00:00I am Basel Gawisch and staying in Germany would change my life forever.
00:0513 years ago Basel Gawisch had to flee Syria after he was kidnapped and tortured for 10 days by unknown
00:12armed men.
00:13They used to put the end of the rifle close to my ear and then they used to shoot.
00:22One of the kidnappers used to say, oh I missed, you have another day to live, maybe tomorrow I will
00:34not miss.
00:35However, because Gawisch's family paid a ransom for his release, they feared he could be abducted again,
00:41meaning he saw no choice but to leave.
00:44First for Sudan, where he was able to continue his dentistry studies.
00:48But when the security situation there also deteriorated, he had to flee there too.
00:54After stays in Saudi Arabia and Turkey, he finally ended up in southern Germany in 2024.
01:00So when I came to Germany, I have decided on day one that this is my country.
01:07The people are my people, the language is my language.
01:11After two years in Germany, Gawisch speaks fluent German, works voluntarily as an interpreter
01:16and has a job lined up with an oral surgeon.
01:19But in March 2026, a letter came that turned his life upside down.
01:23His asylum application had been rejected.
01:26I have felt like everything that I have done in the past two years was meaningless.
01:31He feels unfairly treated.
01:34Although German Chancellor Friedrich Merz says Syrians no longer have grounds to apply for asylum,
01:3995% of Syrians who came to Germany in previous years at their protection status confirmed last year,
01:46meaning they are allowed to stay in the country.
01:49Gawisch is appealing the decision.
01:51A petition calling for him to be allowed to stay in Germany has gathered nearly 100,000 signatures.
01:56I am very happy to know that there are a lot of people who believe in me.
02:01At the moment, I am living a double life.
02:05I am walking a thin line of hope.
02:10I am living a child of hope that means they are feeling relevant.
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