The story told here is that of Vedide Veyazit, a student of the Master's degree in Human Rights at the Hochschule Fulda and a human rights lawyer. The case referred to here is real and concerns the defence of a Chinese national whose name and real photo we do not mention for security reasons. This story is told by me, Raquel Campomanes, according to my perspective as a lawyer and Vedide colleague. I have interviewed her and followed her day-to-day cases and experienced her passionate passion for defending human rights.
Beginning with a real law case
"Today was one of the stressful days of my career. Court gave a deportation order to my Uyghur client who escaped from Xingjang because of the massive torture of the Chinese government."
"I feel frustrated when I hear the decision because my client has many evidence of her fear of going back to the Xingjiang. And I know what will be happen if he is deported. They took him to the deportation centre and I am trying connect with him more than 18 hours."
After I pass the security, I met with my client, and he was shaking before he saw me. When he realized that I am here, immediately get relaxed and ask if his mother and children are okay. Of course my main reason of coming to see him is telling that both of them were fine and waiting for him to come home. Then he asked me “Am I able to go back to my home?”
"I COULDN’T BREATHE FOR A WHILE BUT REMINDED MYSELF THAT I NEEDED TO BE CALM. I TOLD HIM THAT I WILL DO MY BEST TO PROTECT HIM."
AFTER THE MEETING, I GO BACK TO MY CAR AND DRIVE HOME. WHEN I ENTERED MY SOFT AND COMFORTABLE HOUSE I REALISED THAT I DON’T really FEEL WHAT IS THE MEANING OF REAL LIFE.
With these questions in my mind, my mother asked me to come to the table. I felt both heavy and weight with everything in my life.
As I share with my family the events of my day, I realise that my client could easily be me. That the roles could be reversed.
"Childhood flashback: My father is the manager of a company aimed at educational development and has been a volunteer at an international aid organization for 25 years."
"Then I realize that my deep and strong motivation to protect people's human rights maybe started before I knew it by myself. Maybe family made this feeling stronger along the time and without really knowing it."
Two-Tiered Conflict
a) Personal Fractures
There is a colleague who also works in the defense of people's human rights. She is also lawyer as Vedide is, but she faces constantly family recrimination. She tells Vedide that her husband is constantly criticizing her. He is engineer and uses to confronts her in front of her daughter, also lawyer, by saying: "When will you understand you can't save everyone?"
Family recriminations use to become a constant because of the high demand of human rights cases required.