Exorcism and abuse

Ibrahim* is a 24-year-old young man from West Africa. He is gay and says he has always had to lead a double life because same-sex relationships are punishable in his country. After experiencing multiple violent incidents and out of fear of arrest, Ibrahim decides to flee. Initially, Ibrahim secures a place to study in Ukraine, but he comes to the Netherlands when Russia invades the country in 2022. When the Netherlands revoked the residency rights of so-called “third-country nationals,” he applies for asylum.

The Immigration and Naturalization Service (IND) considers Ibrahim’s identity, nationality, and origin credible, but not his homosexuality. He claims Ibrahim made too general statements about these matters and failed to make his homosexuality sufficiently concrete. His application for international protection is rejected. Ibrahim’s lawyer requests a forensic medical examination from iMMO.

During the iMMO examination, Ibrahim reveals that he was caught having sex with his best friend at the age of 13. After that, his life changed completely. He was abused by his father, and when he ran away, he hit his forehead against a wall. His mother, a pastor, took him to several exorcisms to “cure” him of his homosexuality. During these rituals, Ibrahim was slashed multiple times with a razor and his leg was burned with a torch. He was ostracized and discriminated against by his community.

Ibrahim says that during his studies, he had a relationship with a head teacher, who also abused him. The head teacher paid Ibrahim’s tuition and asked for sexual favors in return. When Ibrahim indicated he no longer wanted this, the head teacher threatened to destroy Ibrahim’s life. The head teacher had taken photos and videos of him and used them to blackmail him. This led Ibrahim to flee. He was able to travel to Ukraine with a student visa. When war broke out there, he fled to the Netherlands.

Examination

During the physical examination, several scars were found and assessed. The scar on his forehead, which he sustained when he hit his head hard against a wall, was assessed as consistent with the Istanbul Protocol. Because a forehead wound can easily be accidental, and hitting your forehead can easily result in a laceration or deep abrasion, the grade was not high.

The scars Ibrahim sustained from the exorcism ritual, during which he was cut multiple times with a razor, were assessed as typical of this alleged violence. The scar Ibrahim sustained from the torch burning was assessed as highly consistent.

The psychological examination revealed clear psychological symptoms that, according to the Istanbul Protocol, are typical of the violence Ibrahim described. For example, he avoids talking about the violence he experienced, talking about it visibly causes him tension, and he experiences specific flashbacks to his father’s abuse and the exorcisms. It becomes clear that seeing and discussing his own scars triggers flashbacks.

The report was submitted during Ibrahim’s initial proceedings. Six months after the iMMO report was submitted, Ibrahim finally received his residence permit.

(*) Names have been changed.