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.

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Loving Like Jesus Cross-Culturally (Part 1)

By Megan Lunsford • 23 Apr, 2024

When seeking to serve cross-culturally with an authentic love for others, there’s no better example for us than Jesus. If we sat around a table and threw out the question, “How do we love like Jesus?” I think we would have several commonalities as we respond. For example, Jesus loved all people right where they were. He loved those who were deemed the least, those hardest to love, or those who were His enemies. These are all beautiful realities of the heart of Jesus. When we step into relationships, it can be easier to take on the warmer, more gracious gestures of Jesus’ love, especially in cross-cultural relationships. Think about it––when doing life with those who look and act differently than us, we are already out of our comfort zones and would rather keep things as simple and familiar as possible. But there are other facets of Jesus’ heart we often overlook that can transform us and others even more into His likeness. Jesus is love because God is love. Everything Jesus did was out of love; it’s the mere definition of who He is. As followers of Jesus, He calls us to the same: “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.” (1 John:7-12) Every display of love we offer to others is an opportunity for them to encounter the ultimate love of the Father. That’s a pretty big deal! In this article, we’ll look at three expressions of Jesus’ love that we tend to overlook when engaging others cross-culturally. (Next month, we’ll look at three more.) 1. Jesus loved sacrificially. Everywhere Jesus went, crowds followed Him. We even see times in Scripture where Jesus had plans to step away for time alone but those who were hurting found Him and He had compassion on them and stayed with them. Can you imagine rarely having any time to yourself but, instead, constantly being surrounded by crowds of people wanting help from you? Jesus loved sacrificially. He welcomed all who came to Him with love and compassion, never turning anyone away. “When He saw the crowds, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” (Matthew 9:36) In the same way, we can make room in our lives for Jesus to bring sacrificial interruptions which, in His eyes, are orchestrated encounters to transfer His love to others. It can be tempting to be so “on mission” that we are full steam ahead and find ourselves frustrated when the Holy Spirit sends an interruption into our path that we feel we don’t have time for. Or, perhaps, we have scheduled a meet-up but it’s the norm in another culture to be 30 minutes or an hour late. We anxiously think through how it will affect whatever we have planned next. While it’s normal to feel a little stressed, what if the very "interruption” standing in front of you was really a divine appointment sent by God? Or what if that person running late experiences how peaceful and gracious you are in adapting to their culture and therefore, they can encounter a beautiful display of Jesus’ love? To truly represent Christ, we should remain ready and willing for each assignment the Lord sends into our path, no matter the cost or how much we will have to re-route our day. He is always a hundred steps ahead and will work all things for His glory and our good. 2. Jesus loved by discerning each situation well. Think about how many situations Jesus had to respond to on a daily basis. We read in Scripture that there were lines of people waiting to be healed by Him, talk to Him, hear His teachings, or simply touch the hem of His robe. Jesus was fully dependent on His Father to discern each situation before addressing it. “Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner.” (John 5:19) Another temptation we can have when in a relationship with those God has sent us to is to think we already know the solution or what God wants to do before we’ve even asked Him. We believe we are full of knowledge, so we just pull from the bank we have stored within and go with it. However, when we access what is familiar to us as our default, we risk missing out on a God-given solution that might truly be the key to unlocking whatever challenge is in front of us. What does this look like when interacting with others? We can simply ask, “God, what is on Your heart for the person standing in front of me?” Then we listen and respond as He speaks. When we make it a daily habit to pause and hear God’s heart for each situation before responding, we are guaranteed to be effective in loving those around us. He knows the heart of every person that will cross our paths. Imagine how impactful we can be if we first lean on His wisdom and discernment before moving forward. 3. Jesus loved by speaking truth. Most of us are familiar with the story of Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well. If we are honest, this conversation makes us a bit nervous as none of us would be comfortable with Jesus calling out intimate details of our lives that we would prefer to hide. But Jesus went further than just airing her dirty laundry. He offered her the hope of the Gospel and a relationship with Him - a divine fulfillment that could never be found in an earthly relationship. Jesus modeled a powerful example of loving others well cross-culturally. He took the low place and spoke truth, truly out of love––speaking to her heart from His. Like Jesus, our goal in sharing the truths about Him and His Word is to bring hope and satisfaction through Him alone. When we speak truth from Scripture, we are calling others higher into all God has for them. The tricky part here is we should avoid speaking truth if it isn’t first fueled by compassion. If it merely comes from a place of judgment, condemnation, or self-righteousness, it will fall flat 100% of the time. But if it truly comes from love, you are likely to not only win a heart back to the Father but, like the story of the Samaritan woman, even an entire village! If you see someone living outside of God’s best for their lives, ask God to show you your heart before engaging theirs. Once your heart is properly postured, you can speak truth out of an overflow of God’s love and trust Him for a transformation in their lives.

Hospitality, Help, and the Hope of the Gospel

By Suzanne Pearson • 16 Apr, 2024

TEAM Canada provides warm welcome and trusted friendships for diaspora populations living far from their native countries. As TEAM Canada workers Peter and Ruth (names changed) drive from their home to a nearby community center, they pass numerous apartment buildings and townhouses. Most of the families who live there are immigrants. They’ve left their countries of origin due to political unrest, trauma, and other difficulties. They’ve left family, friends, homes, jobs, and personal wealth behind. They search for peace, justice for the oppressed, and rest from fear and weariness. And as they adjust to a new country and a new language, they are often very isolated from others around them. “The sad reality is most immigrants are never even invited inside a Canadian home,” says Ruth. Peter and Ruth and their team try to change that reality. For the last nine years, the team, which includes workers from partner organizations as well as volunteers, has held English classes at the community center. Three days a week, over 60 students from more than 20 countries come together to learn English as well as to fellowship together and receive practical help in assimilating to a new normal. Meeting Needs and Building Trust That practical help may come in the form of procuring furniture, clothes, or dishes for newcomers, assistance with creating a resume and finding a job, or teaching people how to navigate Canadian laws and the medical system. As these tangible needs are met, relationships are built. “We invite them into our homes for meals and games,” Ruth shares. “We take them on hiking trips, picnics, outings, and out for coffee.” This is particularly important in this type of ministry because most immigrants come to Canada from cultures that value hospitality. Conversely, Canadians do not typically prioritize hospitality and consequently many newcomers feel lonely and isolated. Inviting folks to various gatherings and outings allows the team to spend extended time hearing people’s stories, struggles, hopes, and dreams. When she speaks about building friendships, Ruth’s heart for the people she serves is evident. “Hearing their stories, it’s easy to love them, and many have become close friends,” Ruth says. “We recognize the value of steady one-on-one relationships.”