By Bradley Secker, PhotoJournalist @ GME, 24.10.2011

Mahmoud

A former high ranking officer in both the Iraqi and International Police forces, a black belt in karate, and a charismatic man with a cheeky smile, twenty-eight year old Mahmoud from Baghdad is not usually afraid of danger or new to confrontation.

            Now the reality of a new life in Damascus has brought Mahmoud to drink a bottle of whisky a day, and live a “simple, boring life” without the work that he loved. Since October 2009 Mahmoud has been in hiding in Damascus after a violent homophobic attack carried out by militia which resulted in the death of his father earlier in the year. The memories of his past continue to haunt him, and he says that although he doesn’t cry much, he has a constant feeling of melancholy in his heart.

            Mahmoud came to the attention of the militia-men when a visitor from a neighbouring police force came for an inspection at his station. According to Mahmoud, he was responsible for releasing more than one hundred men over several years accused of homosexuality or of being ‘morally perverse’, and the chief noticed that the figures of those being released without charge were odd, considering the high number of arrests for such offenses. Word spread and Mahmoud was followed and eventually his father was captured and killed for what the right wing Shia militia soldiers saw as Mahmoud’s mistakes. Since the death of his father, he carried his gun with him everywhere, even to the bathroom and to his pillow at night. Although never caught by the militia, Mahmoud was almost killed by a car bomb in his personal vehicle. Due to his position in the new, post-Saddam police force, and his sexuality, Mahmoud doesn’t think that he will ever be able to safely return to his country now that he is known by extremist groups. He says “my life was very dangerous in Iraq due to my job, but more so because of my sexuality”.

            This new life in Syria is very distant from how his day to day life used to be in Baghdad. Compliments of his position in the police force, Mahmoud had a “luxury” apartment in Baghdad, two cars, three motorbikes, and a fair amount of disposable income. He now lives in a small studio flat in a poor suburb of Damascus. Mahmoud says that he proudly lives a “gay life”, and that everything he does is “gay oriented”; from sitting in the park, playing cards in cafes, to watching the “cute boys” in downtown Damascus strut their stuff. The only financial support he receives is from his mother who still lives in Iraq with his younger brother and sister, which varies between US $100-200 per month (£65-130) of which US $100 goes towards paying his rent and bills. His family do not know that he is gay, and believe the attacks on Mahmoud’s father to have been because of his occupation.

            Mahmoud was recently told that his application for resettlement overseas with the UNHCR should be processed within the next two months, although this is not guaranteed, and he may have to remain in Syria for an unknown period. He’s very optimistic that proceedings will move quickly, and that he will be able to start a new life in Europe or North America by the end of 2011.