Writing in fear

We cannot use Ruslan's real name, nor can we reveal the place where he currently lives. He prefers not to be photographed. Ruslan lives in fear.

"My family still lives in Russia and so I have to be careful," explains Ruslan, the pseudonym he has given. Today Ruslan is sitting in a café in a German city. The people around him are chatting and joking with each other over breakfast. Ruslan sits with a cup of coffee. "I don't have much time," he says, stirring his drink. Ruslan spends a lot of time on the Internet, working, reading and sending emails.

Civil war in focus

Since 2006, Ruslan has been working as a journalist campaigning for human rights in his homeland in southern Russia. The continuing civil war has ravaged the region for over two decades. Armed conflicts have been a regular occurrence since the breakup of the Soviet Union.

The original focal point of the conflicts was in Chechnya during fighting for independence from Russia, but the conflict has since spread to other areas in the region. It is a war - like every other war - in which the civilian population suffers most.

Assassination attempt

"Where I come from, people have been murdered, people have disappeared, people have been punished without a trial in a court of law," said Ruslan.

As a journalist, he reported on the failures of government. The aim was to prevent such things from spreading across the region. Almost immediately, Ruslan was put under pressure, which worsened over just a short period of time.

"First of all I was ordered to take part in discussions with forces such as the secret service. They wanted me to provide information about other armed forces," he explained, adding that his adversaries we not interested in whether or not he even held such information.

Ruslan began to receive death threats via telephone; then came an assassination attempt: "I was shot at from a car."

Ruslan fled with his wife and children to an Eastern European country where he was granted political asylum. Despite his status, Ruslan continued to live in fear.

"In Eastern Europe it is hard to ever feel safe. I don't think anybody feels safe here. Russia's power and influence can be felt everywhere," he commented.

Escape to Europe and deportation

Ruslan did not write for two years. He found it difficult to remain inactive but being so far away from his homeland did not allow him to write credible accounts of events in the region.

His friends had berated him for giving up on his writing, so Ruslan finally set to work again to write about the murder of a journalist. But shortly afterwards, the death threats returned - this time in the mail. That meant that someone knew where him and his family were living. His apartment was broken into.

In 2009 Ruslan fled the country, but he was forced to leave his family behind. With the help of the organization Reporters without Borders he was able to find cover in Germany, Austria and France. Eventually, Ruslan fled to Norway where he applied for political asylum but found himself being deported back to Eastern Europe.

Working towards democracy

Ruslan was able to find some sense of relief after the Hamburg Foundation for Politically Persecuted People offered him asylum in Germany for one year.

"The Hamburger Foundation does everything possible to ensure that people can continue to live and work as journalists. They prepare everything," Ruslan said. In Germany he has been able to write articles about the history and culture of his homeland.

The 33-year-old is also able to attend German lessons, although he says it is the exchanges with others involved at the Hamburg Foundation which are most helpful to him. In this secure environment, Ruslan can come to terms with his experiences and feels more able to deal with the constant sense of fear.

For that he is thankful. "I think it helps to strengthen emerging democracies when journalists across the world are able to find support," he said.

Fear and uncertainty

Ruslan's funding from the Hamburger Foundation is almost at an end, and he is not sure what he will do next. He knows he will have to return to Eastern Europe.

"Unless things change in Russia, but it doesn't look like they are going to. But we can hope," he says, smiling. Ruslan would like nothing more than to be able to return to his homeland. He has lived fearing for the safety of himself and his family for five long years. His life is permeated with uncertainty.

When asked whether or not he would do it again given the chance, Ruslan goes very quiet. He closes his eyes and considers the question. Then he answers, steadfast and clear: "Yes."

Author: Janine Albrecht / hw

Editor: Kate Bowen