Worse than Prison: Refugees in Czech Republic Detained

Katie Back Salmon • Oct 29, 2015

Prague, Czech Republic. Photo by TEAM


Sasha Flek is the pastor of TaCesta Church in Prague, where he serves with TEAM workers. Today, Pastor Flek shares his church’s reaction and response to the influx of refugees in Czech Republic, a country currently under scrutiny for violating the human rights of migrants.


As critical needs grow in the global refugee crisis, TEAM missionaries continue to partner with the local church to welcome the nations arriving on their doorsteps. This month, we are sharing these testimonies and hope you will follow along on TEAM’s social media and blog.


For some refugees, Czech Republic is just a train stop on the way to asylum. Pastor Sasha Flek, 47, explains that many migrants travel through Prague as they press on to Germany, the nation accepting the highest number of refugees in the European Union.


However, migrants in Prague are not treated with the same warmth, according to Flek. Refugees caught traveling within Czech Republic have been intercepted by authorities and involuntarily detained in camps. Flek estimates that 1,000–1,200 men, women, and children are currently locked up.


“The measures are very stern,” Flek reports. “Basically, long story short, every person crossing the borders without [a Czech visa] … [is] detained in a detention camp, which is basically a more decent concentration camp. You know, nobody is getting killed, they have food three times a day, but they are locked behind barb wire. … Many of them live in, just like, these little, small containers. The conditions are inhuman, basically.”


Migrants are also required to pay nearly $10 a day for their involuntary stay at the camp. “That doesn’t sound like a lot of money, but … it is good money here in the Czech Republic still,” says Flek. “You could actually stay in a hostel for that money.”


While Flek reports widespread anti-refugee sentiments at the state and individual levels, he remains outraged at the refugee detainment. “This is a scandalous situation what is happening here—totally inhumane and against all the international laws against treating refugees. It’s crazy. It’s not a crime, even in this country, to cross the borders if you do not have the documents. … It’s not a criminal act. But they are detained in conditions that are worse than prison.” He continues, “What’s worse … is [in prison] you know how long you are going to be there and why you are there, and these people don’t know either.”


Last week the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, called refugee detainment a violation of human rights, stating that “international law is quite clear that immigrant detention must be strictly a measure of last resort,” and detaining children is “not justifiable.”


In a statement, however, the Czech government called these camps legal and said it planned to improve conditions inside the facilities and open up new ones.

Flek regards the detainment as “a bureaucratic crisis” because refugees are not given clear information regarding the terms of their detainment. “They are deprived of information,” Flek says. “They get all the paperwork … in Czech. They do not understand why they are locked in, what’s happening, how long will stay. … Usually, they stay in one or two or three months there.” After as long as 90 days, the refugees as released.


Flek reports that even with widespread anti-refugee sentiments, there is still a Czech movement to support the migrants: “There [are] a lot of good-willed people, [who] are trying to help.” Flek says volunteers wait at train stations to help travelers with food and water, lodging or a train ticket to their next stop. However, they can do little else, because volunteers are not allowed at the detainment camps.

The community rallies to provide essential items for refugees. Photo by Sasha Flek

 

Even so, Flek and two other evangelical pastors contacted the facility closest to Prague and found an open door. “We’ve been there three times now,” he says. “It’s small teams. Only four to five people can go in, and so we try to talk to [the refugees], encourage them, tell them they’re going to be released.” The group brings donated items for children and clothing essentials for those who arrived only with the clothes on their backs.

Flek’s team delivers a packed van of donations to detainment camp. Photo by Sasha Flek

 

When Flek thinks about his motivation for ministry among refugees, his conclusion is simple. “Jesus was a refugee as a child … in Egypt.” Flek is determined to continue to be a voice for justice, remembering a consequence of past silence: “We can’t just watch it happening. … In, like, the 1930’s in Germany, the church didn’t do a lot on one hand, and then there people who tried to be prophetic voice and do something. We need to do something before it’s too late.”

You can contribute directly to refugee ministry as TEAM missionaries respond to needs over the long-term. Click here to donate to refugee ministry

To read a past Horizons article about Pastor Sasha Flek and the TaCesta Church in Prague, click here.

By Suzanne Pearson 08 Mar, 2024
Through God-ordained partnerships and creative connections, TEAM worker Keith Moore sees the global Church advancing in amazing ways. In the global missions landscape, a phrase that comes up often is “from everywhere, to everywhere.” God is calling His global Church in literal new directions, as He raises up cross-cultural workers to be sent from places that were once on the receiving end of missions work. We call this movement “polycentric sending.” TEAM workers Dawn and Keith Moore have seen first-hand this transition taking place. Their story involves the unlikely but beautiful intersection of Charlotte, North Carolina; Tegucigalpa, Honduras; and Memphis, Tennessee...and beyond. The Path to Honduras Keith and Dawn joined TEAM in 1991 and served as church planters for nine years in Bogota, Colombia. After safety concerns precipitated their return to the States in 1999, they knew they wanted to continue serving in Latin America. The Moores felt called to Honduras but wanted to connect with a strong missional church to help send them. The Lord orchestrated a collaboration with Bellevue Baptist Church in Memphis, Tennessee. “Some people asked, ‘Why Honduras? Missionaries have been there for 100 years. It’s already reached,’” Keith says. “But there’s a whole section of Latin America that had not been reached - the upper crust.” Keith goes on to explain that he and Dawn felt called to reach college-educated professionals in Honduras – a ministry vision that resonated with the missional goals of Bellevue Baptist. Impact and Growth With the support of this new church partnership as well as another sending church in Birmingham, Alabama, the Moores embarked on their next adventure. Keith and Dawn started Impacto Honduras Church from scratch, and in less than 20 years, the church grew into four locations with 1600 total members. The Moores and other TEAM workers also created a “Bible school” type training program to help professionals who feel a call to ministry to make that transition. Throughout this period of explosive growth, church partnerships played an integral role. “It’s such a different vision when you have a church that says, ‘OK, this is our deal, we want to make this happen,’” Keith explains. “They helped us with everything. They took away every single obstacle to growth. Every time we needed something, they were there.” In 2017, the Moores once again found themselves on the verge of another decision. Was it time to leave Honduras? “I had no desire to leave,” Keith recalls. “People were coming to Christ every week! It was just so amazing.” However, back in the U.S., Keith and Dawn’s parents were in their 80s and would soon be in need of more care. “We realized that either we would leave in a crisis, or we would leave strategically,” says Keith. The couple began to implement a careful succession plan. By the time they left, the four churches were established with strong, Honduran leadership ready to carry on the work of the Gospel.
By Suzanne Pearson 23 Feb, 2024
Justin Burkholder, pictured here with his wife Jenny and their daughters Isabella, Olivia, and Zoey, has recently been named as TEAM’s next International Director. On February 19, 2024, with much excitement and gratitude to the Lord, TEAM announced that Justin Burkholder will become our organization’s new International Director, effective July 1, 2024. Justin, who is currently TEAM’s Executive Director of Global Ministry, will assume his new role upon the retirement of the current International Director, Dave Hall. ( Read the full press release here. ) We sat down recently with Justin to learn a little more about his background, his family, and the journey that has led him to TEAM. Q: Tell us a little bit about your “origin story” - Where did you grow up? What was your family like? A: I grew up in Mexico City as a missionary kid. My parents were focused on church planting. We were very close as a family. Both of my parents are still alive, and my dad serves as a pastor in southern Florida. I have one brother who is a pastor in Wisconsin, and the most special individual in my family is my sister, Amber. She was born with a very severe case of cerebral palsy and is entirely dependent on my mother...who is extraordinary! The three most impactful forces that have shaped who I am (outside of God’s grace) are growing up in Mexico, having parents who loved and planted churches, and sharing life with someone with a severe disability. My parents belonged at the time to a church and denomination that came with quite a bit of legalism and performance-oriented Christianity. Grace was a challenging concept to grasp. While I had an awareness of my sin and need for redemption, it wasn’t until I attended Moody Bible Institute that I began to grasp the fullness of God’s grace and His delight in His children. I have continued learning and trusting in the Gospel through formal education, like completing my M.Div., and through spiritual practices in community. Learning the Gospel and believing the Gospel has been a daily exercise. The Gospel is as beautiful and multi-faceted as a diamond! At an individual level, it is simple enough for us to live convinced that “Jesus loves me, this I know.” At a corporate level, it becomes the foundation that forms and informs our life as a spiritual family. At a cosmic level, it is redemption that reaches as far as the curse is found. It is hard to even grasp the multiplicity of goodness found in the Good News. Q: Share a little bit about your family life now. What does a typical day look like in the Burkholder household? A: My wife Jenny is my high-school sweetheart! She brings joy and kindness wherever she goes. She’s the best listener I’ve ever met, and we love spending time together. We have three daughters. Isabella is ten, Olivia is seven, and Zoey is four. Each of the girls is unique and has taught us a lot in our process of following Jesus together. We like to go out on walks and go to the park together. Once a month I try to get some alone time with each of my daughters which usually includes bowling or trampolines. A typical day in the Burkholder house starts around 5:00am. Because of traffic here in Guatemala City, we have to leave early for school. After school, the girls come home to different activities - sometimes swimming class, sometimes piano lessons. Four or five nights a week we have dinner together where we usually talk about our high and low moments of the day. On weekends, we enjoy time together, playing outside, or watching sports together. Go Cubs and Go Buckeyes! Q: What are your interests and hobbies? If you have the day off, what are you likely to be up to? A: I enjoy physical activity, running, strength-training and following sports. I also love music and, truth be told, am a bit snobby about my taste in music! I also am a very curious person and love reading just about anything that passes through my hands. A day off is usually an opportunity for time with family. Jenny and I like to cook something interesting together on our days off. Often there is time for some reading and watching some type of athletic event. Q: How did God lead you to TEAM? A: My wife and I were working in the Chicago suburbs. I was a youth pastor and she was a Spanish teacher. When we got married, we had already sensed God’s direction to serve cross-culturally, but it was a matter of discerning when and where. There was a driving desire in me to see a church deeply love the Scriptures and at the same time, be deeply engaged in loving and serving their city and the most vulnerable among them. As God directed our paths, we visited a variety of places and made some friends in Guatemala who opened up the path for us to serve here. While we were exploring, we knew that the International Director of an organization called TEAM happened to go to our church, so I decided I should probably invite him out for breakfast - his name was Charlie Davis. Charlie was extremely thoughtful, passionate about disciple-making, and very gracious in creating space for us as we stepped into this endeavor. Charlie connected me with Steve Dresselhaus, a fellow TEAM global worker who was at that time serving as the Senior Director for the Americas. I cannot express the debt that I owe Steve. He walked closely with me in the transition, encouraged courageous thinking about the church and her role in society, and blasted open the doors for us to serve in Guatemala. After meeting Steve, we spent some days praying about joining TEAM. One thing I will never forget – one night during the process, I found myself wide awake in the middle of the night. A peace like I have seldom experienced passed over me confirming that we should join TEAM. There is no doubt in my mind that God tied all of these pieces together to bring us into the TEAM family and community. Q: What roles have you held in TEAM? What have been the milestones in those roles? A: The most important role I have held in TEAM is that of a global worker. God in His grace has allowed us to help plant two churches here in Guatemala, serve in leadership development, counseling, and discipleship. Our greatest joy has been found walking with those who are learning to follow Christ more deeply. I served as the Ministry Area Leader in Guatemala from 2016 to 2019. We helped to establish and lead this ministry area as it grew from just four global workers to over 15. I then served as Senior Director for Mexico and Central America from 2019 to 2021, Regional Executive Director for the Americas in 2021 and 2022, and then transitioned to the role of Executive Director of Global Ministry which I’ll continue in until the end of June. Q: What do you love most about being a part of TEAM? Why TEAM rather than other organizations or job opportunities? A: The TEAM community is full of people who have faithfully served God’s mission and have given up a lot to do so. It is a privilege to know many of our global workers and be counted among them. I am also fascinated by the fact that TEAM has existed now for more than 130 years! There is something to be said about the resilience and faithfulness of an organization that has continued to impact the world for so long. The rest of our conversation with Justin will be coming soon on blog! We’ll hear more about how God called Justin to the role of International Director, and what Justin sees for the next chapter in TEAM’s work in the global Church.
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