I am not represented [by a lawyer]. I repeat what I said in the hearing. I am 22 and single. I entered Israel through the Egyptian border. I paid money to be smuggled into Israel. I am healthy and I don’t have medical issues […]. I understand that my stay in Israel is illegal and that I entered it illegally. I came to Israel to live here and to work. I am not willing to return to Eritrea. I would like to share that I underwent abuse on my way to Israel. I was chained in metal chains. I was electrocuted. They touched my body. My family had to pay a large sum of money for my release – about $36,000. The abuse lasted for three months. I was not forced to work. I was tied and the smugglers beat us and touched us in different places. I would like to see a doctor. I am suffering from hypertension and dizziness. I want to see a social worker.
*name given
Narrative as featured in the report ‘Tortured in Sinai, Jailed in Israel: Detention of Slavery and Torture Survivors under the Anti-Infiltration Law’ made possible by The PME Foundation
