Fisher, a 27-year-old Ethiopian electrical engineer, abandoned his family farm for a promised job in Thailand, only to be smuggled to Myanmar where he became trapped in a criminal cyberfraud operation. Upon arrival, he faced physical abuse when he refused to participate in scamming activities. Witnesses corroborate stories of torture, indicating a broader epidemic of exploitation involving trafficked individuals forced into cybercrime amidst Myanmar's chaotic landscape, dominated by Chinese syndicates.
Mr. Fisher, who had a government job back in Ethiopia, balked. His rebellion earned him time in a torture chamber, he said, bound for more than a day in a crucifixion pose, dirty water dumped on him when he veered close to sleep.
Along the way, he was given a fried chicken leg, garlicky and good, a meal he remembers because of what happened next. As night fell, Mr. Fisher was hustled down a riverbank to a small skiff.
Collection
[
|
...
]