The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies removed a film chronicling Afghan migrant Sharif Ahmadzai’s journey to Europe after Greek authorities charged him in the death of Scottish aid worker Elisabeth-Jane Ross, whose body was discovered inside a suitcase in Athens.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies has removed a documentary about an Afghan migrant’s journey to Europe after the man featured in the film was arrested and charged in connection with the death of a Scottish aid worker whose body was found inside a suitcase in Athens.
Sharif Ahmadzai, 26, was ordered held in jail pending trial by a Greek court Thursday in connection with the death of Elisabeth-Jane Ross, a 38-year-old psychotherapist and volunteer aid worker from Scotland.
Ross had traveled to Greece to work with migrant communities. She was reported missing in mid-July, and her body was discovered last week by a homeless man inside a suitcase that had been left in a derelict building in Athens.
Greek authorities subsequently arrested Ahmadzai, an Afghan national and professional boxer who arrived in Greece in 2016 as an “unaccompanied minor”. He was granted asylum in 2018 and had no previous criminal record, according to the information provided.
Investigators say surveillance footage became a central part of the case. Police allege CCTV cameras recorded Ahmadzai moving a heavy suitcase containing Ross’s body through the streets of Athens.
Authorities also accuse Ahmadzai of taking Ross’s bank cards and removing more than €10,000, or approximately $11,500, from her accounts.
Ahmadzai has admitted disposing of Ross’s body and taking the money but denies killing her. He claims Ross was “already dead” when he encountered her.
According to Reuters, Ahmadzai told investigators that he discovered Ross dead in the bathroom of an apartment, panicked, placed her body inside a suitcase and then attempted to dispose of it.
The precise cause of Ross’s death has not yet been determined because her body had decomposed. Asphyxiation has not been ruled out.
Ahmadzai’s attorney has said the defense is awaiting the coroner’s report, toxicology findings and other evidence before the case proceeds.
Police and court reporting indicate that surveillance video helped authorities identify Ahmadzai as a suspect. Prosecutors have accused him of intentional homicide as well as offenses connected to the alleged theft of Ross’s money.
Ahmadzai’s background has attracted additional scrutiny because of his previous work within the migrant and humanitarian community. He married an American aid worker and established what was described as a refugee “ministry” in Athens, according to Ariana News.
Years earlier, Ahmadzai had also participated in a project with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies that portrayed his migration from Afghanistan to Europe.
The organization collaborated with Ahmadzai and a London artist on a four-minute animated film titled “Game of Life: The Story of Sharif,” which recounted the circumstances surrounding his departure from Afghanistan and his arrival in Europe as a teenager.
The Daily Mail reported that the Red Cross removed the film from the internet after Ahmadzai became accused in Ross’s death.
The outlet reported that Ahmadzai had worked with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and an artist from London to produce the film, which chronicled his escape from Afghanistan and eventual arrival on the Greek island of Lesbos at age 15.
The animated production first appeared on YouTube in December 2016 and included Ahmadzai narrating his six-week migration journey.
According to the account presented in the film, Ahmadzai’s father, a military commander, was killed in an ambush. His mother and siblings were later killed in a suicide bombing in Kabul.
Ahmadzai then left Afghanistan’s capital with friends and was smuggled through Iran and Turkey before reaching the Moria refugee camp on Lesbos.
The Daily Mail described the subsequent development this way:
“The Red Cross has deleted a film tracking the journey of an Afghan migrant who is now accused of killing a British woman and hiding her body in a suitcase in Greece.
[…]
It has now emerged the Afghan-national collaborated with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and a London artist to create a film following how he escaped Afghanistan and reached the Greek island of Lesbos aged 15.
The four-minute animated film, named Game of Life: The Story of Sharif, was first shown on YouTube in December 2016, and includes a narration of his six-week migrant crossing.
The sympathetic video follows how his father, who was a military commander, was killed in an ambush and his mother and siblings were killed by a suicide bomb attack in Kabul.
Ahmadzai, accompanied by friends, was then smuggled out of Afghanistan’s capital and journeyed through Iran and Turkey, before he reached a refugee camp on Lesbos, named Moria.”
An X post about the removed documentary and criminal case also circulated following reports that the film had been taken down.
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies’ decision removes from public circulation a film that had once presented Ahmadzai’s migration experience as a personal account of displacement and survival. He now remains jailed in Greece pending trial as authorities continue investigating Ross’s death and await forensic findings concerning how she died.
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