An asylum seeker from Iraq left a child in Serbia: If he survives, keep him for me, if he dies, bury him

The Nedeljković family from Obrenovac handed over the baby they had been keeping for a year and a half, and his father Firat took him with him to Western Europe.

"Here's your child. Take care of him, as we took care of him. And call me," Radoš Đurović's voice trembled as he handed the sixteen-month-old boy to the young Iraqi man Firat at the Belgrade airport.

He gently took little Ajmen from the arms of the crying Aleksandar and Suzana Nedeljković and gave him to his father. He fulfilled what he promised Firat, a refugee from Iraq, an immigrant on his way to Europe with his pregnant wife, when they first met in November 2013, at the Institute of Neonatology in Belgrade.

On that cold autumn day, Radoš Đurović, director of the Center for the Protection and Provision of Legal Assistance to Asylum Seekers, received a call from the Institute with the message that a newborn baby "immigrant" had arrived. She was born in the seventh month with little chance of survival. The mother had already lost two babies. Exhausted from walking along paths known only to people smugglers, she began to give birth in Bulgaria. She carried her husband on her back to Serbia for nine hours. She gave birth, but...

A distraught young man, whom he met at the Institute, told Radoš in interrupted words about his life drama and swore through a translator: "I leave you a child. If he survives, keep him for me, if he dies, bury him. I have to move on". Radoš looked in shock at the man who was already running towards the taxi for the illegal border crossing, looking back and repeating: "Take care of him, I'll get back to you!" and thought what would happen next.

But luck smiled on little Aymen. Doctors saved him. The rest was in Radoš. With the help of a complicated legal procedure and the help of the Center for Social Work Savski vijenac, he managed to place the black-maned little boy with foster parents. Suzana and Aleksandar Nedeljković gave him a home and took care of the little one... The gentle boy whose lungs were not even developed, they brought him back to life with his own breath, fed him with love, shared his parents' lap, where until then only their daughter sat. The Nedeljkovics knew that maybe one day his parents would come back for Ajmen, but they were afraid of parting. And they didn't believe it would hurt so much.

Firat, Aymen's father, came to Belgrade seven days ago. He received asylum status and a visa for Serbia. Half a year ago, as soon as he had the chance, he contacted Radoš from a Western European country where he was seeking asylum. When they heard that their son was alive, life became a wait for Firat and his wife Sena.

It was not easy to bring immigrant parents from Iraq and a child born in Serbia together. Radoš Đurović invested all his knowledge, energy, and most of all his will into that goal. The social work services of the two countries, the ministries of foreign affairs, the border police - everyone made some legal concessions so that Aymen would be returned to his biological parents. Firat, who spent five days in Belgrade, will never know what obstacles his friend from Serbia had to jump over in order to receive the news from an apartment in Western Europe on Friday morning: "Everything is fine, brother. Aymen is not crying. His mother hold."

Firat met foster parents Suzana and Aleksandra at the Center for Social Work, as required by procedure. Psychologist Davorka Filipović, who handled the case of the Iraqi boy, knew that she had to develop trust between Firat and Nedeljković. They asked each other a million questions and gave a million explanations - Suzana and Aleksandar told Firat that Aymen is the best boy in the world, a cuddly lamb, that he loves music, that he dances, that he never cries... Firat told the Nedeljkovics that he was not wanted to leave the child, but that it was the only solution and the only salvation, that he was not afraid that the child would suffer, because he must feel their love, that he would sleep on his and his mother's chest... Firat said that he owed the Nedeljkovićs , that they will bring Aymen to Serbia, that the child now has two families...

"And then we went to Obrenovac. We opened the apartment door and the young Iraqi man saw his son for the first time. He took him in his arms and held him gently to his chest," says Radoš.

"He whispered to him in Serbian through his tears: 'My son'".

He learned. He wanted to address his child in the language of the people he first called mom and dad. That he understands it, feels it.

Until Thursday, Firat lived with the Nedeljkovics. They cooked together, ate, went to the playroom... The social workers did not want to hand over the child until he got used to his father at least a little.

"It was difficult for Nedeljković. They tried hard. To bring Ajmen as close as possible to Firat," continues Radoš.

"They showed that they were mutual friends, tried to put him to sleep in his arms, recounted almost every day spent with him, but they took the departure very hard. Especially their little daughter. No amount of toys and skirts bought by Firat could comfort her little one a sister's heart. On Wednesday evening, she got a high fever and herpes. From stress. She stayed in bed, didn't accompany her brother to the plane. And at the airport, tears, anxiety, tenderness, hope... and silently: "Don't forget us, Aymen. "

Drama at the airport too

After a complicated procedure regarding the care of the little one, Aymen's departure was questionable until the very end. Police officers at the airport have never encountered a similar situation before. The check and Radoš's presentation of arguments lasted an hour and a half. But, in the end, the border police at the Belgrade airport showed great understanding for this case.

When the legal issues were finally resolved and the son was placed on the plane, the doors on the plane could not be closed and the flight was canceled for the next day.

"Aymen's father could not get out of transit, he had only one entrance to Serbia to pick up the child, and there was only one flight left for the city where he lives," Radoš tells us of the drama from the airport.

"There was little time, and the police called me and asked if I could collect the money, because Firat did not have a new ticket. I managed to collect the money quickly".

Novosti.rs