2nd Press and Community Communiqué of the Kenyan Community, PEACE and The VOICE Refugee Forum Berlin.
Berlin, 3rd February 2018
Brian Nyawade Owino, our African brother from Kenya who was reported missing and later found dead at Ostkreuz Bahnhof (train station) Berlin will be sent back home soon. We want to use this opportunity to thank everyone and especially the Kenyan Communities in and around Berlin, The VOICE Refugee Forum, PEACE (Peer Exchange of African Communities for Empowerment) Germany and the Central Council of the African Communities Germany.
Brian Nyawade Owino, was an African Asylum seeker from Kenya who came to Germany in August 2017, less than 5 months from the time of his death.
He left his friend’s house at about 2:45pm on the 29th of December 2017, to visit another friend but never arrived his destination. His body was later found at the Ostkreuz S-Bahnhof on that same day at about 10pm. Causes of his death have now been revealed to us. A train hit our brother, as he was going over the rails. We are still trying to decipher the puzzles behind Brayo’s (as he was known) demise, as many facts do not add up.
After being reported missing many times to the lager administration by friends of his Community and Asylum lager in Wünsdorf-Waldstadt (Zossen) (https://thevoiceforum.org/node/4459), they were only told about 2 weeks later of his demise.
Contrary to the rumours that were being spread, we can confirm certain facts, with the help of the Kenya communities (friends of Brayo) and our lawyer Theune Lukas. Fact is he was heading to friends at about 15:00. It is also fact that he was hit by a train, alone and not beaten before or pushed to the rail as previously rumoured. It is also fact that friends who talked to and met Brayo on that fateful day mentioned no sign of depression or unhappiness. What is still sketchy is the time between his last call to the friend he was supposed to visit and the time of his demise.
The Kenyan Community in Berlin has positively identified Brian Nyawade Owino’s remains and is preparing to send him back home to his family for his last rites.
After a massive and successful solidarity campaign to bring Brayo back home, the Kenyan Communities, with the assistance of the VOICE Refugee Forum, the PEACE Network and Central Council of African Communities in Germany (both latter networks representing the African / Black Communities) are close to 80% of the targeted amount of €7.000,00 needed to bring Brayo back home. The certainty of Brayo going back home is 100%, although a percentage of the amount for the offer for the repatriation of his corpse (before the offer expired) was covered by The VOICE Refugee Forum Germany. We are still hoping to reach the targeted €7.000,00 to cover all the costs acquired.
Included in the aforementioned target would be a small financial assistance to the family to aid in the burial process in Kenya.
Notwithstanding the report that Brayo’s short life was brought to an end by a self-inflicted misfortune, we refuse to accept that it was voluntary. Friends and family confirmed that our brother was a vibrant, energetic and vital young man who came to Germany six months ago to seek protection. Although he was sent to the isolated and psychologically intimidating and tormenting reception lager, an apparently open prison in Eisenhuttenstadt and later to Wünsdorf-Waldstadt, with virtually same conditions, Brayo never really showed any signs of depression.
But our investigations have proven that Brian Nyawade Owino’s case was not the first or the last in Wünsdorf-Waldstadt (Zossen). Many of the refugees are effectively isolated through physical and routine controls. There is also news that the police come many times in the night to arrest and deport refugees. Brian’s case was initially rejected, just like many others and his deportation would have been imminent.
Was Brian’s last ditch on the rails a loud last cry for help with something many in the African and/or Refugee communities are going through? Only he alone would have been able to answer this. Fact is, without his friends and community, nothing would have been said about Brian’s demise, just like the other cases we encountered through our investigations. Fact is we need more coherent and stronger communities, to be our sisters and brothers’ keepers and to watch each other, not only physically but also mentally.
Most importantly, fact is, organising in our communities is paramount to our basic existence and survival and the African Community through the Kenyan Communities has proven this to us in taking less than 3 weeks in mobilising not only financially but also politically. Their objective was to respect the wishes of the family of our gone brother in bringing him back home and finding out what happened to him.
Thanks once more for your support.
On Behalf of the Kenyan Communities and African/Black Communities in Berlin/Germany
Stay ALERT and VIGILANT.
Touch ONE, touch ALL.
To enable us arrive at our target, you can still contribute through this account below:
FÖRDERVEREIN THE VOICE e.V. (provisory account for PEACE – Peer Exchange of African Communities for Empowerment)
IBAN: DE21 2605 0001 0000 1400 61
BIC: NOLADE21GOE
Keywords: Brian Nyawade Owino
More information related to the Campaign Brian Nyawade Owino:
https://www.bz-berlin.de/liveticker/unglueck-am-ostkreuz
https://www.facebook.com/peace.int.org/videos/1724210900935178
https://www.facebook.com/peace.int.org/posts/1711739402182328