Mehran Karimi Nasseri in the airport section where he sleeps and spends most of his time (2005)
There was such an unfortunate man, Mehran Karimi Nasseri, who was stranded at the airport for 18 years due to a strange turn of events. There has been controversy over exactly how Nassery fell into this situation, with different controversies arising over years over his "imprisonment" at Charles de Gaulle International Airport dormitories (more specifically Terminal 1).
There is a problem inside the system
To better understand how Mehran Karimi Nasseri lived at the airport for 18 years, we need to go back in time.
In 1973, Nassery became a student at the University of Bradford in the United Kingdom. During his studies, he took part in student protests against Iran's last king.
The Iranian government was not friendly to him, so when he returned to Iran (his home country) in 1977, he was deported for his actions abroad.
He wandered around Europe until he was accepted by the Belgian government in 1981.
At that time, Nassery was looking for a country in Europe where he could be given political asylum in order to get some help from the United Nations about his situation in Iran.
Since he was deported from ancestral Iran, he counted as a refugee, which allowed him to apply for citizenship in European countries.
Having spent many years of study in England and was most familiar with England, he decided to obtain British citizenship and live there.
Mehran Karimi Nasseri with his stuff in Terminal 1 (2006)
So, in 1988, he planned to travel to France, from which he flew to England.
Upon arriving at Charles de Gaulle International Airport, he lost his only refugee status documents, without which he could not enter French territory or leave any country.
The international airport is "international space", which means that he can stay in the airport but cannot go out, so no documents are required in the airport.
He couldn't speak a word of French, he got lost, and this tried to make a living until someone tried to help him out of his predicament.
Judging by the airport staff, he didn't seem to be much interested in actually leaving the airport. He earns his money by doing small jobs in the airport's dorm room and eats at the airport's restaurants(mainly McDonald's).
He bathed in public toilets and spent most of his time looking at the various people around the airport or reading books.
Christian Burg
Years passed, and he lost hope, knowing that he was destined to die at this airport, unable to smell the fresh air for the last time or kiss the dirt.
Eventually, Nassery's situation caught the attention of French human rights lawyer Christian Bourge. Christian Burg took over Nassery's case and sought freedom from his bizarre personal life. Christian soon discovered that Nassery was stuck in a loophole in the government system.
In order for Nasseri to obtain new documents proving that he is a refugee, he must travel to Belgium in person and cannot leave the airport, he will never be able to obtain these documents, and therefore will never be able to leave the airport.
Nasseri's mistake took him an extra 7 years
Christian Bourguet studied the issue for more than a decade, culminating in 1999 persuading Belgium to send a replacement file to Nasseri. This will provide him with a license to stay in France. Surprisingly, once Nasseri received the correct documents, he rejected them because he thought they were fake and therefore decided to stay at the airport. At the time, airport administrators thought Nassery had gone mad after so many years inside.
Eventually, in 2006, Nasseri was hospitalized due to illness and forcibly left the airport. It was his first time out of the airport since 1988. When his condition improved, he was given identification documents and explained the situation. Nasserie's story really ends, and even in this "civilized" era in which we live, we still encounter difficulties from various systems.
Faith eventually dies
The 2004 film "Happy Terminal", based on Nasserie's story, starred Tom Hanks, recreates Nasseri's past life during these 18 years.
Happy Terminal Poster
The film was released in 2004, when Nasseri was still stranded at the airport because he was also interviewed by the film's creators and asked for the right to use his story. In 2005, he received $300,000 in the use of the story.
In his "home" at Terminal 1, Nasseri holds a poster for the movie "The Terminal" about his 2004 story
Rumor has it that he used the money to eventually acquire British citizenship and begin the life he aspired to.