550 Francs for a Bed in the Bunker (Swiss Press Audio 2018, by Matieu Klee) - Swiss Press Award
Regionaljournal Basel Baselland
Matieu Klee
A “model refugee”, Nazari Juma Khan from Afghanistan, has to pay 550 francs a month for his bed in the shared dormitory in a civil defense bunker in Würenlos (AG). “This is extortion,” fumes the representative of an association that advocates for refugees. “This is a helping hand,” is the counter-position of the representative of the company which manages the accommodation: Because the 25-year-old has been granted provisional residency, he is allowed to work and supposed to find his own accommodation – or pay something akin to market price to remain in the bunker, where he has been granted compassionate leave to stay. The canton and the local municipality hide behind a wall of silence, but the media revelations are not without consequence: after the report is broadcast, asylum seeker Nazari Juma Khan’s rent is reduced to 270 francs. For the other refugees, however, nothing changes.
Interview with Matieu Klee
