WITNESS STATEMENT OF THE APPLICANT

I, Bekim Gjici , of _______________________, _______ make this statement in support

of my Appeal to the First-Tier Tribunal, and I hereby confirm the facts stated herein
below are true and accurate to the best of my knowledge unless stated otherwise. I
solemnly and sincerely declare as following:

1. I arrived in the UK on 25 November 2013. I left Albania on 22 November 2013

when I was forced to leave Albania and travel in a lorry by my uncle’s maternal
friend. I was 16 years old. The process of entering the UK without a visa was a
unique experience for me. The agent operated very discreetly and made us
change a lorry in the night

2. When I arrived in the UK, the agent who helped me brought me to the Home Office
in Croydon. I went inside alone, without any emotional or moral support.

3. I was interviewed at the Home Office building and was assisted by an

Albanian translator. They asked me questions about my situation, and I
explained to them as much as I could. I was also very confused because they
asked the same question various times and just phrased it differently. I was
advised to make a claim for asylum based on fear of persecution in Albania.

4. I was very young and alone in a new country and completely unaware of the legal
process. Initially, it was very difficult for me to understand what was happening and
what I needed to do to. Based on the advice that had been given to by the _______,
I pursued the asylum claim.

5. After the interview, a social worker sent me to a hostel nearby the Home Office in
Croydon, where I stayed for 2-3 weeks. After that they sent me to Haringey Council
by taxi and then relocated me to the hostel in Tottenham in which I stayed for three
and a half years.

6. When I was living in Tottenham, I met my lawyer twice in the whole year. My
 asylum claim was in process, but I did not have any information from them. In the
hostel, there were other individuals like me and we received many letters. I received
some letters from the Home Office but I did not know what to do because I did not
understand English. I waited for the lawyers to call me and inform me of what was
happening with my claim. Also, I could not access all the letters as they were lost
very often. When I first saw the lawyer, I went to their office alone.

7. I did a second interview with the Home Office but I do not remember when or how
long had passed from the first one. Meantime I had no idea in which phase my
claim was or what was happening with my claim.

8. My application was refused, and I was very scared and confused about what would
happen to me. I was informed that I had a right to appeal the decision. I was not
very well informed about the legal process anyway, I was just following any piece
of advice that I got from strangers in a new country.

9. I was assured by …........................... that I would be represented by a legal

representative in my appeal against the decision of the respondent. This gave me a
sense of relief, knowing that I was being provided with assistance where someone
would speak for me.

10. A couple of months later, I received a letter to attend a court hearing. My social
worker helped me to go there as I did not know where it was.

11. I attended the hearing, and to my surprise, my legal representative did not
attend the hearing. I was completely devasted and frightened when I was
informed that no one had come in to represent me. At the court, it was just me,
the Home Office presenting officer and the Judge. The hearing lasted 30 minutes
and they asked me just a few questions.

12. My claim was refused by the Tribunal on 23 April 2015, and I believe it was
due to a lack of legal representation, contrary to the assurances given to me that
a lawyer would be present on the day of the hearing to argue my case.

13. I believe I never had a fair chance at the appeal as the legal representative failed to
appear. If I had been properly represented, the court would’ve better understood my
 circumstances and the outcome would’ve been radically different.

14. After the notification of refusal, I received a letter from the Home Office asking me
to surrender as I must be deported back to Albania. I got nervous and scared and so
I left the hostel I was living in. I spoke to the lawyer and I was informed that she
could not help me anymore because the government wasn’t allowing her. Since
then I never applied for anything until my FLR(FP) application.

15. After I left the hostel, I contacted my family and informed them of my situation, but
I was informed that the threat still persisted and the conflict had not been resolved
between the families. Therefore, It was very unsafe for me to come back to Albania.

16. I have resided in the UK for 9 years and 9 months continuously since the date
of my arrival.

17. I made my application based on my private life that I have developed in the
UK. I have spent almost 10 years in this country and have experienced the
transition from childhood to adulthood in the UK.

18. I applied for leave to remain in the UK on 24 May 2022 but was refused on 24
March 2023.

19. It is important to note that I was initially forced to come to the UK due to a life-
threatening family feud in Albania. It was the primary reason why the
_________ advised me to claim asylum initially.

20. I want the court to understand the circumstances which prompted my family to
force me to leave Albania.

21. When I was 12 years old, my family got involved in a feud with the rival group.
My uncle used to own a car wash where one of the customer's cars was
damaged. This gave rise to a dispute and quarrel which consequently turned
into a life-threatening feud.

22. In Albania, feuds are socially accepted and there exists an undocumented code
that they follow. Any male over the age of 15 is considered to be part of the
 feud and is expected to offend or defend against the rival group. I was 12 years
old when I was attacked and stabbed by 3 people of the rival group in Albania,
despite being under the age of 15. Luckily, I survived the attack. The feud was
ongoing for years and I remained under a life threat. My family had thought of
many possible ways to keep me safe, but eventually, when I was 16, my family
forced me to escape the country for safety and security reasons.

23. I was very young when I was made to leave my home country due to fear of
death and serious injury. The circumstances that forced me to leave Albania and
start a new life in another country had a great impact on my personality,
behavior, health, and well-being. After all these years, I now cannot imagine
going back to Albania and living in a community that devasted my childhood,
not to mention the impact on my mental health.

24. The impact has proven to be very detrimental and has scarred my mental health.
I suffer from severe depression and tend to get flashbacks of what happened to
me in Albania. I was separated from my parents, family, and friends at such an
early stage and was made to face the rough challenges of life at an early stage
in life. I had to escape the country in a lorry accompanied by an agent when I
really should’ve been playing games and enjoying my childhood under the love
and care of my parents. A decision was imposed on me by my family members,
although it was in my best interest for my safety and security but just because I
was born in a society where these feuds are acceptable, I happen to be a part of
a family that was engaged in this feud, and there’s no sane course of putting
these feuds to an end, I suffered and am still suffering. I do not prefer to talk
about the incident unless it is necessary. I constantly suffer from sleep
deprivation, anxiety, and stress, and talking about it makes it worse because it
makes me revisit my misery.

25. When I came to the UK, I did whatever was possible at that time to remain in
conformity with the rules and regulations of this country. I was advised to claim
asylum when I was a minor. I was then advised to appeal the refusal and on top
of everything, my legal representative abandoned me at the most important
stage of my life. I firmly believe, that if the lawyer hadn’t abandoned me, I
 would’ve been like any other person, respectably living in the UK. We were
fighting for our lives in Albania when I was informed that I had to surrender to
be deported back to Albania. I could not afford to back, any person in my
situation would abscond and choose the path that I chose to save my life. I was
purely my survival instinct that made me choose this path.

26. It is very important to note that I did not come here for a better life, or better
working conditions. A 16-year-old is not relatively mature enough to make those
choices. I had come here to stay alive.

27. After I absconded, I struggled to maintain myself, in a country with the rule of law,
I was an illegal immigrant without any financial aid or emotional support. This
whole process wasn’t easy at all.

28. Over the course of these 10 years, I met new people and established connections
with a network of people who helped and assisted me in growing up in the UK.
When I came here, I was a developing child, within these 10 years I have grown
mentally and physically. I have adapted to the British lifestyle, norms, and values. I
have spent my entire adulthood in this country, and have integrated into this
society. My mind simply does not accept that I am an outsider. This is the place
where I grew up, this land was a safe haven for me when I was made to flee
Albania. I have blended and integrated into this society and culture so deeply that I
don’t prefer to associate myself with Albania.

29. Moving further, I had been informed of the decision on my application by my

solicitor and then I read the entire refusal letter. I believe the Home Office has
failed to consider my circumstances while making a decision, as explained in
the refusal letter.

30. Over the years, now that I have established my life here, the Home Office wants me
to leave this country.

31. I refuse to accept the explanation that I have not integrated into the UK and that
I would be able to integrate in Albania. I was made to leave Albania (NEED
TO STRESS THAT IT WASNT A DECISION HE MADE) when I was a
 minor, and I do not accept that I have spent my formative years in Albania. I
believe the Home Office has failed to consider that I flee from my country
under life-threatening circumstances and most of my early formative years in
the country were spent either at home or in hiding from our rivals. In these
circumstances, it was not possible for me to establish any link or association
with my surroundings. It was rather a struggling phase imposed on me during
my formative years.

32. I further refuse to accept the explanation on the grounds that since I arrived in
the UK, I have considered this my safe place, I blended in the British culture
and society much more than I had in Albania. I believe I have spent my
maturing years in the UK, which are of much more substance and importance
than the abusive years I lived in Albania.

33. Due to my emotionally and physically abusive childhood years, I suffer from
stress and when I think of going back to my country, I get suicidal thoughts. It
is not possible for me to engage in a blood feud after being accustomed to a
peaceful society, where I have no fear of dying at the hands of my rivals. I do
not have the mental or physical capacity to resist a blood feud.

34. I also dispute the fact that I would be able to re-integrate into the Albanian
society on the grounds that I would not be able to freely work or profess in
Albania, due to completely new surroundings, environment, and practices, one
that I have never experienced before due to fleeing the country at a very early
age. Moreover, I still am under danger and threat, which would naturally not
allow me to conduct business freely, which is essential for my survival.

35. Since then, I have established a life in the UK because I had no option of
returning to my country. It is common knowledge, that blood feuds in Albania
continue for generations and are not limited by provincial borders. Returning to
Albania would automatically put me at the risk of death or prompt me to defend
myself in the best manner.

36. This immigration problem bothers me and I feel like there would be no purpose of
life if I was to return to Albania. I have spent my life in the UK and it is my home. I
 do not have the capacity to start a new life in Albania. I would rather not live if I
was forced out of my home.

37. I have also read the response on my medical condition. I wish to dispute the Home
Office’s explanation on the basis that the mere availability of health services does
not address my problems in particular. It may be accepted that there is availability
of services but my fear and depression do not originate from non-availability but
rather from being subjected to a torturous environment and the horrific past that I
have experienced in the very country that offers the medical services that have been
stated in the refusal letter. The comparison of statistics on my health problems
between the UK and Albania stated in the letter, feels like an insult to me and
reflects that the Home Office has not given due consideration to my mental health
conditions in particular, but has rather considered my case generically.

38. If the Home Office now requires me to leave the country, I would have to start my
life all over again. Once again, the same circumstances will be imposed on me by
another, without my free will. I do not have the capacity, or ability to do this again.
I have lost valuable and substantive years of my life because of the decisions of
others. I would rather put myself to death than waste my whole life moving from
one country to another. After all that I have been through, I’m not going to let our
rivals put me to death, I would rather do that to myself, at least it would be my own
decision.

Statement of Truth
I believe that the facts stated in this witness statement are true. I understand that
proceedings for contempt of court may be brought against anyone who makes or
causes to be made, a false statement in a document verified by a statement of truth
without an honest belief in its truth.