Rizha, his wife and 2 young children lived peacefully in Pakistan. As an Ahmadi who did much volunteer work for his community as a youth leader, Rizha was forced to flee Pakistan because of death threats, which were brought home when an assassination attempt was made on his life. To save his family from persecution and his own life, he sought refuge in Thailand.
With the help of a volunteer lawyer from Asylum Access Thailand, he was able to make his case persuasively regarding the dangers he faced in Pakistan, as the threats came not only from specific local communities but also from a state that did not protect Ahmadi people. Rizha worked on a detailed and revised testimonial with an AAT lawyer, and was able to make his case clear to the UNHCR officer in the appeal process. He and his family were recently given refugee status, and are now awaiting resettlement.