her father went to war with Saddam for a better future for his children, and later in 1988, he joined the protesting students against the government. Now, the daughter lives in exile and has been waiting for news from her father, Ibrahim Babaei, for over 16 months.
In Azar month of 1401, Dr. Ibrahim Babaei, a former veterinarian and political prisoner critical of the Islamic Republic government, intended to smuggle out of Iran. He told the smugglers that he is an Afghan refugee and wants to go to Turkey. He was supposed to be taken from Maku region in West Azerbaijan to Turkey through smuggling routes.
During the journey, Mr. Babaei was in contact with his daughter Shima in Belgium via WhatsApp. Shima says, ‘My father called for two minutes. He was very anxious but spoke calmly. He said there are 25 of us and we are in long tunnels in a border village.’
In a report several months ago, one of the smugglers who was involved in a part of the smuggling route along with Ibrahim Babaei mentioned that some smugglers expose Iranian political asylum seekers at the border, while government intelligence officers turn a blind eye to their smuggling and other illegal activities.
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