UNHCR Baltic and Nordic Headlines (uutiskirje)

[Roope]

Saturday 5 June to Monday 7 June 2010

Denmark

Iraq Centre must take their Plan B into use
Nearly seven months after the Iraq Center was founded, where rejected Iraqi asylum-seekers are employed to disseminate knowledge about the Iraqi situation for Danes, the center now has to take Plan B into use, and instead offer 15,000 crowns to the Iraqis who are deported from Denmark, since the Immigration Service refused to grant work permits. The purpose of the Iraq Center is to make it possible for Danish companies to recruit foreigners and refugees if they possess an expertise that is necessary for the company. The requirement was that they must have at least 32,000 crowns per month in salary. But the government perceived the initiative to be an attempt to achieve a political objective through a loophole in the law. When the new immigration law was launched this spring, there was therefore a rule included, making it impossible to run operations like the Iraq Center.
Politiken 7 June 2010 (in Danish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCsmq0ZqnfK0aYE0D8B50Eh

Minister: Iraq Center is breaking the law
Minister of Employment Inger Støjberg says that the Iraq Center that recruits rejected asylum-seekers is discriminatory. The center's director says that this is nonsense. The Iraq Center was established in November last year with the goal of offering some of the rejected Iraqi asylum seekers jobs with a salary of at least 32,000 crowns. The earnings would guarantee them work and residence permits under the so-called 'beløbsordning' or sum rule. Støjberg says that the requirement that one must be of Iraqi origin, which means that all other nationalities are excluded from being considered for the job, is discriminatory.
Politiken 5 June 2010 (in Danish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCsmq0ZqnfK0aYE0D8B60Ei

Finland

Antonova to leave Finland -support group
Russian grandmother Irina Antonova is to leave Finland voluntarily, according to her support group which says that the Russian officials have promised hospital care for Antonova, followed by a place in a nursing home. Antonova's family has fought fiercely and publicly against her deportation order by Finnish officials and last week her family submitted an appeal to the Chancellor of Justice against the immigration police, who made the deportation decision. The son-in-law is asking the authorities to investigate whether or not the police actions amounted to an assault on Antonova's human dignity, and charged that their behavior has been tantamount to torture. However, according to the support group the family has decided that Antonova is now to return to her original home country.
Helsinki Times 7 June 2010 (in English)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCsmq0ZqnfK0aYE0D8B70Ej
YLE 4 June 2010 (in English)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCsmq0ZqnfK0aYE0D8B80Ek

Change 2011 becoming a political party
The most immigration critical wing of the True Finns party, the Change 2011, is becoming an official political party. The party has gathered together the necessary 5,000 supporter cards required in order to become officially registered. The cards are shortly to be sent to the Ministry of Justice for review. The group's goal is to get "two or three MPs" in the next parliamentary elections.
Helsingin Sanomat 4 June 2010 (in Finnish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCsmq0ZqnfK0aYE0D8CA0Eu
Aamulehti 4 June 2010 (in Finnish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCsmq0ZqnfK0aYE0D8CB0Ev

Norway

Discusses the new asylum policy in Norway and Europe
Secretary General Bjarte Vandvik of the European Council on Refugees and Exiles (ECRE) says that one of the major countries in the EU must take the lead if the efforts of harmonizing the asylum policies in Europe should go faster. On Monday, he participated in an international conference in Oslo, where the main theme was the common challenges and measures to develop cooperation for a common asylum policy. Vandvik says that Germany serves as a powerful brake and will not change the system, although the Germans have traditionally seen themselves as leaders in migration and protection of refugees. He also says that leading French politicians are not good at following up on their own rhetoric, and that in the UK, politicians hardly mention migration and the EU in the same sentence because of their fear of losing votes. In recent years, states started to compete to send out negative signals to the refugees in the hope that they will not come. He points out that the solution for Norway is not to say that there are no armed conflicts or general violence in Mogadishu since that is just a political signal that there will be more Somalis. More than 300 professionals from across the spectrum of the migration field were participating in the conference, where, among others, Minister of Justice Knut Storberget (AP) and UDI - director Ida Børresen were on the speaker list.
Verdens Gang 6 June 2010 (in Norwegian)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCsmq0ZqnfK0aYE0D8CC0Ew
ABC Nyheter 6 June 2010 (in Norwegian)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCsmq0ZqnfK0aYE0D8CD0Ex

Processing of asylum cases from Mogadishu come to a halt
Around 200 asylum cases from Somalia are put on hold because bureaucrats disagree on whether the rejected asylum-seekers can be returned to Mogadishu or not. The Norwegian Immigration Appeals Board (UNE) practices a stricter policy than the Directorate of Immigration (UDI) in its treatment of asylum cases from Somalia's capital Mogadishu. In a letter from the Directorate of Immigration (UDI) to the Ministry of Justice and the Police Knut Storberget on 28 April this year, the directorate is requesting for a clarification of guidelines, after a decision from the Grand Board of the Immigration Appeals Board in March. In the decision the board opened for the return of asylum-seekers to Mogadishu. According to the letter, the vast majority of asylum-seekers from the region were previously granted residence in Norway.
Aftenposten 4 June 2010 (in Norwegian)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCsmq0ZqnfK0aYE0D8CE0Ey

Family deported after two years in the country
Nine-year-old Ilda and her family must return to Kosovo after two years in Førde. Their support group believes that the Norwegian authorities are going against the UN Child Convention.
NRK 4 June 2010 (in Norwegian)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCsmq0ZqnfK0aYE0D8CF0Ez

So far a decrease in the number of asylum-seekers this year
In the first five months there have been 44 per cent fewer asylum applications compared to the same period last year. While 6,600 persons applied for asylum in Norway from January to May last year, the figure this year is 3,700, according to statistics from the Directorate of Immigration (UDI). The number of applicants from Afghanistan, which last year accounted for the largest group of asylum seekers to Norway, has decreased from 1,468 persons to 420 persons between January and May. Number of Russians applying has remained fairly stable. On 31st of May this year, UDI had granted residence permits to 2,086 persons, rejected 3,301 applications, and sent 1,310 persons back to the country they originally applied for asylum in.
Verdens Gang 7 June 2010 (in Norwegian)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCsmq0ZqnfK0aYE0D8CG0E1

Storberget promises asylum response within 60 days
On Monday, Minister of Justice Knut Storberget visited the Directorate of Immigration's (UDI) spring conference. He spoke about how the Norwegian asylum policy will meet the challenges through the influence of EU asylum policy, but much of the time was also used to talk about how the UDI can be streamlined. He says that as part of the efforts to create a more humane policy for asylum-seekers, his goal is to reduce the processing time of asylum applications to 60 days.
Nettavisen 7 June 2010 (in Norwegian)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCsmq0ZqnfK0aYE0D8CH0E2

Sweden

Dumped refugee demands compensation
A Ugandan man deported in 1995 from Sweden to Ghana demands compensation from the Swedish state after imprisonment and torture in Ghana. After his arrival to Sweden in 1993 a language test classified him as Ghanian. The Swedish officials had guaranteed him a return flight in the case he was not Ghanian, a promise never kept. The man is now demanding several million kronor in compensation from the Swedish state.
Svenska Dagbladet 7 June 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCsmq0ZqnfK0aYE0D8CI0E3
The Local 7 June 2010 (in English)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCsmq0ZqnfK0aYE0D8CJ0E4

Man arrested after Migration Board hostage drama
In the midst of a demonstration against deportations to Iran, two persons were being taken hostage in the Migration Board detention centre in Ljungaskog in southern Sweden on Friday. Now a man has been arrested on suspicion of assault in the hostage case. The arrested 44-year-old Iranian, whose stay in Sweden was due to end with a deportation last Friday, gave himself in after negotiations with the police.
The Local 4 June 2010 (in English)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCsmq0ZqnfK0aYE0D8CK0E5
Dagbladet 4 June 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCsmq0ZqnfK0aYE0D8CL0E6
Dagens Nyheter 4 June 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCsmq0ZqnfK0aYE0D8CM0E7
YLE X3M 4 June 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCsmq0ZqnfK0aYE0D8CN0E8

NB. This story was also covered in Norway
NRK 4 June 2010 (in Norwegian)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCsmq0ZqnfK0aYE0D8CO0EA
Verdens Gang 4 June 2010 (in Norwegian)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCsmq0ZqnfK0aYE0D8CP0EB

Man ages 12 years after Swedish court decision
A Swedish court has ruled that a Cambodian man should be allowed to change his Tax Agency (Skatteverket) birth date records, thereby adding 12 years to his age. The man told the court that after 10 years in Sweden he felt sufficiently secure to register his correct date of birth and establish his true identity. The court was told that UNHCR had helped him to secure his release from the military prison in Cambodia where he had been interred as a political prisoner. The man fled to Thailand where UNHCR deemed him to be in acute need of leaving south-east Asia and arrangements were made for him to come to Sweden as a so-called quota refugee in 2000. The man explained to the court that he had decided to submit deliberately erroneous information to UNHCR in order to make it harder for the Cambodian authorities to track him and hinder the perceived threat of arrest by Thai police. The court found that the man had plausible grounds for wanting to hide his real identity details in the "Resettlement Registration Form" submitted to UNHCR in June 2000.
The Local 7 June 2010 (in English)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCsmq0ZqnfK0aYE0D8CQ0EC

[Roope]

Tuesday 8 June to Wednesday 9 June 2010

Denmark

Denmark deports citizens of Nordic countries
The tough Danish stance on immigration does not only affect refugees and immigrants from other continents. New numbers from the Ministry of Refugee, Immigration and Integration Affairs reveal that since 2004 Denmark has deported 46 Nordic citizens because they received social benefits. Last year alone, ten Norwegian, Swedish, Finnish and Icelandic citizens were deported. Denmark is the only country to deport Nordic citizens solely because they are living on social benefits.
Danmarks Radio 7 June 2010 (in English)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCtAp0ZqnfK0aYE0D8Rh0E5

NB. This story was also covered in Finland
YLE 7 June 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCtAp0ZqnfK0aYE0D8Ri0E6

Finland

Lively Parliament discussion on asylum-seekers from the EU
The harshening treatment of asylum-seekers from other EU-countries was a hot topic in the Parliament on Tuesday. Ben Zyskowicz from the National Coalition Party said that the solution to the poverty of the Bulgarian Roma is not that they come to Finland from time to time to seek political asylum and financial support. The Left Alliance and the True Finns claim that any income support a rejected person is receiving prior to the implementation of the deportation order should be remunerated to the municipality by the state. Last year, there were 800 EU-country citizens seeking asylum in Finland. Asylum-seekers with unfounded applications often come from Romania and Bulgaria.
Helsingin Sanomat 8 June 2010 (in Finnish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCtAp0ZqnfK0aYE0D8Rj0E7

Norway

UNHCR and Amnesty International warn against Iraqi deportations
UNHCR and Amnesty have cautioned Norway against forcibly returning rejected Iraqi asylum-seekers to Baghdad. According to the organizations, a joint return by Norway, Sweden, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom is going to take place during this week. UNHCR has stated that the organization's position and advice to governments is that Iraqi asylum-seekers from the governorates of Baghdad, Diyala, Ninewa and Salah al-Din, as well as the Kirkuk province should continue to benefit from international protection and receive refugee status or another form of protection. The Norwegian immigration officials disagree with the statement by UNHCR and refer to making an individual assessment of each case. Amnesty International is disappointed that Norway continues to breach the recommendations of the UN.
Verdens gang 8 June 2010 (in Norwegian)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCtAp0ZqnfK0aYE0D8Rk0E8
Aftenposten 8 June 2010 (in Norwegian)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCtAp0ZqnfK0aYE0D8Rl0EA
Hamar Arbeiderblad 8 June 2010 (in Norwegian)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCtAp0ZqnfK0aYE0D8Rm0EB
NRK 8 June 2010 (in Norwegian)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCtAp0ZqnfK0aYE0D8Rn0EC
NRK Nett-TV 8 June 2010 "Dagsrevyn 21" (in Norwegian)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCtAp0ZqnfK0aYE0D8Ro0ED
TV2 8 June 2010 (in Norwegian)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCtAp0ZqnfK0aYE0D8Rp0EE

NB. This story was also covered in Sweden
The Local 8 June 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCtAp0ZqnfK0aYE0D8Rq0EF

Sweden

Political parties want to stop deportations
The three red-green opposition parties as well as the Christian Democrats call for an end to deportations of unaccompanied refugee children to Malta. The parties believe that there is a risk that the best interest of the children is not met. If there are risks for this, then Sweden should be obliged not to send them back to Malta, according to Lars Gustafsson, The Christian Democrats' spokesperson for asylum and refugee issues. According to Tobias Billström, Minister for Migration and Asylum Policy, the critique is not justified. Instead, the key issue is to ensure that Malta meets the requirements, and to stop deportations to Malta would give the wrong signal.
Sveriges Television 9 June 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCtAp0ZqnfK0aYE0D8Rr0EG
Sveriges Radio 9 June 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCtAp0ZqnfK0aYE0D8Rs0EH
Nyhetskanalen 9 June 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCtAp0ZqnfK0aYE0D8Rt0EI

EU law prevents Sweden from halting deportations
EU legislation and the Dublin Regulation prevent Sweden from stopping the deportation of children and young persons to Malta. Exceptions can be made only if there are clear violations of the children's rights. According to a new study by researcher Anna Lundberg at Malmö University this is currently taking place. According to Lundberg, the children's most basic rights are overlooked and they are not assigned with guardians. According to the Migration Board, this is entirely new information, and it is possible that the Board will visit Malta to investigate the conditions there. Cecilia Malmström, European Commissioner for Home Affairs, says there is a possibility to apply the rules and regulations more loosely when it comes to children. Fredrik Beijer, Head of Division for Asylum Examination at the Migration Board, says that the Migration Courts in Sweden have made a different interpretation, but that nothing is written in stone.
Sveriges Radio 8 June 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCtAp0ZqnfK0aYE0D8Ru0EJ

Children to be deported to Malta hiding
More than half of the unaccompanied refugee children waiting for deportation back to Malta are hiding, according to Migration Board figures. Meanwhile, new evidence shows that children and young persons who were deported to Malta are exposed to severe violations of their rights. In 2009 and 2010 thus far, the Migration Board decided to send 46 unaccompanied refugee children back to Malta. However, 26 of the children have instead decided to go into hiding. According to the Migration Board, the Swedish authorities are not aware that minors who are sent back from Sweden are exposed to bad treatment, which is why the deportations will continue.
Sveriges Radio 8 June 2010 (in Swedish) http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCtAp0ZqnfK0aYE0D8Rv0EK
Sveriges Television 8 June 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCtAp0ZqnfK0aYE0D8Rw0EL

Asylum-seekers to work from day one
Tobias Billström, Minister for Migration and Asylum Policy, writes in an op-ed in Dagens Nyheter that the opportunities for asylum-seekers to earn a living will be improved. Billström states that as of 1 August, the Government will make it possible for asylum-seekers to work from day one. He describes the Government's decision as yet another step in the policy to create more jobs, and as a way to boost integration. The new policy, combined with the government's priority to shorten the waiting time from application to decision for asylum-seekers, makes the policy on asylum more humane, according to Billström.
Sveriges Television 9 June 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCtAp0ZqnfK0aYE0D8Rx0EM
Nyhetskanalen 9 June 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCtAp0ZqnfK0aYE0D8Ry0EN
Sveriges Radio 9 June 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCtAp0ZqnfK0aYE0D8Rz0EO
Sveriges Radio Mobil 9 June 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCtAp0ZqnfK0aYE0D8R10EB



UNHCR in the world

Libya to throw out the local UNHCR office
The Libyan government has ordered UNHCR to conclude its activities in the country, in practice to close down the office and leave the country. Libya has not stated any reason why the UN body should be thrown out of the country. UNHCR has been active in Libya since 1991 and currently cares for over 12,000 refugees and asylum-seekers in the country. Libya has not signed the Refugee Convention and has made no arrangements for the reception of refugees and asylum-seekers. The vacuum left by UNHCR may have negative effects. The role of UNHCR for refugees in Libya increased last year when Italy and Libya agreed that Italy may compel refugees in the Mediterranean to return to Libya. Human rights organizations have protested strongly against the agreement. Libya is a transit country for large numbers of African migrants trying to reach Europe.
YLE Uutiset 8 June 2010 (in Finnish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCtAp0ZqnfK0aYE0D8R20EC
YLE svenska 8 June 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCtAp0ZqnfK0aYE0D8R30ED
Helsingin Sanomat 8 June 2010 (in Finnish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCtAp0ZqnfK0aYE0D8R40EE
Uusi Suomi 8 June 2010 (in Finnish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCtAp0ZqnfK0aYE0D8R50EF
Keskisuomalainen 8 June 2010 (in Finnish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCtAp0ZqnfK0aYE0D8R60EG
Vasabladet 8 June 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCtAp0ZqnfK0aYE0D8R70EH

NB. This story was also covered in Sweden and Norway
Dagens Nyheter 8 June 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCtAp0ZqnfK0aYE0D8R80EI
Verdens gang 8 June 2010 (in Norwegian)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCtAp0ZqnfK0aYE0D8SA0ES

[Roope]

Thursday 10 June to Friday 11 June 2010

Finland

Finnish government to ease citizenship requirements
The Finnish government has proposed to shorten the minimum residence period required for naturalization to five years. Currently non-citizens are required to have lived in Finland for at least six consecutive years before becoming eligible to apply for citizenship. According to the proposal, good command of either the Finnish or Swedish language would further reduce the minimum residency requirement to four years.
Helsinki Times 10 June 2010 (in English)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCtVI0ZqnfK0aYE0D8g10EE
Lapin Kansa 10 June 2010 (in Finnish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCtVI0ZqnfK0aYE0D8g20EF

Residence permit applications up by 8 per cent in Finland
The amount of residence permit applications increased by eight per cent year-on-year to around 6,200 in the January-March period, according to the Finnish Immigration Service on Thursday. Family and work reasons were the most common grounds for applying for a residence permit. The largest number of applications came from Somalia, Russia and India. Residence permits were granted to four out of five applicants.
Helsinki Times 10 June 2010 (in English)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCtVI0ZqnfK0aYE0D8g30EG

Norway

New ruling discourages deportations to Mogadishu
A ruling by the Oslo District Court from 3 June discourages the return of asylum-seekers to Mogadishu. The ruling is in conflict with the decision taken by the Norwegian Immigration Appeals Board (UNE) earlier this year, which made the return of asylum-seekers to Mogadishu possible. The District Court chose to apply UN recommendations and concluded that the applicant should not be returned to Mogadishu. The Court argued that the 25-year-old asylum-seeker with a serious criminal background faces danger of being subjected to inhuman treatment if returned to Mogadishu. Instead, the asylum-seeker could be returned to Puntland. UNE will review the ruling, but says it will not have consequences for future decisions. According to the Norwegian Organization for Asylum Seekers (NOAS), UNE should adjust their practices with the Court decision. Cathrine Grøndahl Pryser, the attorney of the asylum-seeker, says the ruling is an independent assessment of Norway's human rights obligations. Also, according to Kari Helene Partapuoli from the Anti-Racist Center, to forcibly return asylum-seekers to Mogadishu sends a message that one can start sending persons to any place in the world.
Aftenposten 9 June 2010 (in Norwegian)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCtVI0ZqnfK0aYE0D8g40EH

Plans for reception-centre come to a halt
After massive protests, the government plans for a reception center in Furuset, Oslo have come to a halt. According to the Ministry of Justice, the Directorate of Immigration (UDI) and the City of Oslo will now have to find a new site for the reception center, preferably on the west side of the city. The criticism towards establishing a reception center in Furuset has come from many sides. Some thought that the concentration of immigrant services on the east side of the city is too high already, while others seemed to think that there already exist enough asylum centers in Oslo. Knut Storberget, Minister of Justice and the Police, said earlier that he sees no problem with the new national temporary reception center for asylum-seekers located in the middle of Oslo. The neighbors to the reception center established an action group and collected nearly 1000 signatures. The local group of the Progress Party stated that is irresponsible of the government to allow the Directorate of Immigration override the municipality regarding where to place the reception center. On last Monday Minister Storberget promised to shorten the processing time of asylum applications from 240 to 60 days.
Nettavisen 10 June 2010 (in Norwegian)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCtVI0ZqnfK0aYE0D8g50EI
Aftenposten 10 June 2010 (in Norwegian)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCtVI0ZqnfK0aYE0D8g60EJ

Norway drops plans to check genitalia of asylum-seekers
The Norwegian government drops plans to examine genitalia in order to improve age determination of asylum-seekers. The Directorate of Immigration has wished to undertake such tests as current x-ray and dental tests are considered too imprecise. According to Storberget, Minister of Justice and the Police, for getting undressed and examined could be humiliating for many. Henki Holmaas, a Socialist Left Party MP, is happy that the plans are abandoned. For him, the asylum-seekers are a vulnerable group. To check genitalia of them would have left Norway as the only country in the world to undertake such drastic clinical genitalia tests of children.
NRK Nett-TV Dagsrevyen 9 June 2010 (in Norwegian)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCtVI0ZqnfK0aYE0D8g70EK
NRK Nett-TV Dagsrevyen 9 June 2010 (in Norwegian)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCtVI0ZqnfK0aYE0D8g70EK

Sweden

Sweden deports Iraqis despite UNHCR criticism
In a joint action, the governments of Sweden, Norway, the Netherlands and the UK deported 56 Iraqis to Baghdad in spite of criticism from UNHCR. According to UNHCR officials, the return of the rejected asylum-seeking Iraqis poses a risk to their lives. Melissa Fleming, spokesperson for UNHCR, stated that the refugee agency is concerned about the signal that forced returns from Europe gives to other host countries, particularly those neighbouring Iraq. Fleming argued that the Iraq governorates of Baghdad, Diyala, Ninewa and Salah-al-Din as well as the Kirkuk province remain affected by high levels of violence, and that Iraqis from these parts should continue to benefit from international protection in the form of refugee status. She concluded that UNHCR's position reflects the unstable security situation and the still high level of prevailing violence, security incidents, and human rights violations taking place in these parts of Iraq. According to UNHCR in Stockholm, neither the identity of the Iraqis, nor to which part of Iraq they are being deported is known. "Neither the police nor the Migration Board have provided any information. We would have needed a fuller picture of the situation, not to be kept in the dark," says Hans ten Feld, UNHCR Regional Representative. Fredrik Bengtsson, information officer at the Swedish Migration Board, says in reply to the criticism from UNHCR that the Migration Court of Appeal has assessed that it is possible to return rejected asylum-seekers to Iraq, and this assessment forms the basis for the decision by the Migration Board. Neither Tobias Billström, Minister for Migration and Asylum Policy, nor the Ministry of Justice are willing to comment on UNHCR's criticism. Edvard Unsgaard, political expert in the Ministry, instead refers to the Migration Board and the Migration Court of Appeal. He argues that if Sweden does not listen to the UN, Sweden cannot expect other countries to do so, concluding that Sweden does not ignore UN criticism, since Sweden has very generous asylum laws. However, as he states, the examination of individual cases is not made by the Ministry but by the relevant authorities and legal bodies.
Svenska Dagbladet 10 June 2010 p. 8 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCtVI0ZqnfK0aYE0D8g80EL
Dagens Nyheter 10 June 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCtVI0ZqnfK0aYE0D8hA0EV
The Local 10 June 2010 (in English)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCtVI0ZqnfK0aYE0D8hB0EW
Sveriges Radio Ekot 10 June 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCtVI0ZqnfK0aYE0D8hC0EX
Sveriges Radio Nyheter 10 June 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCtVI0ZqnfK0aYE0D8hD0EY
Dagens PS 10 June 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCtVI0ZqnfK0aYE0D8hE0EZ
Dagbladet 10 June 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCtVI0ZqnfK0aYE0D8hF0Ea
Fria Tidningen 10 June 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCtVI0ZqnfK0aYE0D8hG0Eb
Hallandsposten 10 June 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCtVI0ZqnfK0aYE0D8hH0Ec
Kristianstadsbladet 10 June 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCtVI0ZqnfK0aYE0D8hI0Ed
Nyheter Sweden 10 June 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCtVI0ZqnfK0aYE0D8hJ0Ee
Nyhetskanalen, Göta Kanal3 June 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCtVI0ZqnfK0aYE0D8hK0Ef

NB. This story was also covered in Norway and Finland
Aftenposten 9 June 2010 (in Norwegian)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCtVI0ZqnfK0aYE0D8hL0Eg
NRK Nett-TV Kveldsnytt 9 June 2010 (in Norwegian)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCtVI0ZqnfK0aYE0D8hM0Eh
Uusi Suomi 10 June 2010 (in Finnish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCtVI0ZqnfK0aYE0D8hN0Ei

Politicians want to put an end for deportations to Iraq
UN criticism of the Swedish-led group expulsion of 56 Iraqis on Wednesday prompted several parliamentary parties to respond. The Left Party, the Liberal Party, the Social Democratic Party as well as the Green Party see UNHCR's criticism as justified, stating among other things that the actions undermine UN positions and give a bad image of Sweden abroad.  The Centre Party disagrees, saying it has confidence in the decision by the Migration Board. The Moderate Party points out that Migration Board has made the decisions based on individual assessment.
Svenska Dagbladet 10 June 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCtVI0ZqnfK0aYE0D8hO0Ej

Man suspected of refugee espionage
A man from the Stockholm area is suspected of being involved in spying on refugees on the account of the Chinese government between 2008 and 2009. According to prosecutor Ronnie Jacobsson of the Administrative Court of Appeal, the man is suspected of crimes against Sweden's national security but there is no need for a detention at the moment. Similarly, a man was imprisoned in London in March for espionage against refugee Uighurs in Sweden, a case China firmly denied having any involvement with.
Dagens Nyheter 10 June 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCtVI0ZqnfK0aYE0D8hP0Ek
Nyhetsverket 10 June 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCtVI0ZqnfK0aYE0D8hQ0El
Lokala Nyheter Stockholm 10 June 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCtVI0ZqnfK0aYE0D8hR0Em
Folket 10 June 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCtVI0ZqnfK0aYE0D8hS0En

Rejected refugee children receive help to find parents
The Migration Board will change the procedures for returning rejected asylum-seeking children home. The majority of unaccompanied minors who seek asylum in Sweden are from Iraq and Afghanistan. Already in the summer the Migration Board will start sending the names of the children as well as the parents' names to authorities in Iraq and Afghanistan in order to ask for help with family reunifications. Dan Eliasson, Director General of the Swedish Migration Board, says that no child will be sent back without sufficient contact with the parents. He adds that children who are not entitled to protection in Sweden should return home. According to Eliasson it should be optional to receive help with family reunification. Those who do not wish to do this will continue the asylum and appeals processes in Sweden. He estimates that more children will now return home and says he is totally convinced that children residing in Sweden illegally would rather go home to their parents than live in Sweden under precarious conditions.
Sveriges Radio 11 June 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCtVI0ZqnfK0aYE0D8hT0Eo

[Roope]

Saturday 12 June to Monday 14 June 2010

Finland

Thousands of Afghan children secretly smuggled to Europe
Almost 6,000 Afghan children were smuggled to Europe last year. According to a UN report published on Monday, more and more children escape from difficult circumstances in Afghanistan. The report suggests that the children's own parents advice them to travel to Europe with the smugglers. The parents want their children to find work in Europe so that they can send money to their homeland. The report also shows that last year, nearly half of the asylum applications lodged by minors, were made by children from Afghanistan. The UN Refugee Agency UNHCR released the report on Monday.
YLE 14 June 2010 (in Finnish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCtzL0ZqnfK0aYE0D8lG0EK

Asylum-seekers suffer from mental health problems
Mental health problems are common for those living in refugee reception centers. According to a survey conducted by the newspaper Karjalainen, depression, anxiety, insomnia, pain, and psychosomatic symptoms are common among asylum-seekers. Fourteen out of Finland's seventeen reception centers responded to the questionnaire. Most of the respondents said that affected asylum-seekers are given medicine, antidepressants or sleeping pills. The problems are often caused by the fact that refugees have experienced torture and violence in their country of origin. The long wait at reception centers while their asylum applications are being processed makes the situation worse.
Turun Sanomat 14 June 2010 (in Finnish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCtzL0ZqnfK0aYE0D8lH0EL

Deportation deadline Sunday
Relatives of the Egyptian grandmother Eveline Fadayel say that she remains in hiding from the authorities despite Sunday being the deadline for her to leave the country according to a court-confirmed deportation order. Eveline Fadayel's family has not publicly said who, or what parties have provided assistance in hiding her. However, they are defiant that she will not be returning to Egypt. The Ministry of the Interior has announced it cannot intervene in the court decision on the issue. Under current immigration legislation, grandparents cannot be granted a residence permit, as they are not considered part of the immediate family.
YLE 13 June 2010 (in English)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCtzL0ZqnfK0aYE0D8lI0EM

Refugee Woman of the Year picked up the National Coalition Party
According to the YLE news, Fatbardhe Hetemaj who was selected Refugee Woman of the Year in 2009, will be a candidate for the National Coalition Party in the parliamentary elections next spring. The Kosovo-born 24-year-old Hetemaj announced her candidacy in the Party conference in Jyväskylä. Hetemaj's family moved to Finland in 1992 and she became a Finnish citizen in 2004.
YLE 11 June 2010 (in Finnish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCtzL0ZqnfK0aYE0D8lJ0EN
Turun Sanomat 11 June 2010 (in Finnish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCtzL0ZqnfK0aYE0D8lK0EO

Sweden

Nine-month old baby's deportation to be reviewed
The Migration Board is now looking at possibilities for allowing two babies from Gaza to stay in Sweden after all. Baby "Pärla" had received a deportation order to Gaza, although the Migration Board recently stated that children should not be deported there due to the humanitarian situation. Both Mikael Ribbenvik, The Director for Legal Affairs of the Swedish Migration Board and Alexandra Segenstedt, lawyer at the Red Cross, find the situation strange. If the baby would seek asylum today, she may be able to stay, according to Ribbenvik. But, as she applied before the statement had been made, and since the Migration Court of Appeal already had given a ruling, the Migration Board could not change the decision. Michael Ribbenvik at the Migration Board does not want to criticize the system but grants that this specific situation has strange consequences. According to Alexandra Segenstedt the Migration Board should reconsider its decision when updated country information is available, which they now will do.
Dagens Nyheter 12 June 2010 p:20 (in Swedish)
Sveriges Radio 11 June 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCtzL0ZqnfK0aYE0D8lL0EP
Stockholm News 11 June 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCtzL0ZqnfK0aYE0D8lM0EQ

[Roope]

Tuesday 15 June to Wednesday 16 June 2010

Denmark

Politicians want a shorter integration process
Eyvind Vesselbo from the Liberals would like to shorten the integration period for refugees from three years of Danish lessons to one year, saving the state 200 million DKK a year. The Conservatives are thrilled since a shorter integration time was part of the party's integration initiative in 2009. The matter was last discussed in March by the government and the Danish People's Party. The Danish People's Party deputy leader Peter Skaarup was in favour of the idea. The Liberal Party integration spokesman Karsten Lauritzen explains that municipalities today can teach refugees for up to three years, but those who learn quickly may start working earlier. He believes flexibility is important. The Danish Refugee Council's Secretary General, Andreas Kamm, warns about cutting down the integration period to one year.
Berlingske Tidende 15 June 2010 (in Danish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCuMZ0ZqnfK0aYE0D83s0Eb
Politik 15 June 2010 (in Danish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCuMZ0ZqnfK0aYE0D83t0Ec

Finland

Most human trafficking cases go unnoticed
Over the past five years, the Oulu Refugee Reception Centre has worked with at least 14 children who have fallen victim to human traffickers. Authorities believe the victims represent just the tip of the iceberg. Five years ago, the centre began working with police and border guard officials to help minors who are victims of human trafficking. Most of the victims are female. The youngest was nine years old. Finland is considered a transit country for the majority of victims found here. The victims are to be sent to other European countries, potentially to work as prostitutes. Currently, Finland has two reception centres that work with victims of human trafficking. The centre in Oulu works with minors. Another centre in Joutseno, in southeast Finland, deals with adults, families and groups.
YLE 14 June 2010 (in English)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCuMZ0ZqnfK0aYE0D83u0Ed

Iraqi asylum-seekers flown back by Finnish airplanes
Last week's Iraqi deportations to Baghdad were again conducted by the Finnish airline Air Finland. The airline's 200-seat aircraft flew from Britain to Halmstad in Sweden where it continued its journey to Baghdad with 56 Iraqis on the plane. The UN and Amnesty have criticized the forced returns. According to UNHCR, last week's flight was organized by Sweden, Norway, the UK and the Netherlands. Air Finland confirmed that it had flown Iraqi asylum-seekers from Oslo to Baghdad already six months ago. The airline admits that this type of flights have been arranged, but does not wish to comment on the matter any further. Finland does not yet return asylum-seekers back to Iraq.
YLE 16 June 2010 (in Finnish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCuMZ0ZqnfK0aYE0D83v0Ee

Finnish police search for Fadayel unsuccessfully
Finnish police said Monday that their search for Egyptian grandmother Eveline Fadayel, who was to be deported from Finland on Sunday, was unsuccessful, and they had been unable to locate the hiding place of the elderly woman or contact her relatives. Juha Hirvonen, the inspector in charge of the police investigation, said that it is not uncommon for people to hide from deportation, but the methods used by police are generally successful in locating the hiding place. Hiding may result in a fine. In the spring the Finnish Supreme Administrative Court dismissed Fadayel's appeal against the Immigration Service's decision to refuse her residence permit application. The ruling meant the ailing woman would have to be deported back to her native Egypt.
Helsinki Times 15 June 2010 (in English)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCuMZ0ZqnfK0aYE0D83w0Ef

Hospital trip may delay deportation of Russian grandmother
Irina Antonova, the Russian grandmother who has been at the centre of a deportation row, has been admitted into hospital in Finland. The 82-year-old Antonova was taken to hospital on Tuesday morning. She was to leave Finland for Russia on Wednesday. Antonova's support group has appealed to the European Court of Human Rights to prevent her deportation. According to Finland's Ministry for Foreign Affairs, the process might in practice delay the deportation for a long time, even years. Antonova faces deportation to Russia although her family resides in Finland, as Finnish courts determined that family unification legislation only applies to the nuclear family.
Helsinki Times 15 June 2010 (in English)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCuMZ0ZqnfK0aYE0D83x0Eg

Murder threat of Minister Thors to prosecutors
A preliminary investigation of the murder threat against the Minister of Migration and European Affairs, Astrid Thors, will be completed this week. The case goes on with the criminal description of illegal threat, aggravated defamation, hate speech and copyright infringement. The suspect is a True Finns' alternate member of the Municipal Council of Urjala. The National Bureau of Investigation has investigated the murder threat that was published as a Facebook group called "I'm ready to sit a few years in prison for killing Astrid Thors". The group had about a hundred members.
Hufvudstadsbladet 14 June 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCuMZ0ZqnfK0aYE0D83y0Eh
Turun Sanomat 14 June 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCuMZ0ZqnfK0aYE0D83z0Ei
Keskisuomalainen 14 June 2010 (in Finnish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCuMZ0ZqnfK0aYE0D8310EV
Savon Sanomat 14 June 2010 (in Finnish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCuMZ0ZqnfK0aYE0D8320EW

Latvia

7,500 third country nationals in Latvia
There are more than 7,500 third country nationals in Latvia who have received temporary residence permits. One of the main reasons for immigration of non-EU citizens to Latvia is family bonds.
Integration and Minority Information Service 15 June 2010 (in English)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCuMZ0ZqnfK0aYE0DVlf0Ep

Norway

One in five will be an immigrant
The Progress Party in Norway is concerned about the growing numbers of immigrants and aims for a referendum on the issue. According to new forecasts by Statistics Norway (SSB), in about 50 years the Norwegian population will consist of 22 to 28 per cent immigrants. Today's figures show that there are 460,000 immigrants in Norway, but in 2060 the number can be between 1 and 1,8 million. The biggest growth will be among persons with a background in Eastern European countries. Per-Willy Amundsen, spokesperson for immigration policy in the Progress Party, expresses a wish for a referendum on Norway's immigration policy, saying that today's voters must decide whether or not they wish for the immigrant population to quadruple in 50 years.
Nettavisen 15 June 2010 (in Norwegian)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCuMZ0ZqnfK0aYE0D8330EX

Neglected refugees in Yemen
New figures by the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) show that there are 250,000 internally displaced persons in Yemen. The new NRC report has ranked Yemen as the world's most ignored refugee situation, with Ethiopia, India and Turkey, among others, following. For Richard Skretteberg, senior advisor of the NRC, Yemen's internally displaced persons face diverse difficulties with water, food, medicines, shelter and protection. According to Skretteberg, UNHCR receives very little funds for Yemen and in March it had to cut food rations. The sensitive and complicated political situation further hampers the situation of the refugees. In 2009, the number of internally displaced persons in Yemen more than doubled to around 175,000 individuals.
Verdens gang 14 June 2010 (in Norwegian)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCuMZ0ZqnfK0aYE0D8340EY

Ilda will not give up on hope
After a rejection of her asylum application, 9-year-old Ilda with a Kosovar background travels to Oslo to meet with parliamentarians on the coming Friday. After two years in Førde municipality, her family must leave Norway by 25 June. However, Kosovo is a strange country for Ilda. In her attempt to stay in Norway, the little girl from Førde has become a symbol of the tightended asylum policy. In Oslo, Ilda is preliminarily meeting with Heikki Holmås and Aktar Chaudhry from the Socialist Left Party, but she also hopes to have a few minutes time to speak with Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg. If he were to offer her a letter permitting her family to stay in Norway, it would make her parents very happy, Ilda says.
NRK 15 June 2010 (in Norwegian)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCuMZ0ZqnfK0aYE0D8350EZ

Sweden

UNICEF criticism on Sweden's refugee reception
Unaccompanied refugee children who seek asylum in Sweden, and stay with relatives or friends are subject to many risks. The Social Services often neglect to take a close look at the living conditions in these homes, which is against the law and the Convention on the Rights of the Child, according to UNICEF Sweden who severely critizes the system in a new report. UNICEF considers asylum-seeking children to be in a crisis situation. Therefore they are at risk of being exploited or otherwise badly treated. The agency interviewed several municipalities and found major differences between them. According to Gunilla Olofsson from the Social Services in Stockholm, the capital considers itself to be a pioneer in the work with refugee children and has brought up the issue at the national level. Stockholm has set up a review system for approving the family homes. It is projected that around 3000 unaccompanied asylum-seeking children will arrive in Sweden, mostly from Somalia and Afghanistan.
Svenska Dagbladet 15 June 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCuMZ0ZqnfK0aYE0D8360Ea
Dagens Nyheter 15 June 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCuMZ0ZqnfK0aYE0D8370Eb
Sveriges Radio 15 June 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCuMZ0ZqnfK0aYE0D8380Ec
Sveriges Television 15 June 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCuMZ0ZqnfK0aYE0D84A0Em
Nyhetskanalen 15 June 2010 (in Swedish) http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCuMZ0ZqnfK0aYE0D84B0En

Swedish authorities lack agreement
There is a lack of agreement among Sweden's authorities as to whether it is humane or not to return asylum-seeking minors to Malta. According to DN, on Wednesday three jury members of a migration court in Malmö went against a judge and decided that a 17-year-old Somali boy should not be allowed to apply for asylum in Sweden since his first port of entry to the EU was Malta. Meanwhile, the Green Party is arranging a seminar on the controversial deportation of minors to Malta on Wednesday and the Migration Board is considering making a field trip there to see how the minors deported under the terms of the Dublin Convention are being treated. The government's stance on the deportation of the minors has been much criticized by the red-green alliance and by the Christian Democrats, while Cecilia Malmström, the European Commissioner for Home Affairs, has said that Sweden can make an exception to the terms of the Convention.
Dagens Nyheter 16 June 2010 p:13 (in Swedish)

Council of Europe critical to forced returns
The Council of Europe demands that the Swedish government acts against the Immigration authorities that were so harshly criticized by UNHCR for forcible deportations of rejected Iraqi asylum-seekers. According to Thomas Hammarberg, Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, the organization's authority in international migration issues will be undermined, if the government does not take actions. Hammarbergs says that the recent signs of European governments neglecting to follow UNHCR's guidelines involves a big risk for individual lives and undermines the UN system for the protection of refugees in other parts of the world, too. Hammarberg refers to the story of Riyadh, a Christian Assyrian, who worked for the US Army in Iraq and whose brother was kidnapped and killed by extremist Islamists. Riyadh himself has received death threats. However, the Swedish Migration Board and the Migration Court of Appeal believe that Riyadh has not been able to prove that he risks being persecuted in Iraq, and he now faces deportation. The Director for Legal Affairs of the Swedish Migration Board, Mikael Ribbenvik, says in a debate on P1 Morgon that the Board's individual assessments are forward looking, meaning that they evaluate the risk of future threats. He also says that it would be possible for persons to stay in other parts of Iraq where the person is not under threat. When asked why Sweden does not listen to UNHCR, Ribbenvik says that this is not correct. According to Ribbenvik they work closely together with UNHCR, and says that their view on the situation in Iraq is similar, but that UNHCR now criticizes European countries so that Iraq's neighbouring countries will not start returning refugees to Iraq.
Sveriges Radio 16 June 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCuMZ0ZqnfK0aYE0D84C0Eo
Sveriges Radio P1 Morgon 16 June 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCuMZ0ZqnfK0aYE0D84D0Ep
Sveriges Radio Mobil 16 June 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCuMZ0ZqnfK0aYE0D84E0Eq



UNHCR in the news

Few refugees dared to return
According to a recent report by UNHCR, the number of refugees who voluntarily returned to their homeland fell drastically during last year. Only 251,000 of the world's 15 million refugees returned to their homes in 2009, the lowest figure in two decades. António Guterres, UN High Commissioner for Refugees, points to continued conflicts in Afghanistan, Somalia and Congo-Kinshasa as preventing refugees from returning home. Guterres also commented on the report by stating that crises in Iraq and the Southern Sudan are stuck due to continued violence and thus refugees are discouraged from to returning. "Already now the majority of the world's refugees have been refugees for five years or longer. The percentage will inevitably increase if fewer are able to return," Guterres stated. 80 percent of the refugees are located in developing countries, with Pakistan hosting the most with 1,7 million. In addition to the refugees, 27,1 million persons are internally displaced and 983,000 seek asylum globally.
Dagens Nyheter 15 June 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCuMZ0ZqnfK0aYE0D84F0Er
Sveriges Television 15 June 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCuMZ0ZqnfK0aYE0D84G0Es
Metro 15 June 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCuMZ0ZqnfK0aYE0D84H0Et

NB. This story was also covered in Denmark, Finland and Norway
Jyllands-Posten 15 June 2010 (in Danish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCuMZ0ZqnfK0aYE0D84I0Eu
Danmarks Radio 15 June 2010 (in Danish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCuMZ0ZqnfK0aYE0D84J0Ev
Helsingin Sanomat 15 June 2010 (in Finnish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCuMZ0ZqnfK0aYE0D84K0Ew
YLE 15 June 2010 (in Finnish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCuMZ0ZqnfK0aYE0D84L0Ex
YLE Svenska 15 June 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCuMZ0ZqnfK0aYE0D84M0Ey
StavangerAvisen 15 June 2010 (in Norwegian)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCuMZ0ZqnfK0aYE0D84N0Ez

UNHCR: Kyrgyz violence began with planned attacks
According to UNHCR, the violence in Kyrgyzstan seems not to have been caused by tensions between ethnic groups, but was planned and organized in advance. According to eyewitness information the organization has collected, the crisis began with five attacks carried out simultaneously in different parts of the city of Osh last week. One of the attacks was carried out at a gym that was known as a haunt of a criminal gang. Armed groups are thought to be behind the attacks. After the attacks the crisis has developed into ethnic violence, and the violence could escalate, UNHCR warns.
Vasabladet 15 June 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCuMZ0ZqnfK0aYE0D84O0E1
Aamulehti 15 June 2010 (in Finnish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCuMZ0ZqnfK0aYE0D84P0E2
Keskisuomalainen 15 June 2010 (in Finnish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCuMZ0ZqnfK0aYE0D84Q0E3

Help arrived for the refugees in Fergana
The first international emergency relief supplies have arrived in Uzbekistan. An airplane carrying materials from UNHCR, including 800 tents, landed at the airport in Andijan in the Uzbek part of the Fergana valley on Wednesday. Trucks were waiting at the airport to bring aid to refugee camps in the border region, and five more planes are expected to arrive later, bringing blankets, sleeping mats and building materials.
Dagens Nyheter 16 June 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCuMZ0ZqnfK0aYE0D84R0E4
Sveriges Television 16 June 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCuMZ0ZqnfK0aYE0D84S0E5
Expressen 16 June 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCuMZ0ZqnfK0aYE0D84T0E6

NB. This story was also covered in Denmark, Finland and Norway
Jyllands-Posten 16 June 2010 (in Danish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCuMZ0ZqnfK0aYE0D84U0E7
Helsingin Sanomat 16 June 2010 (in Finnish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCuMZ0ZqnfK0aYE0D84V0E8
YLE Svenska 16 June 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCuMZ0ZqnfK0aYE0D84W0EA
Verdens gang 16 June 2010 (in Norwegian)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCuMZ0ZqnfK0aYE0D84X0EB
Dagsavisen 16 June 2010 (in Norwegian)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCuMZ0ZqnfK0aYE0D84Y0EC
TV2 Nyhetene 16 June 2010 (in Norwegian)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCuMZ0ZqnfK0aYE0D84Z0ED

High Commissioner warns of a disaster in Kyrgyzstan
The international community could face a catastrophe if it does not take fast action and get the hostilities halted in Kyrgyzstan, UN High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres states in an interview with a German radio network. According to Guterres, what is happening is already a tragedy, and therefore the international community must quickly find a political solution. Also, the neighbouring countries must do everything in their power to help the Kyrgyz interim government to restore peace and stability.
Jyllands-Posten 16 June 2010 (in Danish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCuMZ0ZqnfK0aYE0D84a0EK

[Roope]

Thursday 17 June to Friday 18 June 2010

Finland

100,000 cross the border to Uzbekistan
According to UNHCR, the violence in Kyrgyzstan may have been planned beforehand. The organization has sent aid groups to the area to take care of those in need of help. The situation is worsened by the fact that Uzbekistan has decided to close its border. At the moment, taking care of the basic needs of those fleeing is essential. Hans ten Feld, Regional Representative of UNHCR, says that the persons who are fleeing the conflict need accommodation, food and water. Their sanitary conditions also need to be in order. The biggest problem for international aid organizations is the neighboring Uzbekistan's decision to close its border. Hans ten Feld notes that it is essentially an international obligation to allow people who need protection and safety to cross the border. Some 100,000 persons have fled across the border to Uzbekistan due to the violence that started on Thursday last week. The death toll estimates vary from 100 to 1,000 persons. When asked whether UNHCR has a back-up plan in case Uzbekistan keeps its border closed, Hans ten Feld answers that at the moment, it is too early to start looking at taking people out of the situation. If the conflict is prolonged, Finland's help is also needed. In that case, the help would be channeled through aid organizations. Hans ten Feld says that Finland is an important partner to UNHCR, increasingly so during the last several years.
MTV3 15 June 2010 "Uutiset" (in Finnish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCuhf0ZqnfK0aYE0EANM0EF

Human Rights Court overturns grandmother's deportation – temporarily
The European Court of Human Rights has temporarily overturned Finland's decision to deport Russian grandmother Irina Antonova. A final decision on the matter is expected in the coming days. Antonova's case is currently being heard by the court. Officials say they do not expect the process to drag on for weeks. The court temporarily overturned the deportation decision in order to review the case in peace. Finnish police were prepared to deport Antonova from the country on Wednesday. However, they delayed the deportation due to her failing health. Antonova was taken to hospital on Tuesday. Under current immigration legislation, foreign grandparents of Finns cannot be granted a residence permit, as they are not considered part of the immediate family.
YLE 17 June 2010 (in English)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCuhf0ZqnfK0aYE0EANN0EG

Own parliament for immigrants
The discussions about immigration are running high in Finland, and immigration is going to be a major topic in the upcoming parliamentary elections. Finnish political parties have traditionally had some immigrant candidates, although none have been elected into the parliament so far. Now, a new initiative aims to build a special parliament for immigrants. Immigrant Parliament of Finland (IPF) will be the first of its kind in the world. If all goes well, by the time the newly elected Finnish parliament convenes next year, there will also be an immigrant parliament in Finland.
Helsinki Times 17 June 2010 (in English)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCuhf0ZqnfK0aYE0EANO0EH
YLE 17 June 2010 (in Finnish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCuhf0ZqnfK0aYE0EANP0EI

Immigration critical group "Change 2011" registers as a party
The Immigration critical group Change 2011 will register as an official political party. The group has collected the 5,000 supporters required to be registered as a party. The list of supporters will be handed over to the Ministry of Justice for review on Friday. The party aims to have 2-3 members in the Parliament. Change 2011 has also plans to participate in the next presidential election as well as in the local elections.
Vasabladet 17 June 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCuhf0ZqnfK0aYE0EANQ0EJ
Turun Sanomat 17 June 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCuhf0ZqnfK0aYE0EANR0EK

Norway

UDI has inadequate knowledge of asylum-seekers' health
The Norwegian Organization for Asylum Seekers (NOAS) criticizes the Directorate of Immigration (UDI) for lack of knowledge about the quality of health services in countries they are sending asylum-seekers back to. According to Sylo Taraku, Acting Secretary General of NOAS, one cannot be sure whether the applicant has real opportunities to get proper treatment in their home country. A growing number of ill asylum-seekers are being returned following the Government's restrictions on the number of asylum-seekers two years ago, according to the organisation. UDI bases its decisions on country of origin information, which a professional independent body has gathered from international sources. Kirsten Myhre, Deputy Director of UDI, trusts the sources. However, NOAS thinks the available information is too general. The Ministry of Justice and the Police has confidence in UDI's assessments. The Norwegian government wants to further tighten the asylum policy. NOAS has requested a meeting with Ministry officials, hoping to restrain the developments.
NRK 18 June 2010 (in Norwegian)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCuhf0ZqnfK0aYE0EANS0EL

Sweden

Pregnant child to be returned to Italy
14-year-old Nimo from Somalia is pregnant and awaits deportation back to Italy from Sweden to seek asylum there. According to the Dublin Regulation, even if an unaccompanied child is pregnant, there are insufficient humanitarian reasons for exceptions to the rule. Nimo left Somalia at 12 and she first arrived in Italy. In August she is going to give birth to her child. The Migration Court of Appeal recently decided not to take up her case. Fredrik Beijer, Migration Board Asylum Procedures Manager, is sure that Nimo will be treated well in Italy. He comments that the Board has contacted the Italian authorities and will make sure that an NGO will take care of her. In a country respecting rule of law, authorities have to follow certain rules, Beijer argues.
Sveriges Television 16 June 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCuhf0ZqnfK0aYE0EANT0EM
Sveriges Television Mobil 16 June 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCuhf0ZqnfK0aYE0EANU0EN

"They beheaded my brother"
Riyadh's brother was executed because he worked as an interpreter for the Americans in Iraq. Riyadh himself has received death threats by the same executioners. Still, he has not received asylum in Sweden, although his entire family has been granted refugee status by the UN. According to a Migration Board official working on his case, a real threat has to exist with a certain intensity and magnitude, and this is not the case with Riyadh. Thomas Hammarberg, Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, has harshly criticized Sweden for deporting Iraqis. Hammarberg states that there are serious errors in the Swedish asylum system. Tobias Billström, Minister for Migration and Asylum Policy, argues that as long as Sweden regulates immigration, there will always be persons dissatisfied with a negative decision. Not a single law can change that, Billström further comments.
Sveriges Radio 16 June 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCuhf0ZqnfK0aYE0EANV0EO

Support for Roma mother
Around 150 persons gathered to support and to sign a protest list for the 22-year-old Demilija Iseni in order for her and her two sons to be allowed to stay in Sweden. The list will be forwarded to the Migration Board. Demilija received refugee status in a refugee camp in Serbia after fleeing from the war in Kosovo. Her 5-year-old son has severe mental problems and several doctors have provided statements that he will suffer if returned back to Serbia. Demilija is Roma and she knows nobody in Serbia. Several individuals, politicians and the local Amnesty International section have engaged in her case. According to Amnesty officials, the Migration Board should take account of the Convention on the Rights of the Child and let the family stay.
Sveriges Radio 17 June 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCuhf0ZqnfK0aYE0EANW0EP



UNHCR in the news

Afghan minors should be regarded as refugees
UNHCR fears that Sweden and other European states soon will start routinely deporting Afghan asylum-seeking children to orphanges in Afghanistan. A new report by UNHCR shows that a majority should receive refugee status.  Almost 6000 Afghan children and youth sought asylum in Europe last year, but according to UNCHR, there may be many more around Europe, especially boys. Liv Feijen, head of the legal division at the UNHCR office in Stockholm, states that there is a strong pressure, not least in the Nordic countries, to return minors who are considered as not being in need of protection. Tobias Billström, Minister for Migration and Asylum Policy, has tasked the Migration Board to find suitable "care centers" for minors in Afghanistan and Iraq. The Board, which recently visited Afghanistan, says that the goal is to facilitate family reunification. UNHCR has interviewed 42 Afghan children on why and how they found their way to Sweden. Liv Feijen says that the decision often is taken by smugglers. UNHCR stresses that the children should be seen as refugees because they have fled Afghanistan in the fear of forced recruitment, or they risk being killed on their way to school. In the first instance they flee to Pakistan or Iran, where conditions are terrible and they are exploited as work force, according to Feijen, who adds that many of the children have been subjected to traumatic experiences on their way to Europe.
Dagens Nyheter 18 June 2010 p:17 (in Swedish)

UN: 400,000 displaced due to unrest in Kyrgyzstan
Nearly 100,000 persons have arrived to seek asylum in Uzbekistan, but most are internally displaced in Kyrgyzstan. Elisabeth Byrs, spokesperson for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, OCHA, says that according to recent estimates from the UN agencies, there are at least 400,000 refugees and displaced persons fleeing due to the conflict. The Kyrgyz government says that at least 191 are killed and nearly 2,000 injured as a result of the fighting. According to other sources, the number of deaths is much higher. Both the International Red Cross and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees have warned that there is a big humanitarian crisis brewing in Kyrgyzstan.
Jyllands-Posten 17 June 2010 (in Danish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCuhf0ZqnfK0aYE0EANX0EQ

This story was also covered in Finland, Sweden and Norway
Vasabladet 17 June 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCuhf0ZqnfK0aYE0EANY0ER
Sveriges Television 17 June 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCuhf0ZqnfK0aYE0EANZ0ES
Verdens Gang 17 June 2010 (in Norwegian)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCuhf0ZqnfK0aYE0EANa0EZ

[Roope]

Saturday 19 June to Monday 21 June 2010

Finland

UN celebrates World Refugee Day 2010
On Sunday, the UN celebrated World Refugee Day 2010. This year the UN wanted to draw attention to refugees and their courage, perseverance and their will to overcome difficulties. On World Refugee Day the UN gave out the traditional Nansen Refugee Award, awarded annually to an individual or group in recognition of admirable work for the well-being of refugees. World Refugee Day has been celebrated since 2000. The UN helps approximately 15 million refugees around the world.
YLE 20 June 2010 (in Finnish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCvD20ZqnfK0aYE0EAS20EQ
YLE X3M 20 June 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCvD20ZqnfK0aYE0EAS30ER

Difficult to reunite refugee families
According to Finnish refugee organizations, it is much more difficult to reunite refugee families than what one is led to believe in the public discourse. Marcus Floman from the Finnish Refugee Council says that figures are distorted and the debate is inflamed. He believes that populist parties and journalists with a political interest present facts in a tendentious way. The Refugee Advice Centre and the Finnish Refugee Council believe that the media and politicians present family reunification as an easy way to bring large families, foster children and distant relatives to Finland. But just the trip for a DNA test from Mogadishu in Somalia to the nearest Finnish Embassy in Ethiopia is over a thousand kilometers. The application requires lengthy investigations, while the decision could take several years. The organizations say that only nuclear families and persons who are totally dependent on their relatives may be entitled to family reunification in Finland, and that it becomes more difficult for refugees to adjust to their new lives in Finland if they have to worry about their families at home. Around 1,000 families of minor refugee children have been allowed to stay in Finland after year 2000. Almost half of the minors coming to Finland never reunite with their family.
Hufvudstadsbladet 20 June 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCvD20ZqnfK0aYE0EAS40ES
Turun Sanomat 20 June 2010 (in Finnish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCvD20ZqnfK0aYE0EAS50ET
YLE 20 June 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCvD20ZqnfK0aYE0EAS60EU
Turun Sanomat 20 June 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCvD20ZqnfK0aYE0EAS70EV
Vasabladet 20 June 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCvD20ZqnfK0aYE0EAS80EW

Congestion at the Immigration Service
Applications for family reunification from Somalis have congested the Finnish Immigration Service. Over 4,000 applicants are waiting for a decision. The oldest pending applications were submitted in early 2008. According to the Immigration Service, the congestion is caused by a sudden increase in applications. In addition, the process is prolonged by the fact that Somalis are generally interviewed orally because documents proving the alleged family ties are not available in their home country. Applications for family reunification from other nationalities are also badly congested. In early May, a total of 8,000 applications were waiting in a queue. In April, the Immigration Service received a note from the Parliamentary Ombudsman regarding applications for family reunification that had been pending for nearly two years. According to the Aliens Act, the maximum period is nine months.
Turun Sanomat 20 June 2010 (in Finnish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCvD20ZqnfK0aYE0EATA0Eg

Norway

Children killed in Afghanistan - new report on Afghan children published
Last Sunday the world celebrated World Refugee Day. While Afghan refugee children tell their stories in a compiled report "Voices of Afghan Children", published by UNHCR on Friday, three children were killed in various attacks in Afghanistan on Sunday. Rebecca Svad from UNHCR, who interviewed a group of Afghan minors who had come to Sweden all by themselves, says that they wanted to tell the childrens' own stories. The report examines the reasons and motivations why the children leave their home country, the routes they take through Europe, and the way they are received upon arrival. The children tell of journeys through Iran, Pakistan, Turkey, Greece, France and other European countries. Often they are abused by human traffickers, border guards and police officers. Some of them die along the way and some are left to an uncertain fate. As indicated in the report, in recent years there has been a marked increase in the the number of children who flee alone to Europe and Scandinavia. Last year, 2,250 unaccompanied minors sought asylum in Sweden, 780 of them came from Afghanistan. Throughout the EU the figure of unaccompanied refugee children is around 15,000 persons. In Norway, however, the trend appears to be the reversed: this year there have been 36 per cent fewer asylum-seekers compared to last year, and according to the Directorate of Immigration, the reduction is even greater when it comes to unaccompanied minors. Hans ten Feld, UNHCR's representative in the Nordic countries, stresses in a press release that it is necessary to have a holistic approach when it comes to young asylum-seekers. He reminds that it is very complicated to consider asylum applications from children since children face other dangers than adults. The fears, feelings of shame and their often painful experiences create trauma that must not be forgotten, ten Feld summarizes.
Verdens gang 20 June 2010 (in Norwegian)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCvD20ZqnfK0aYE0EATB0Eh

NB. This story was also covered in Denmark
Danmarks Radio 18 June 2010 (in Danish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCvD20ZqnfK0aYE0EATC0Ei

Drop in the number of asylum-seekers
Fewer asylum-seekers arrive in Norway, and at the same time the Police deports more foreign nationals than ever. According to earlier estimations, 18,500 asylum-seekers were expected to come to Norway this year. Now the estimates lie at 13,500 persons, the newspaper Verdens Gang reports. Knut Storberget, Minister of Justice and the Police, notes that the objective was to return 5300 persons, now the estimate has risen to 6000. Storberget comments that it is difficult to see behind the reasons why the number of asylum-seekers has gone down. However, faster processing can be significant, he believes.
Dagsavisen 19 June 2010 (in Norwegian)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCvD20ZqnfK0aYE0EATD0Ej

Eritrean asylum-seekers pressed to become informers
Asylum-seekers from Eritrea coming to Norway are threatened by the regime they fled from. In Norway, the asylum-seekers risk being forced to become informants if their families fail to pay the Eritrean government.  A Human Rights Watch report states that much of the population in Eritrea performs forced labor and military service for the regime. More than 6000 Eritrean asylum-seekers have arrived in Norway during the last five years. As a measure to try to stem the refugee flow from the country, the family of the person who has fled has to pay a fine of 50,000 Nakfa to the regime (about 20,000 NOK), equivalent of an annual salary in Eritrea, according to Kjetil Tronvoll, an expert on Eritre at the Norway-based International Law and Policy Institute. Many parents who cannot pay the money end up in prison, often under inhumane conditions, says Tronvoll. The Eritrean Consulate in Oslo denies that families are forced to pay the government.
NRK 20 June 2010 (in Norwegian)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCvD20ZqnfK0aYE0EATE0Ek

9-year-old Ilda got to meet politicians
On Friday, Ilda from Kosovo, whose family has received a deportation order, met with Heikki Holmås and Aktar Chaudhry from the Socialist Left Party in the Parliament. Holmås stated that the politicians must adhere o the best possible policies in the care of children. Ilda did not get to meet Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg, but she is sure that the politicians she met will present him a personal letter from her. Next Ilda and her family hope for a meeting with ruling party parliamentarians and wish to have the rejection of their asylum application annulled.
NRK 18 June 2010 (in Norwegian)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCvD20ZqnfK0aYE0EATF0El

Hammarberg: Norwegian asylum policy is inhumane
The Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Thomas Hammarberg, says that the Norwegian asylum policy is inhumane and contrary to the principle of the child's best interest, the main rule of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Hammarberg refers to the case of the nine-year-old Ilda and her family, who will have to return to Kosovo even though the parents are mentally ill. Hammarberg believes that such cases show that Norway has gone too far, and that the authorities no longer emphasize the child's best interest. However, the Secretary of State Paul K. Lønseth from the Ministry of Justice and the Police denies that Norway leads an inhumane asylum policy that violates the Convention on the Rights of the Child. He says that if every family was given asylum regardless whether they had a need for protection or not, it would not be possible to take care of those who come to the country. Those who do not have a need for protection will have to return.
NRK 21 June 2010 (in Norwegian)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCvD20ZqnfK0aYE0EATG0Em

Sweden

Few are ready to host refugee children
Few families are prepared to host refugee children. These results were published in a survey conducted by Sifo, for the care company Aleris. The results were presented on World Refugee Day. 1403 persons aged 16-65 years responded to the survey. When asked whether their community should accept unaccompanied refugee children, 81 percent answered yes. Most negative answers were given by men in southern Sweden and Malmö, the strongest support came from women in northern Sweden and Gothenburg.  69 per cent said they would not want to host a child in their respective families. The country was divided also on this topic. In the north, 42 per cent were positive about being a host family, whereas in the south, the figure was 21 per cent.
Svenska Dagbladet 20 June 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCvD20ZqnfK0aYE0EATH0En
Dagens Nyheter 20 June 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCvD20ZqnfK0aYE0EATI0Eo

Unaccompanied refugee children are doing well
Unaccompanied refugee children are strong and usually do well in Sweden. Ercan Sahin, psycho therapist and responsible for the care company Aleris, notes that mostly boys in the age of 14-17 years are sent abroad, particularly from Afghanistan, Somalia and Iraq. However, Swedes would prefer to host young girls. Although the host families receive a compensation of around 10,000 SEK per month to care for the child, the work is very demanding. In a study "Unaccompanied but not alone", psychologist Marie Hessle followed up a number of refugee children mostly from Somalia, Iraq and Afghanistan. She found out that the children are mostly well integrated in the society and generally have a good mental health. Few suffer from post-traumatic stress disorders such as concentration problems and insomnia. Ercan Sahin summarizes two types of classical problems, which affect almost every unaccompanied refugee child, namely identity and separation problems. The first two years are the easiest, but then a clash of cultures hits the child because of a lost contact to other family members. Although the children may seem to be doing well, they could have hidden depressions that need treatment. He further comments that the reception in Sweden is respectable, and there seems to be a genuine good will among politicians and persons working with unaccompanied children. A particularly important thing with children is to break passivity from the beginning, and here Sahin refers to the method "active inclusion". Many children have been offered internships already after a few months stay in Sweden.
Dagens Nyheter 20 June 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCvD20ZqnfK0aYE0EATJ0Ep



UNHCR in the news

UNHCR relief flight landed in Osh
On Sunday a UNHCR relief flight landed in Osh. UNHCR has already airlifted aid to Uzbekistan, where around 100,000 fleeing persons have sought asylum from the unrest in southern Kyrgyzstan. Twenty persons have been arrested in suspicion of crimes during the violence. According to the spokesman of the Ministry of the Interior, an investigation of 90 murders, arsons and kidnappings has been launched. On Sunday, the Kyrgyz troops began to dismantle the barricades which were erected in Osh during last week's violence, and the city center was cleared and roads opened to traffic.
YLE 20 June 2010 (in English)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCvD20ZqnfK0aYE0EATK0Eq

[Roope]

Tuesday 22 June to Wednesday 23 June 2010

Estonia

Estonia to give aid to victims of Kyrgyzstan violence through UNHCR
Estonia's Foreign Ministry will give 1.5 million kroons (EUR 96,000) in aid to persons forced to leave their homes because of violent ethnic clashes in Kyrgyzstan. The aid will be channeled through the office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. UNHCR helps persons in need of help in Kyrgyzstan as well as those who have fled to Uzbekistan. Preliminary data put the number of displaced persons in Kyrgyzstan at 400,000 of whom nearly 100,000 have fled to Uzbekistan. Women, children and elderly persons make up a large part of the refugees. In Uzbekistan most of the refugees are concentrated in 48 temporary camps in the Andijan region.
Baltic News Service 19 June 2010 (in English) (Subscription required)
www.bns.ee

Finland

Fewer beds available for asylum-seekers
The Finnish Immigration Service is to cut back sharply on accommodation available for asylum-seekers. Nationwide, the capacity will be reduced by nearly 1,000 beds as a result of a drop in asylum applications. This year there are expected to be one third fewer applications than last year. Among the centres to be closed at the end of this year is a unit for minors in Parikkala near the Russian border. The decision came as a complete surprise to the municipality of Parikkala. According to Veikko Pyykkönen of the Immigration Service, the number of minor asylum-seekers to Finland has significantly dropped. He says that there have been 120 asylum-seekers so far this year. An estimated 300 are expected by the end of the year. Last year, 557 asylum-seekers arrived in Finland. In 2008, there were around 700.
YLE 22 June 2010 (in English)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCvYc0ZqnfK0aYE0EAjj0Et
Itä-Savo 21 June 2010 (in Finnish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCvYc0ZqnfK0aYE0EAjk0Eu

Antonova returns to Russia
Russian officials say that the 82-year-old woman at the heart of a deportation dispute in Finland has returned to Russia. Irina Antonova's daughter decided to take her back to Russia on Tuesday despite a European Court of Human Rights ruling this week saying that Antonova should stay in Finland until at least September. The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has asked the Finnish government for further clarification on the case, to be submitted by the end of August. The ECHR has issued a temporary stay of her deportation, which remains in force at least until it considers the government's response next autumn. The Court wants to hear the government's view as to whether the deportation of a sick elderly person violates article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which forbids "inhuman or degrading treatment".
YLE 21 June 2010 (in English)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCvYc0ZqnfK0aYE0EAjl0Ev

Sweden

Deportations to Iraq very alarming
UNHCR is strongly critical of Sweden and several other European countries that do not follow UN recommendations against the deportation of asylum-seeking Iraqis to most parts of Iraq. Last Thursday, the United Kingdom again sent back 42 Iraqi asylum-seekers, of whom many had been abused on board the plane prior to departure, states UNHCR. Andrej Mahecic, spokesperson for UNHCR, reported that UNHCR lawyers met with six of the Iraqis at the airport in Baghdad and found that they had fresh bruises that suggested ill-treatment. According to Mahecic, it is very worrying that governments ignore UNHCR guidelines, considering the prevailing security situation in Iraq. It is not the first time UNHCR gives these recommendations, however, the governments do not listen to them, Mahecic says. According to him, UNHCR's credibility would be undermined more if the organisation did not give out recommendations, as the five provinces that are mentioned  are not safe. He says that it is a crime to send people back who have not had their applications reviewed, which appears not to be the case. Although it is not a breach of the 1951 Refugee Convention to send back refugees who have had their asylum applications rejected, the deportations do not follow the recommendations of the UNHCR and are as such serious as they are operating in a kind of grey zone, Mahecic concludes.
Svenska Dagbladet 21 June 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCvYc0ZqnfK0aYE0EAjm0Ew

Few pass the requirements for family reunification
Few refugees manage to pass the government's new requirement to have a decent income and proper housing conditions before they can reunite with their relatives. Either the person has no other income than social welfare or their salary is not high enough, says Sven Bergqvist, a lawyer at the Migration Board. According to the new rules, persons who have been granted a residence permit in Sweden first have to show that they can support themselves and have adequate accommodation, before the wife or husband may come to Sweden through family reunification. Since this April, out of 92 such cases in the Migration Board, 73 per cent could not meet the requirements. Tobias Billström, Minister for Migration and Asylum Policy, originally wanted the requirement to concern far more persons than what the case is today. After a heated debate, not least with the Christian Democrats and the Liberal Party, families with children, those with a refugee status and those who have been living in Sweden for at least four years were excluded from the rule. In April and May the Migration Board gave a decision in 5000 family reunification cases, of which 92 persons were tested under the new stricter rules.
Sveriges Radio 22 June 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCvYc0ZqnfK0aYE0EAjn0Ex

Lulia can stay in Sweden
The nine-month-old baby Lulia will not be deported to Gaza. After Sveriges Radio highlighted the case of the little girl and her family, the Migration Board now has concluded that new circumstances permit Lulia and her family to stay. Lulia's father Jehad Abousalah received the news on Monday. He fears that he might be killed if returned to Gaza, because Hamas suspects him of causing a car accident outside his house in which a Hamas member died. When the family applied for residence permit, their application was rejected, but in April, The Director for Legal Affairs of the Swedish Migration Boar,d Mikael Ribbenvik, gave a legal statement in which he concluded that Sweden should not deport children to Gaza because the situation there is not safe. However, the Board could still not grant them a residence permit, since the Migration Court of Appeal already had decided that the family would be expelled, and a Court ruling cannot be changed. Now the Migration Board has found new circumstances in a confidential report, and the family can therefore stay in Gothenburg. This decision will most probably affect more families currently under similar circumstances as Lulia's.
Sveriges Radio 22 June 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCvYc0ZqnfK0aYE0EAjo0Ey
Sveriges Radio 22 June 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCvYc0ZqnfK0aYE0EAjp0Ez

Growing number of unaccompanied girls
The number of unaccompanied refugee girls coming to Sweden is on the increase. For example, in the arrival municipality Mölndal, currently a third of the unaccompanied refugee children are girls. SVT tells the story of 17-year-old Fardouwsa from Somalia, whose mother sent her away because girls are likely to be raped or otherwise particularly affected by the war-torn chaos. She traveled nine days with a smuggler who received about 20 dollars for the trip from Fardouwsa's mother. More than 2000 unaccompanied refugee children annually arrive in Sweden, and at the moment, sending Somali girls abroad has increased.
Sveriges Television 22 June 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCvYc0ZqnfK0aYE0EAjq0E1
Sveriges Television 22 June 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCvYc0ZqnfK0aYE0EAjr0E2

14-year-old pregnant girl to be expelled from Sweden
Nimo came as a refugee child to Sweden, but now she has to return - despite the fact that she is pregnant and will be left to inappropriate conditions, according to Sveriges Television Rapport. Nimo left Somalia alone, and first arrived in Italy. In Sweden, the Migration Court of Appeal has chosen not to take up her case. Sweden does not send refugee children to Greece and Malta, where conditions have been poor for vulnerable children. Current data by the Mölndal reception unit reveals that refugee children's rights may be violated also in Italy, and they often end up on the street, as Nimo already once did. The very idea of throwing out a pregnant 14-year-old girl to the streets in Italy is crazy, says Henry Ascher, President of the Medical Association for refugee children. But the Migration Board denies the accusation that children are badly treated in Italy. The basic question is that Sweden is confident about the other EU states and makes sure that a legally secure asylum system exists in that state, argues Fredrik Beijer, Head of the Division for Asylum Examination at the Migration Board. Many believe that derogations from the Dublin Regulation on humanitarian grounds should used more frequently. As the amount of unaccompanied children has grown, the assessments have become more restrictive, concludes Ascher.
Sveriges Television 22 June 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCvYc0ZqnfK0aYE0EAjs0E3
Svenska Dagbladet 22 June 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCvYc0ZqnfK0aYE0EAjt0E4



UNHCR in the news

Goodwill Ambassador Angelina Jolie visits Haiti again
Last weekend the Goodwill Ambassador for UNHCR, actress Angelina Jolie, visited the earthquake-ravaged island nation Haiti, where she met with representatives of the UN and local authorities. Jolie has visited Haiti several times, most recently in February, when she inspected an orphanage and met with victims of the devastating earthquake on 12 January. On Thursday and Friday last week the actress traveled to Ecuador as a prelude to the UN World Refugee Day on Sunday. By visiting the Colombian refugees in Ecuador Jolie wanted to raise awareness of violence against refugee women and children.
TV 2 Nyhederne 22 June 2010 (in Danish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCvYc0ZqnfK0aYE0EAju0E5

[Roope]

Thursday 24 June to Monday 28 June 2010

Finland

Study on tortured refugee children's need for psychiatric help
A large proportion of unaccompanied asylum-seeking and refugee minors have had traumatizing experiences, but mental health services for these groups remain inadequate. The Helsinki Deaconess Research Institute will conduct a study on tortured and severely traumatized refugee children in Finland.  The goal of the project is to identify the tortured children's need for psychiatric help. Children and young persons who are recruited as soldiers or have been raped or otherwise subjected to severe violence often exhibit trauma related symptoms. According to the preliminary results of the study, one fourth of asylum-seeker children and young persons have alarming trauma related symptoms, but the staff is aware of only seven per cent these trauma cases. The study will be concluded in a few years.
Hufvudstadsbladet 23 June 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCwPz0ZqnfK0aYE0EA7F0Eh
YLE 23 June 2010 (in Finnish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCwPz0ZqnfK0aYE0EA7G0Ei

Norway

Number of asylum-seekers continues to decrease
Estimates on the number of asylum-seekers to Norway are now further reduced from 17,500 to 10,000 persons, Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg said at a press conference. The number is almost 3,000 less than during the same period last year. The reduction in the number of unaccompanied minors is 66 per cent compared with the same period last year. The Minister of Justice and the Police Knut Storberget says the decrease in the number of asylum-seekers to Norway may indicate that the Government's tightened measures have had an effect. Among the measures being considered to have had particular impact is the increased focus on forced returns, measures aimed at Iraq and Afghanistan, e.g. a return agreement with Iraq, increased use of the Dublin II Regulation and an adjustment to other countries' practices. UNHCR has warned not to forcibly return Iraqi asylum-seekers and believes that asylum-seekers from five different provinces in Iraq should enjoy international protection, but the recommendations are not binding on the Norwegian authorities.
ABC Nyheter 25 June 2010 (in Norwegian)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCwPz0ZqnfK0aYE0EA7H0Ej

Sweden

"The children cut themselves in the arms and require acute mental health services"
A growing number of unaccompanied refugee children are returned to the first European country they arrived, under to the so-called Dublin regulation. Paula Aracena, social worker in Malmö, says the situation in Malmö has become acute with many children feeling extremely ill. They develop extreme forms of self-injury behavior, like cutting themselves in the arms, and live under great pressure and stress. The children are in need of psychiatric care. Paula Aracena says the children talk about extremely improper treatment in the countries where they lived previously, and that rape and imprisonment are common. She adds that the children in Malmö are to be deported to Hungary and Romania, and that they are afraid to return there. Liv Feijen from the UNHCR regional office in Stockholm says that the stories of the 42 Afghan children interviewed for a new study on Afghan children residing in Sweden, conducted by the UNHCR office in Stockholm, were similar to those of the so-called "Dublin-children". The children talked about how they were affected both directly and indirectly by the security situation in Afghanistan as well as about the specific form of persecution directed to children in the country. The children stand at risk of being recruited by the Taliban, falling victim to child labour, and in some cases even being sexually abused by the Taliban. Liv Feijen adds that the children also talked about how they were subjected to persecution while fleeing and that most of the children were smuggled. According to Fejien there has been a heavy increase in the number of unaccompanied minors coming to the Nordic countries, especially from Afghanistan. The study showed that the children did not even know where Sweden is and that it was the smugglers' idea to take them to Sweden.
Sveriges Radio 23 June 2010 Studio Ett "17-timmen" 17:00 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCwPz0ZqnfK0aYE0EA7I0Ek
Sveriges Radio 23 June 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCwPz0ZqnfK0aYE0EA7J0El
Sveriges Radio 23 June 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCwPz0ZqnfK0aYE0EA7K0Em
Sveriges Radio 23 June 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCwPz0ZqnfK0aYE0EA7L0En

"Southern Europe has to bear its responsibilities"
Minister Tobias Billström says that several southern European countries do not take responsibility for the reception of refugees and asylum-seekers. According to him, the conditions regarding the reception of refugees in Italy, Greece and Malta are inadequate, and this issue must be discussed. Billström does not think that Sweden should stop deportations to these countries due to shortcomings. He argues that responsibility rests with the EU Commission to step in and put pressure on member states. He refers to the Stockholm Program which proposes common EU rules on asylum by 2012. Time is running out and if all member countries do not adopt to the new regulations, the Commission has to put more pressure and possibly introduce sanctions, says Billström.
Dagens Nyheter 24 June 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCwPz0ZqnfK0aYE0EA7M0Eo

More evidence on deficiencies in Italy
Mölndal municipality will demonstrate to the Migration Board that the reception of unaccompanied refugee children in Italy has shortcomings. In a letter to be arriving on Thursday, the municipality highlights twelve different stories of beatings, rapes and begging from Somali teenagers who came to Sweden from Italy. Several tell of how they were forced to live on the street, how they begged money for food and how they were raped and abused. According to Minister Billström, the bad conditions could jeopardize EU's common asylum policy if Sweden makes too many exceptions to the Dublin Regulation.
Sveriges Television 23 June 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCwPz0ZqnfK0aYE0EA7N0Ep

14-year-old pregnant girl goes into hiding
The pregnant 14-year-old Somali asylum-seeker who is to be deported to Italy ran away on Wednesday last week when she was left alone at a medical consultation. The police have still not been able to locate the girl. The girl has been living in a refugee detention centre in Gothenburg since last winter and awaits deportation within a few weeks. Her support person Ingrid Schiöler hopes that the Migration Board will change the decision on the girl's case and get her a medical certificate. She says the girl is all alone, feeling very ill and risks preterm birth. Schiöler concludes that she has no family support and no major network and is in a very vulnerable position, and that there is racism against Somalis in Italy and the girl would not cope with such circumstances. Tobias Billström, Minister for Migration and Asylum Policy, would not comment on the case of the 14-year-old girl but says that reception conditions in Italy, Malta and Greece should be discussed. If circumstances were the same throughout the European Union, there would not be any problems with deporting persons back to other EU states, commented Billström.
Dagens Nyheter 24 June 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCwPz0ZqnfK0aYE0EA7O0Eq
Svenska Dagbladet 24 June 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCwPz0ZqnfK0aYE0EA7P0Er
Sveriges Television 24 June 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCwPz0ZqnfK0aYE0EA7Q0Es
Svenska Dagbladet 24 June 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCwPz0ZqnfK0aYE0EA7R0Et

Malmström calls for stop to deportations
Following a ruling from the Migration Court that a 14-year-old pregnant Somali girl is to be deported to Italy, Cecilia Malmström, the European commissioner for home affairs, says that Sweden can make an exception to the rules and allow the girl to stay. According to Malmström, in the Swedish debate it sounds as though it is impossible to make an exception to the Dublin Regulation, but this is not the case in her opinion. She notes that the Regulation is just a technical means of distributing responsibility, to regulate which is the first country of asylum. With a growing number of unaccompanied children arriving in Europe, debate on the Dublin Regulation is rife in a number of countries. Malmström says that she is working night and day with these issues and that she wants to see a temporary ban on deportations to countries where the reception standards are inadequate.
Dagens Nyheter 25 June 2010 p:10 (in Swedish)

Asylum-seeker murdered
A 25-year-old man remains in custody on suspicion of having killed another man on Friday in an apartment rented by the Migration Board in Alvesta. The man himself told the police about his part in the killing. Both the victim and the suspect are asylum-seekers. The arrested man is suspected of murder or alternatively manslaughter.
Dagens Nyheter 28 June 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCwPz0ZqnfK0aYE0EA7S0Eu
Dagens Nyheter 26 June 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCwPz0ZqnfK0aYE0EA7T0Ev

EU's plan to stop refugees already in Africa
Libya has become the new Malta, since refugees are now stopped already on the African continent. Metro Stockholm's reportage tells the story of 16-year-old Sakarias from Somalia, who was among the last ones to reach Europe. He was recently deported from Sweden back to Malta. Refugees who have been in Libyan prisons tell about the horrible conditions there. Sara Bergqvist, Swedish public health expert, returned from Malta where she worked for Doctors Without Borders. She is worried about the circumstances in Libya, where the organization has not yet received an approval to work, and by the news that recently the local UNHCR office has been forced to close. According to Bergqvist, refugees have described Libya as hell on earth, comparable to the difficulties during the journey through the Saharan desert. Refugees are said to be treated like animals by both the authorities and local people. All this happens with the consent of the EU, says researcher Martin Lemberg-Pedersen from the University of Copenhagen on the new immigration policy. The control of the refugee flows has been externalized, he notes. In an exchange Libya, the former country with a terrorist stamp, receives bigger acknowledgment from the outside world and increased trade relations, Lemberg-Pedersen states. He also criticizes Greece on the use of the Dublin Regulation: in 2008, the Mediterranean country granted asylum for only 1 per cent of refugees. The result is that the majority of refugees never come further than Europe's doorstep, he concludes.
Metro Nyheter 24 June 2010 p:10 (in Swedish)

Few Uzbeks get to remain in Sweden
Uzbek refugees who have returned to their home country risk being tortured and imprisoned, reveals a new report by the Migration Board. TV4 met with a couple, Valeria and Sergey Ten, getting married at the Storkyrkan in Stockholm. Sergey faces deportation in a few weeks, but he fears he will be imprisoned once in Uzbekistan. The Ten couple belongs to a Korean ethnic group in Uzbekistan. The country is ruled by a dictatorship that violates human rights of opposition and minority members. Just the fact that one has fled the country is seen as treason. Despite cases of torture, Sweden deports persons to Uzbekistan. Out of 114 applicants only 7 have received a positive decision. The Swedish Migration Board has issued a new report, but according to Mikael Ribbenvik, Director of Legal Affairs at the Board, Swedish courts make the final decision on how to change the practice. Anita Dorazio, refugee representative, finds it impossible to understand that persons are deported to Uzbekistan, and for ethnic minorities the situation is even worse. Valeria and Sergey remain hopeful about a future in Sweden.
Nyhetskanalen TV4 24 June 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCwPz0ZqnfK0aYE0EA7U0Ew



UNHCR in the news

UN concerned about returning refugees to Kyrgyzstan
According to UNHCR, a vast majority of the 100,000 refugees who escaped the violence in Kyrgyzstan have returned back from Uzbekistan to their home country. On Friday UNHCR expressed concern over the fact that the local authorities might have pressured a number of refugees to return to Kyrgyzstan, which held a referendum on Sunday. UNHCR representative Adrian Edwards says that UNHCR is concerned about the voluntary nature of some cases. He adds that even if the refugees wanted to reunite with their families, many were concerned about the security situation and the fact that homes had been destroyed and looted. UNHCR stresses that refugees and returnees should receive adequate information in support of their decision to return and that the return should be safe and voluntary.
YLE 26 June 2010 (in Finnish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCwPz0ZqnfK0aYE0EA7V0Ex

[Roope]

Tuesday 29 June to Wednesday 30 June 2010

Denmark

Asylum-seekers take money from development aid
The government has completely underestimated the number of asylum-seekers arriving in Denmark this year. During budget negations last autumn the government estimated that no more than 2,300 refugees would seek asylum in Denmark in 2010, but the Ministry of Integration now believes the final tally could be 3,600 – a misjudgment of nearly 40 per cent. The government is now going to have to take DKK 325.6m from other programmes, such as foreign development aid, to cover the extra costs, which is 'unfair' according to the Social Democrats. The party's integration spokesman Henrik Dam Kristensen says that it is unreasonable to let underdeveloped countries foot the bill because the government made a mistake. The Danish People's Party's (DF) deputy leader Peter Skaarup said he would be asking the Integration Minister how the government could have been so wrong, and for an update on the current situation regarding the money set aside to provide more aid to local areas close to the countries the asylum-seekers are fleeing from.
Berlingske Tidende 29 Juni 2010 (in Danish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCwkj0ZqnfK0aYE0EBRL0ES
Jyllands-Posten 29 June 2010 (in Danish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCwkj0ZqnfK0aYE0EBRM0ET
Jyllands-Posten 29 June 2010 (in Danish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCwkj0ZqnfK0aYE0EBRN0EU

Asylum-seekers returned back to Greece
Denmark has started deporting rejected asylum-seekers to Greece again. During the past six months, Denmark has only returned asylum-seekers there if Greece has guaranteed that the asylum-seekers will not be sent back to their home countries where they can be subjected to persecution or torture. In cases where Greece has not responded, the case has been tried in Denmark. This practice has now ceased. The Danish Refugee Council is concerned that asylum-seekers returned to Greece are sent back to their home countries to be tortured. A number of international organizations, including UNHCR, Amnesty International and the Council of Europe advice EU not to return asylum-seekers to Greece.
Danmarks Radio 29 June 2010 (in Danish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCwkj0ZqnfK0aYE0EBRO0EV

Three reception centres to be closed
In November three reception centers will be closed: Hvilested and Rødby in Lolland and Holmegård in Langeland, all of which have only existed for just over six months. Around 320 asylum-seekers must either return home or move to another center before November. The news has been particularly difficult for employees losing their jobs at the three different centres. According to Jørgen Chemnitz, head of the asylum department at the Red Cross, the explanation is the faster processing of asylum cases at the Immigration Service, which in turn decreases the need for places. Between 150 and 160 persons leave the Danish asylum centers every month, which is much more than before. According to Jørgen Chemnitz, this is a due to the faster proceedings at the Immigration Service.
Politiken 29 June 2010 (in Danish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCwkj0ZqnfK0aYE0EBRP0EW

Finland

Finns not interested in integration of immigrants
Although the debate on immigration has been lively all spring and early summer, the pending amendment to the legislation on the integration of immigrants does not seem to raise interest among Finns. Finns have been able to comment the upcoming law amendment on the Ministry of the Interior's "otakantaa.fi" -site, but the site that was closed before midsummer attracted only 18 comments. The Ministry of the Interior Inspector General Juha-Pekka Suomi thinks the reform might be too big to grasp, and that it is easier to express opinions on narrower matters such as beggars and grandmothers. He adds that nevertheless, there is a clear support for integration of immigrants. The amendment would increase municipalities' responsibility in integration, although they would not be obliged to take quota refugees. However, municipalities would be encouraged by state compensation to take refugees, while the duration of the compensation would be prolonged from the current three years to four. The amendment would enter into force in September 2011.
Kansan Uutiset 29 June 2010 (in Finnish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCwkj0ZqnfK0aYE0EBRQ0EX

Many Finns are members of the Sweden Democrats
The openly immigration critical party Sweden Democrats (Sverigedemokraterna) has several first- and second-generation immigrants at the party's local and management level, many of whom have Finnish roots. According to Sveriges Radio's Sisuradio, a quarter of the Party's management level comes from a Finnish background. The party is not represented in the Swedish parliament, but a new opinion poll shows that with its current support of 4,3 per cent, the party reaches the required 4 per cent to enter the parliament.
YLE 29 June 2010 (in Finnish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCwkj0ZqnfK0aYE0EBRR0EY

Sweden

Man arrested for manslaughter
A 25-year-old man who on Midsummer's Eve alarmed the police that he had killed a man in Alvesta has been detained on suspicion of manslaughter. At the detention hearing on Tuesday the man admitted the offense. The victim, who has not yet been identified, was found in an apartment rented by the Migration Board. Both the victim and the suspect are asylum-seekers. Charges will be raised by 13 July the latest.
Nyhetskanalen 29 June 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCwkj0ZqnfK0aYE0EBRS0EZ
Sveriges Television 29 June 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCwkj0ZqnfK0aYE0EBRT0Ea
Expressen 29 June 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCwkj0ZqnfK0aYE0EBRU0Eb

[Roope]

Thursday 1 July to Friday 2 July 2010

Finland

EU citizens' right for asylum services restricted
Finland will now restrict the EU citizens' right to reception services. According to a law amendment entering into force on Thursday, an EU citizen seeking asylum will have to leave the reception center as soon as he or she receives a negative decision from the Immigration Service. According to the Ministry of the Interior, the police and the Immigration Service have speeded up their proceedings so that EU citizens are given notice of their decisions in a few days. Asylum-seekers from an EU country are granted reduced income support only for the days when the applicant is staying at a reception center. The law amendment is based on the fact that the number of EU citizens' applications for asylum has increased. Finland considers the EU countries to be safe and processes the EU citizens' applications for asylum in an expedited procedure.
YLE 1 July 2010 (in Finnish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCw7H0ZqnfK0aYE0EBfs0Ez

Residence permits getting biometric identifiers
Residence permits are getting biometric identifiers next spring. A facial image and two fingerprints will be stored in a chip. The Government approved the legislative amendment proposal on Thursday. The applicants' fingerprints have been stored on passports, alien's passports and refugee's travel documents already since June 2009. The Parliament will discuss the proposal in July.
YLE 1 July 2010 (in Finnish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCw7H0ZqnfK0aYE0EBft0E1
Satakunnan Kansa 1 July 2010 (in Finnish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCw7H0ZqnfK0aYE0EBfu0E2

Sweden

Anti-Semitic hate crimes on the rise
New statistics from the National Council for Crime Prevention show that anti-Semitic hate crimes are on the rise in Sweden. The number of anti-Semitic crimes reported in Sweden rose by 57 per cent last year, mainly in the southern region of Skåne. The council said in a statement that in 2009, 5,800 hate crimes were reported while crimes against foreigners or with racist motives continue to dominate, and the reporting of anti-Semitic crimes has increased. Reports of hate crimes against Jews doubled last year. Sweden's southern province of Skåne saw the largest increase of anti-Semitic crimes. Crimes and threats against the small Jewish community in the southern city of Malmö recently received much media and political attention. Of the hate crimes reported in Sweden in 2009, 71 per cent were against foreigners or motivated by race. Ten per cent had religious motives, these included Islamophobic, anti-Semitic, or anti-religious crimes.
The Local 2 July 2010 (in English)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCw7H0ZqnfK0aYE0EBfv0E3
Sveriges Radio 1 July 2010 (in English)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCw7H0ZqnfK0aYE0EBfw0E4

Employee at the Migration Board suspected of racism
The Migration Board is launching an investigation against one of its officers who is suspected of having expressed himself racially on Facebook. Jonas Lindgren, Head of the Division for Communications at the Migration Board, says that these kinds of views are not compatible with working at the Migration Board. The officer sees no problem with how he expressed himself on Facebook and says his writings were not racist because they only targeted the young persons who participated in the riots in Rinkeby in the beginning of June. Among other things, he asked if someone responsible would send these destructive elements, with roots in other countries, back to their grandparents to learn a little humility.
Sveriges Radio 2 July 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCw7H0ZqnfK0aYE0EBfx0E5
Sveriges Television 2 July 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCw7H0ZqnfK0aYE0EBfy0E6
Dagens Nyheter 2 July 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCw7H0ZqnfK0aYE0EBfz0E7
Aftonbladet 2 July 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCw7H0ZqnfK0aYE0EBf10Et



UNHCR in the News

The dream of Europe looms but remains in Morocco
Since Italy has tried to close its borders and to stop the boats from Libya, Morocco has become the goal of an increased number of immigrants from the south. Before, Somalis did not cross Morocco, but the situation has changed as a result of the Italian policy, comments Marc Fawe from UNHCR office in the Moroccan capital Rabat. According to Fawe, Morocco has long been an emigration country and a transit area for persons who want to enter the EU. But today the country is also a destination for those who believe that the trip to Europe will never be successful. Libya has likewise received an influx of migrants heading north and further to Europe. But after Italy began to return boats to Libya to appalling conditions in refugee camps, the influx of persons has been halved. This creates a delicate situation for Morocco, argues Fawe. After an increased exchange with the EU, the Moroccans would also want to be able to travel easier to Europe, while Europe wants the North African partner to help and take care of unwanted immigrants regardless of nationality. The number of asylum-seekers is also on the rise. Unlike Libya, Morocco has signed the 1951 Geneva Refugee Convention, but the legislation practices are still not up-to-date. According to UNHCR, about 800 persons in Morocco are in need of protection, but they are not officially recognized as refugees.
Sveriges Radio 1 July 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCw7H0ZqnfK0aYE0EBf20Eu

[Roope]

Saturday 3 July to Monday 5 July 2010

Finland

Finland doubled its aid to Kyrgyzstan
Finland has doubled its emergency aid to Kyrgyzstan. The 400 000 EUR aid is channeled through the UN Refugee Agency UNHCR and the World Food Programme. The government had previously granted 400,000 EUR in aid to Kyrgyzstan through the Finnish Red Cross. The clashes between Kirghiz and Uzbek in the Central Asian Kyrgyzstan have forced 400,000 persons to flee their homes. The need for humanitarian assistance has focused on southern Kyrgyzstan, where large numbers of people are still internally displaced.
YLE 2 July 2010 (in Finnish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCxdX0ZqnfK0aYE0EBnw0EF
Iltalehti 2 July 2010 (in Finnish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCxdX0ZqnfK0aYE0EBnx0EG
Savon Sanomat 2 July 2010 (in Finnish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCxdX0ZqnfK0aYE0EBny0EH
Åbo Underrättelser 2 July 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCxdX0ZqnfK0aYE0EBnz0EI

Thors: Asylum-seekers must be treated equally in the EU
The Nordic countries are displeased that not all EU countries follow the Dublin Regulation. According to the Regulation, asylum-seekers should seek asylum in the first EU country they arrived. Greece, Italy and Malta are examples of countries that have a different interpretation of the Dublin Regulation than the Nordic countries. The Finnish Minister of Migration and European Affairs, Astrid Thors, says that it is a breach of regulations that not all countries apply the Dublin Regulation, and adds that the Nordic Ministers want to provide support for the Commission to intervene in this matter.
Hufvudstadsbladet 2 July 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCxdX0ZqnfK0aYE0EBn10E4

Nordic countries criticize Greece's asylum practices
The Nordic Ministers of Immigration criticize Greece's way of dealing with asylum applications. The ministers also criticize Greece for the inhumane conditions in refugee accommodations. According to the Finnish Minister of Migration and Asylum Policy, Astrid Thors, Greece does not comply with international agreements that ensure the humane treatment of asylum-seekers. She adds that Greece does not act according to the agreed rules and this threatens to break the whole Dublin system. The European Court of Human Rights has prevented individual deportations to Greece. The vast majority of asylum-seekers arriving in Greece are Iraqis and Afghans. Greece grant asylum to less than one per cent of the applicants.
YLE 2 July 2010 (in Finnish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCxdX0ZqnfK0aYE0EBn20E5

European Court orders deportation delay
The European Court of Human Rights has told Finland not to deport Eveline Fadayel from the country until a medical examination is carried out within two months. Finnish authorities have not granted the ailing Egyptian woman a residence permit. Last month, Fadayel's sons, who live in Finland, hid their mother from the authorities in order to prevent the police from deporting her to Egypt.
Helsinki Times 5 July 2010 (in English)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCxdX0ZqnfK0aYE0EBn30E6
YLE 5 July 2010 (in English)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCxdX0ZqnfK0aYE0EBn40E7
YLE 5 July 2010 (in Finnish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCxdX0ZqnfK0aYE0EBn50E8

Ingrian Finns could lose right to return to Finland
Ethnic Finns from the former Soviet Union could lose their right to return to Finland in the coming years. Over the past three decades, an estimated 30,000 Ingrian Finns have moved to Finland. Currently, tens of thousands of Ingrians are waiting for their applications to be processed. It can take as long as a decade for a decision to be made. However, a working group from the Ministry of the Interior proposed in May that Ingrians should no longer be allowed to apply for immigration by the year 2016. The proposal is to go before Parliament in the autumn. One reason for the application backlog is the language requirement. Many Ingrians must learn the language before they can move to Finland.
YLE 2 July 2010 (in English)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCxdX0ZqnfK0aYE0EBn60EA

Norway

Storberget fears the number of asylum-seekers to Norway will multiply
The Minister of Justice and the Police Knut Storberget fears the number of asylum-seekers to Norway will multiply if the so-called Dublin Regulation is not maintained. At a Ministerial meeting in Porvoo in Finland on Friday, the Nordic migration ministers agreed that there should be a joint Nordic initiative to ensure that the Dublin cooperation is continued. According to Storberget the aim is to grant asylum to those in need of protection, while those who do not need it must return. According to the Dublin Regulation, asylum-seekers who apply for asylum in several countries are returned to the country where they first applied for asylum. Storberget fears that several countries fail to follow this process, which can result in an influx of asylum-seekers to Norway.
TV2 Nyhetene 3 July 2010 (in Norwegian)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCxdX0ZqnfK0aYE0EBn70EB

500 Iraqis returned voluntarily
Three out of four asylum-seekers returned to Iraq so far this year have left voluntarily, according to the Minister of Justice and the Police Knut Storberget. The agreement between Norwegian and Iraqi governments was signed in May last year, and roughly a year later, about 500 Iraqis have chosen to leave the country voluntarily. According to figures from the Police Directorate and the Directorate of Immigration, Iraq tops the statistics for voluntary return from Norway. Storberget participated in a joint Nordic ministerial meeting in Finnish Porvoo on Friday. During the meeting the Nordic countries' representatives agreed on more cooperation in the field of asylum. In addition to ensuring that the Dublin cooperation is continued, Norway, Sweden, Iceland, Finland and Denmark plan to build care centers for unaccompanied minors who are returned to their homeland.
Verdens Gang 2 July 2010 (in Norwegian)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCxdX0ZqnfK0aYE0EBn80EC

Fifty-three Serbs forcibly returned on charter flight
Fifty-three Kosovo Serbs were forcibly returned on Saturday by charter flight bound for Belgrade. These were mainly families with children, whose asylum applications had been rejected. The forced return action was the largest of its kind in Central Norway and had been planned for a long time. The Serbs came from the reception centres in Sunndal, Tingvoll, Ulstein and Meråker. Most of the persons had lived in the country for a long time.
Verdens Gang 4 July 2010 (in Norwegian)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCxdX0ZqnfK0aYE0EBoA0EM

Sweden

Tough rules for Somali refugee families
A January court decision about migration standards has proved especially tough for Somali refugees seeking to bring close family members to Sweden. At the beginning of the year, 90 per cent of all Somalis with family ties to a refugee in Sweden were granted passage to the country. But in the months following the court decision, the number of Somali children, spouses, and parents reunited in Sweden has been closer to zero. Asylum-seekers that succeed in coming to Sweden do not need to verify their identity, and their close family members, in principle, are allowed to follow after they have been granted passage. But if they apply from their homeland, the identity requirements are tougher. And because the war-torn Somalia does not issue passports that the Swedish Migration Board accepts, it is difficult for Somalis to meet the requirements. The Minister for Migration and Asylum Policy Tobias Billström says the government will not change the rules for family reunification for Somalis.
Sveriges Radio 4 July 2010 (in English)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCxdX0ZqnfK0aYE0EBoB0EN
Sveriges Radio 4 July 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCxdX0ZqnfK0aYE0EBoC0EO
Sveriges Television 4 July 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCxdX0ZqnfK0aYE0EBoD0EP
Dagens Nyheter 4 July 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCxdX0ZqnfK0aYE0EBoE0EQ

NB. This story was also covered in Finland
Helsingin Sanomat 5 July 2010 (in Finnish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCxdX0ZqnfK0aYE0EBoF0ER

"The accusations against Malta are totally unfounded"
In this letter, Malta's Minister for Justice and Home Affairs, Carmelo Mifsud Bonnici, answers to the accusations leveled against Malta from parts of Swedish media when it comes to how Malta treats unaccompanied minors. Both authorities and researchers in Sweden have said to the media that Malta misbehaves in their treatment of unaccompanied child refugees.
Stockholm News 3 July 2010 (in English)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCxdX0ZqnfK0aYE0EBoG0ES

Billström at Almedalen
One of the first events during the political week, the Almedalen week in Gotland, was a public appearance by Minister for Migration and Asylum Policy Tobias Billström, who says the biggest difficulty during his four years in office has been to explain the new asylum system. Since 2006 a migration court decides in asylum cases when the original decision by the Swedish Migration Board is appealed. Before, that decision was taken by the government. The Minister also said that the coordination of asylum policies between the European Union's member states must be better. A critical question from the audience claimed that Sweden should not send asylum-seekers back to Italy, Greece or Malta due to their poor handling of asylum cases, even if the Dublin Regulation stipulates so. Billström agreed about the problem but stated that this will never change unless pressure is put on them to improve. Accepting asylum-seekers in Sweden who according to international treaties should seek asylum elsewhere would not be productive in this sense. Billström also claimed that Sweden has not been affected by xenophobic parties in other countries.
Stockholm News 4 July 2010 (in English)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCxdX0ZqnfK0aYE0EBoH0ET

[Roope]

Tuesday 6 July to Wednesday 7 July 2010

Denmark

Major study to identify true extent of discrimination
The Government has initiated a research project to identify the true extent of discrimination in Denmark. The aim is to ensure ethnic equality and respect for individuals and raise awareness of the basic democratic values and rights. Among other things, the study will focus on anti-Semitism and intolerance.
Politiken 5 July 2010 (in Danish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCxzJ0ZqnfK0aYE0EB8R0Eq

Child refugees to live next door to army
A number of local citizens have expressed their concern that refugee children and youth will be living in a reception centre to be established at Jægerspris Castle, next door to a military training area. The reception centre will be located in a so-called noise impact zone. There are rules governing how much noise the military is allowed to make in the training area. But in order to ensure that the noise impacts as few people as possible, the rules also stipulate that no new buildings or activities are allowed in the zone. However, Frederikssund municipality claims that since an orphanage is already located at Jægerspris Castle, the reception centre does not constitute a new activity. Deputy Director General at the Danish Immigration Service, Poul Mose Hansen, says the Immigration Service does not think the location is a problem, since other reception centres, including Sandholm, are also located near military training areas.
Danmarks Radio 6 July 2010 (in English)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCxzJ0ZqnfK0aYE0EB8S0Er

Finland

Reinfeldt praises Finnish refugee policy
Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt praises the Finnish refugee policy. He criticizes Sweden's own refugee policy and regards the system as too broad in scope as well as ineffective. Reinfeldt believes that Sweden accepts too many refugees relative to its population. He considers that decisions on residence permits take too long, an average of up to three months. Reinfeldt notes that Sweden has a lot to learn from Finland and that Finland processes residence permit applications quickly. Reinfeldt blames the previous Social Democratic governments for the failed Swedish refugee policy. There is a lot of discussion about refugees in Sweden at the moment, especially because of the general election to be held this autumn.
Satakunnan kansa 7 July 2010 (in Finnish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCxzJ0ZqnfK0aYE0EB8T0Es
Keskisuomalainen 7 July 2010 (in Finnish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCxzJ0ZqnfK0aYE0EB8U0Et
Uusi Suomi 7 July 2010 (in Finnish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCxzJ0ZqnfK0aYE0EB8V0Eu
Aamulehti 7 July 2010 (in Finnish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCxzJ0ZqnfK0aYE0EB8W0Ev

Legislative amendments will make it easier for parents to stay
It may become easier for the parents of Finnish citizens to obtain residence permits in Finland. The Ministry of the Interior sent a proposal on the Aliens Act for consideration on Tuesday, and it will be discussed in Parliament this autumn. While more residence permits will be granted to parents of adult Finnish citizens, the amendment still contains many restrictions. The parents have to be in need of care and alone in their homeland, and their income has to be secured. The authorities will also get more flexibility when granting residence permits. The current law has received much criticism over the past year when the aging grandmothers, Eveline Fadayels and Irina Antonova, have not been allowed to stay in Finland, despite numerous appeals.
Vasabladet 6 July 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCxzJ0ZqnfK0aYE0EB8X0Ew

Provincial strategy on reception of immigrants
A new provincial strategy aims at getting all municipalities in Southwest Finland to receive immigrants. Southwest Finland receives the highest number of immigrants after the capital area. Among these are refugees, asylum-seekers and those who work, study or have other personal connections to the area. So far, only municipalities in the Turku and Salo regions have received refugees and asylum-seekers. Of the 28 municipalities in Southwest Finland, only six have decided to participate in the reception of these persons.
Turun Sanomat 6 July 2010 (in Finnish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCxzJ0ZqnfK0aYE0EB8Y0Ex

Sweden Democrats hope to enter Parliament in autumn election
The party claims to invest in security and welfare, but differs from other parties as the Sweden Democrats believe that immigration is the cause of most problems in Sweden. On its website the Sweden Democrats describe Sweden's immigration and integration policies as "deeply irresponsible". Jimmie Åkesson, chairman of the Sweden Democrats, says that immigration in Sweden is very expensive and creates social problems, alienation and segregation.
YLE 5 July 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCxzJ0ZqnfK0aYE0EB8Z0Ey

Men accused of illegally bringing Chechens to Finland
A Finnish and a Russian man are suspected of illegally bringing 16 Chechens to Finland. The Russian man is an asylum-seeker in Finland. The men are suspected of having helped the Chechens into the country in April 2010. The Chechens applied for asylum immediately when they came to Finland. Since 2005 there have been about twenty similar cases in Finland.
YLE 6 July 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCxzJ0ZqnfK0aYE0EB8a0E6

Latvia

Nationalist parties unite to run together in elections
Nationalist parties All for Latvia! and For Fatherland and Freedom/LNIM officially united with an aim to run together in the up-coming Saeima's elections. The union declared it will pursue national conservative policies aimed at securing the future of Latvia in the European family of countries, as ethnically Latvian, democratic, economically prosperous state that guarantees existence and development of the ethnic Latvian nation.
Integration and Minority Information Service 5 July 2010 (in English)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCxzJ0ZqnfK0aYE0DVlf0EN

Norway

23 persons caught after unrest and arson at two departure centers
Unrest broke out during the night between Monday and Tuesday at two departure centers for rejected asylum-seekers. Those who have lived in the centers for a long time are frustrated with the Norwegian asylum policy and the way they are treated by the authorities. The housing conditions are also reported to be poor, and it has been difficult for persons to receive medical treatment. Many of those who stay in the centers find themselves in a desperate situation and are reported to suffer from mental problems. The unrest began shortly after midnight with stone throwing and arson in the Fagerli centre in Nannestad municipality in Akershus. The police characterized the unrest as riots. When the police arrived the housing was on fire and partially destroyed. The police are now working to find temporary accommodation for some 90 residents. About an hour later the unrest had spread to a centre in Lier municipality outside Drammen. Chief of staff Hans Holmgrunn in the police district of Romerike says that no one was injured during Tuesday night's unrest, and nobody was arrested. During the night towards Wednesday, three sleeping barracks were completely destroyed in the fire. The police suspect the failed asylum-seekers for the deed, and have apprehended 23 persons for investigation. The 140 persons living in the center are now transferred to local school facilities. Nobody was severely injured in the fires, but two persons had to be medically examined. Due to the incident, Norway now has no temporary accommodation for asylum-seekers awaiting deportation.
Aftenposten 6 July 2010 (on Norwegian)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCxzJ0ZqnfK0aYE0EB8b0E7
Aftenposten 7 July 2010 (on Norwegian)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCxzJ0ZqnfK0aYE0EB8c0E8
NRK 6 July 2010 (in Norwegian)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCxzJ0ZqnfK0aYE0EB8d0EA
NRK 6 July 2010 (in Norwegian)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCxzJ0ZqnfK0aYE0EB8e0EB
TV2 Nyhetene 6 July 2010 (in Norwegian)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCxzJ0ZqnfK0aYE0EB8f0EC
Verdens gang 7 July 2010 (in Norwegian)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCxzJ0ZqnfK0aYE0EB8g0ED
Dagbladet 7 July 2010 (in Norwegian)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCxzJ0ZqnfK0aYE0EB8h0EE

NB. This story was also covered in Finland and Sweden
Helsingin Sanomat 7 July 2010 (in Finnish)
http://www.hs.fi/ulkomaat/artikkeli/Turvapaikanhakijoiden+asuntolassa+jälleen+tuhopoltto+Norjassa/1135258417871
Dagens Nyheter 6 July 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCxzJ0ZqnfK0aYE0EB8i0EF
Dagens Nyheter 7 July 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCxzJ0ZqnfK0aYE0EB8j0EG
Svenska Dagbladet 7 July 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCxzJ0ZqnfK0aYE0EB8k0EH
Sveriges Radio 7 July 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCxzJ0ZqnfK0aYE0EB8l0EI

Kurd admits starting Lier trouble
The leader of the Kurdish asylum-seekers says he started the rioting in Lier. There are about 35 Kurds in the waiting center in Lier. After Tuesday's rioting the same man announced more trouble unless conditions are improved. According to the man, violence seems to be the only solution. All the persons at the center are rejected asylum-seekers and, among other things, they complain about food, accommodation, medical supervision and poor internet connection at the center. The residents have appealed to UDI in writing. Three meetings with the asylum-seekers were arranged in the past month, but according to the residents, the conditions have not improved. On Tuesday afternoon, the reception manager met with the asylum-seekers and confirmed to review the conditions.
Verdens gang 7 July 2010 (in Norwegian)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCxzJ0ZqnfK0aYE0EB8m0EJ

Storberget: Waiting centers good enough
Knut Storberget, Minister of Justice and the Police, believes the material conditions in the waiting centers are good enough and that the recent events are unacceptable. Residents receive food and 100 kroner a week as pocket money, enough in the waiting phase, states the Minister. Storberget continues that violence in the centers we will not be tolerated by persons trying to get to stay forcefully in Norway. The persons in question are rejected asylum-seekers, and the Norwegian authorities have asked them to make use of the very good, voluntary return arrangements, comments Storberget to NRK. He signals that deportations only come into question if the asylum-seeker refuses to leave voluntarily. The challenge posed for the authorities is that many persons lie about their identity and their country of origin. Rejected asylum-seekers in the waiting centers cannot expect to have access to wide-ranging activities. At the same time he warns to expand the authority for detention of asylum-seekers with false identity. Such individuals can be kept locked up until their identity is established, and then they can be deported. A consultative paper will be published in the close future, concludes Storberget.
Dagsavisen 7 July 2010 (in Norwegian)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCxzJ0ZqnfK0aYE0EB8n0EK

Sweden

Police: - Scary
On Wednesday morning the Norwegian police and the Directorate of Immigration (UDI) held a press conference on the arson at the center in Lier where 23 persons have been arrested on suspicion of setting fire to three buildings. The authorities also responded to questions on how they had handled the situation. Many people were in the buildings, and their lives were put at risk, comments Christine Fossen from the Søndre Buskerud police district during the press conference. The fire was over so quickly that the police suspects that some kind of flammable liquid was used to burn down the buildings. On Tuesday the police, UDI officials and center staff were present at the asylum center to discuss the night's disturbances. The meeting ended in a positive and calm atmosphere, so the police therefore scaled down its emergency capacity at the site. Later, at six p.m., the police received verbal threats from some of the center residents in the area. These individuals demanded transport away from the site and a new accommodation, otherwise they would cause trouble, states Fossen. Therefore, a new meeting was held just before 11 p.m. in order to try to reassure the residents. Minutes later, the police received report of the first fire. The buildings were set on fire from the inside, while the authorities were waiting for reinforcement from Oslo, Asker and Bærum. Per-Willy Amundsen, spokesperson for immigration and migration policy in the Progress Party, has no understanding for asylum-seekers vandalizing public buildings. According to Amundsen, the night's events show that the present system of temporary asylum housing for people who have been rejected does not work. Hanne Mathisen, UNHCR spokesperson in the Nordic countries. – If you have sought asylum and hoped to stay in Norway you may not be motivated to cooperate with obtaining the necessary ID documents to enable return. Instead some may wish to delay return in the hope of being able to stay. So perhaps these actions are a result of the stress and anxiety. That said, such violence is unacceptable and something we condemn.
Dagens Nyheter 7 July 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCxzJ0ZqnfK0aYE0EB8o0EL

Tobias Billström on minor asylum-seekers
Almost 1,000 unaccompanied asylum-seeking children in Sweden are waiting to be transferred from temporary transit accommodation to a municipality. Tobias Billström, Minister for Migration and Asylum Policy, hopes to find more permanent homes for the young refugees in cooperation with the municipalities, whereas the centre-left parties threaten to introduce legislation to solve the issue. On Tuesday, Billström visited Roma kungsgård on Gotland where three Somali asylum-seeking adolescents have been given summer jobs for a few weeks. Gotland municipality has agreed to provide long-term accommodation for nine young asylum-seekers, but the number will shortly increase to 18. - Gotland sets a very good example in doing their part to solve a complex situation, Billström notes. He continues that so far there are only few places in 123 of the country's municipalities and this is not good enough. As a matter of principle Billström wants every municipality to join in and take responsibility, and it should be possible to find solutions in dialogue with the municipalities. Veronica Palm, Social Democratic spokesperson on migration, considers that the government has taken a promising step in the right direction, but wants to see tougher measures against the municipalities. She states the responsibility is a nationwide issue, and it is unacceptable that some municipalities do not take their responsibility.
Svenska Dagbladet 7 July 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCxzJ0ZqnfK0aYE0EB8p0EM

Tougher measures after fires at the Norwegian asylum centres
After arson and unrest at Norway's both centres for rejected asylum-seekers, the country does not have functioning housing for persons to be deported from the country. The facilities are intended as waiting centres, but in Lier there are persons who have lived in the centre since it opened in 2006. State Secretary Paul K Lønseth, Ministry of Justice and the Police, says that several residents have no valid identification documents and they will not help in ascertaining their identities. He notes that there are also countries, such as Iran, which do not want to receive forcibly returned persons. Lønseth adds that at some point, these asylum-seekers must prepare themselves that they will be met with forced return.
Svenska Dagbladet 7 July 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCxzJ0ZqnfK0aYE0EB8q0EN

Discussion on unaccompanied refugee children in Almedalen
Unaccompanied refugee children were discussed in several seminars in Almedalen, and both the Jönköping and Skåne municipalities have reason to listen. The Jönköping municipality is among the worst to receive unaccompanied minors in Sweden when it comes to offering housing for them. According to Thomas Werthén (M), municipality counselor in Habo, the question shall be discussed with the dignity it deserves. Earlier there has not been enough of knowledge on the issue, Werthén argues. Last winter, Jönköping county officials had promised to offer 69 places for unaccompanied children, but so far none of them have been created. Björn Eriksson, government coordinator, explains that the situation makes the children feel uncertain about their future. Werthén continues that it is very difficult to find family housing for the children, and therefore group housing has been prioritized. The matter is not economic but rather a matter of responsibility, Werthén concludes. Also municipalities in Skåne have still not lived up to their promises to create more places for unaccompanied refugee children. The situation for the vulnerable is still difficult. The municipalities have promised to offer 875 new places, and in addition, they promised in the spring to offer 150 extra places, but so far only 58 have been created. According to Eriksson, if many children arrive in southern Sweden, some of them end up on the waiting list, which causes extra suffering for the children. Rolf Tufvesson (KD), regional advisor, notes that the dealing with asylum processes is a bureaucratic matter between the municipalities and the Migration Board. And bureaucracy demands time and resources. Some of the children have spent several months in transit housing while waiting for a permanent housing solution. According to Tobias Billström, Minister for Migration and Asylum Policy, political parties in municipalities have to cooperate more efficiently with the Migration Board to solve problems.
TV4 Nyheterna Jönköping 6 July 2010 (in Swedish) http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCxzJ0ZqnfK0aYE0EB8r0EO
TV4 Nyheterna Malmö 6 July 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCxzJ0ZqnfK0aYE0EB8s0EP
TV4 Nyheterna Örebro 6 July 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCxzJ0ZqnfK0aYE0EB8t0EQ
TV4 Nyheterna Västerås 6 July 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCxzJ0ZqnfK0aYE0EB8u0ER

Stricter ID requirements affect Somalis
Many Somalis living in Sörmland are forced to live without their children, according to Somali associations in the county. After a decision by the Migration Court of Appeal, the Migration Board amended its rules on family reunification from Somalia last March and now almost no relatives are allowed to come here. Abdirisak Hussein, a candidate of the Social Democratic Party for the City Council in Eskilstuna, considers that the new changes are inhuman. He argues that people are being punished because it is almost impossible to obtain identity documents and passports in Somalia. The new legislation toughened requirements for identification and according to Migration Board statistics, the share of relatives immigrating to Sweden fell from over 90 percent at the beginning of the year to nearly zero in the last months. Feisal Ali is the spokesperson for Somali associations in Sörmland, and he meets every day Somalis who have their children left at home. In Sörmland, there are about 1000 Somali refugees who have a residence permit but do not have permission to family reunification.
Sveriges Radio 5 July 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCxzJ0ZqnfK0aYE0EB8v0ES

Unaccompanied children deported without prior notice
Unaccompanied refugee children and their trustees do not receive any warning ahead of deportation. The police only show up and take away the children. For example, two policemen showed up suddenly at Mariasten transit accommodation in Teckomatorp last week. Abdikader Abukar is a 17-year-old Somali. He is afraid of being returned to Malta. However, this time the police were not looking for him, but for another boy who had already departed. Istvan Szilagyi is Abdikader's trusted person. According to Szilagyi, the police arrived unannounced early in the morning when the boy was asleep, and neither he nor the center staff had been warned.  The police state they have no obligation to announce the timing of their arrival, and further questions on the expulsions may not be asked from them.  The police act on the decisions taken by Parliament and the government, says Leif Fransson, deputy chief of border police. Abdikader will not be deported this week because his case now rests with the Migration Court of Appeal.
Sveriges Radio 6 July 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCxzJ0ZqnfK0aYE0EB8w0ET

Rim cannot stay in Sweden
The Migration Board rejects the application for a residence permit for the severely ill girl Rim and her family from Lebanon. The medical reasons are not considered sufficient for the family to stay in Örebro, where they currently live. According to Migration Board officials, care can be provided for the girl in Lebanon. However, the Red Cross argues that the girl's life is at risk if she is deported, but the decision cannot be appealed.
Sveriges Radio 7 July 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCxzJ0ZqnfK0aYE0EB8x0EU

[Roope]

Thursday 8 July to Friday 9 July 2010

Finland

Security Police: No upswing in extreme right activity
Few signs exist of an upswing in extreme right-wing activity in Finland, says the country's Security Police. However, a slight increase in crimes against foreign-owned property has been observed. Attacks of the type witnessed at last weekend's annual gay pride march in Helsinki are not on the rise. SUPO Security Division Chief Kari Harju calms concern over right-wing extremist activity in Finland. He says such groups are usually small and operate locally. Few have a real extreme right-wing ideological philosophy but rather tend to oppose immigration. He admits, though, to a slight upswing in attacks on foreigners. These actions tend to be attacks on property such as vehicles.
YLE 8 July 2010 (in English)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCyLt0ZqnfK0aYE0ECRg0Eb
Ilta-Sanomat 8 July 2010 (in Finnish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCyLt0ZqnfK0aYE0ECRh0Ec

Norway

Drastic increase in forced returns
More rejected asylum-seekers than ever are forcibly returned from Norway. Compared to 2009, 72 per cent more asylum-seekers were returned by the Norwegian police in 2010. As of 1 June, 1964 persons were forcibly returned, whereas 532 had returned voluntarily. The Directorate of Immigration (UDI) considers that the restrictive measures in the Norwegian asylum policy have worked: this year witnessed 46 per cent less asylum-seeker arrivals compared to last year. There are always fluctuations in the number of asylum-seekers, but the government's restrictive measures and increase in returns are among the main reasons for fewer applicants, according to Ida Børresen, Director General at UDI. Asylum and refugee organizations have reacted strongly to this trend. An asylum policy that is measured by its success in relation to the reduced numbers of asylum-seekers is not right, says Elisabeth Rasmusson, Secretary General of the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC). Rasmusson points out that the number of refugees in today's world is increasing: there are 1 million more refugees than last year. If Norway receives fewer asylum-seekers, more burden is placed on the poor developing countries. According to Geir J. Bekkevold, a Christian Democratic Party member in Telemark, the number of quota refugees should be increased. Bekkevold believes that a decline in asylum applications gives reason to ask whether there are many who need protection but are returned from Norway, and whether parts of the immigration policy should be reconsidered. If the number of returned asylum-seekers is so dramatic, the time may be ripe to raise the number of quota refugees, Bekkevold commented. The Christian Democratic Party has proposed to raise the number of quota refugees to 2000 a year. According to the Soria Moria Declaration, the Government aims to increase the number of quota refugees to 1500 from the current annual level of 1000 [sic] persons.
Verdens Gang 9 July 2010 (in Norwegian)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCyLt0ZqnfK0aYE0ECRi0Ed
TV2 Nyhetene 9 July 2010 (in Norwegian)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCyLt0ZqnfK0aYE0ECRj0Ee

Number of asylum applications nearly halved
So far this year, 4,420 persons have applied for asylum in Norway. Overall there were 3,731 fewer asylum-seekers to Norway during the first half of this year than during the same period last year. The Directorate of Immigration (UDI) believes that many asylum-seekers have perceived that Norway has tightened its asylum policy and that more applications are rejected. Furthermore, many persons are forcibly deported after having received a final rejection on their applications. UDI Director General  Ida Børresen says that if the asylum figures remain at current levels, several reception centres will probably need to be closed down in the autumn. So far this year, 4400 places for asylum-seekers have been abolished. The decline also means that the forecast for the number of asylum-seekers this year has been reduced from 17,500 to 10,000. The biggest decline is among unaccompanied minors, a decrease of 69 per cent. Additional 200 places for unaccompanied minors will be abolished by 1 August. Last year, Norway received its highest number of asylum-seekers from Afghanistan. A decrease of 76 per cent in Afghan asylum-seekers means that this year, there will be more asylum-seekers from Eritrea and Somalia than from Afghanistan.
Aftenposten 8 July 2010 (in Norwegian)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCyLt0ZqnfK0aYE0ECRk0Ef
P4 Radio Norge 8 July 2010 (in Norwegian)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCyLt0ZqnfK0aYE0ECRl0Eg

Up to 8,000 residing illegally in Norway
According to the Immigration Police Unit (PU) there are between 6,000 and 8,000 rejected asylum-seekers residing in Norway. The PU is responsible for deporting these persons but the task is not easy. Iran refuses to take them, Somalia and Eritrea are not able to verify their identity and many persons give false information. The Minister of Justice and the Police Knut Storberget (the Labour Party) has set a goal of sending 6,000 illegal asylum-seekers home this year. So far 3,000 have been deported. The 250 residents at the two return centres set on fire in the beginning of the week represent only 5 per cent of all those who are to be returned either forcibly or according to special voluntary schemes.
Verdens Gang 8 July 2010 (in Norwegian)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCyLt0ZqnfK0aYE0ECRm0Eh
NRK 8 July 2010 (in Norwegian)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCyLt0ZqnfK0aYE0ECRn0Ei

Norwegian return centers a ticking bomb
Messages of concern have reached Minister Storberget already in February, but the turmoil and fractious atmosphere at the return centers has recently worsened, says local Liberal politician Nina Johnsen. She has received repeated messages from residents and independent sources in the municipality of great frustration at the center. According to her, not a single audit of the centers has been conducted in the last two years. She further claims that this is very alarming considering the fact that the area has witnessed so much disquiet. Both the Lier and Fagerli waiting centers in Nannestad received attention from Parliament as early as February. Liberal parliamentarian Trine Skei Grande has made an inquiry on the two centers. Food shortages and great frustration among the center residents are featured in a recent evaluation report on the system of standby reception. Minister Storberget rejected the criticism of the conditions at the waiting centers as unjustifiable. The Directorate of Immigration is aware that some residents have made complaints; however, UDI was not prepared for the violent riots at the centers. The waiting centers are the model Norwegian politicians have decided to offer for rejected asylum-seekers, and the centers can be modest, comments Bente Engesland, communications director at UDI. Hallstein Saunes, general manager of Link AS, which operates the waiting reception in Lier on behalf of UDI, argues that it is sad, incomprehensible and unacceptable that some persons choose to react violently. According to Saunes, the frustration concerns the residents' own life situation, not the food portions. According to Andreas Furuseth, Acting Secretary General of the Norwegian Organization for Asylum Seekers (NOAS), the government deliberately creates guidelines for poor living conditions at the asylum centers in order to promote return. He thinks that the policy is misguided, and it should rather focus on providing a meaningful life for the residents. Furuseth advises to shorten the processing time of asylum-seekers..
Verdens Gang 7 July 2010 (in Norwegian) http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCyLt0ZqnfK0aYE0ECRo0Ej

Police: asylum rioters to be deported as soon as possible
Three asylum-seekers who were arrested after the fire on the return center in Lier will be brought to court by the Immigration Police Unit (PU) in the next few days. According to PU, the goal is to deport them as quickly as possible. The arrested persons are known to the police, since the police have tried to arrest them several times before, without any success. When everything is resolved with the authorities in their home countries, they will be deported, says Ole Johan Heir, director of PU. For the third detained person the right identity has to be clarified. Heir ensures that the three asylum-seekers will remain in police custody until they stand trial. According to the police, the detainees will not be tried on the fire at the return center, since they are transferred to the immigration services of the police. The remaining 19 persons in custody were planned to be released in the course of Thursday afternoon, states Vibeke Gjøslien Martin from Søndre Buskerud's police district. It is still unclear what will happen to these persons after they have been released, comments Martin. The police have secured the clothing from all the arrested persons to be sent for further analysis, and the police have received video footage from the night's events, which will help to clarify the actual events. The three persons charged with vandalism after the riots in Fagerli return center in Nannestad are released, one of them having acknowledged guilt for the damage.
Aftenposten 8 July 2010 (in Norwegian)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCyLt0ZqnfK0aYE0ECRp0Ek
Aftenposten 8 July 2010 (in Norwegian)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCyLt0ZqnfK0aYE0ECRq0El

Lier staff receive professional help
The employees at the return center in Lier get professional help from a crisis team, tells Hallstein Saunes, head of Link AS. The staff was called to a debriefing session on Thursday with a crisis management team. Also individuals may get support, clarifies Saunes. According to Bente Dalåker, regional manager for Hero which operates Haslemoen transit center, the former residents of Lier return center have not received any help from specialists. This does not surprise Kari Helene Partapuoli, leader of the Anti-Racist Center. The situation is completely different for those who live at the center than for those working there, explains Partapuoli. Some residents are afraid to sleep because they fear that they will be picked up at night and taken to Trandum, she continues. Approximately 10-12 residents have been able to return to Lier, most of them are women living in the so-called women's house, which was not set on fire. The Anti-Racist Centre had interviewed about 30 residents at the Lier and Fagerli return centers before the events earlier this week. Zahir Athari, the Anti-Racist Centre spokesperson for Afghans, conducted a food study at the Lier center, and found the food to be indecent. Saunes concludes that the average residence time at the center has been three months, but there is a small group of persons who has been at the center for over two years.
Dagbladet 8 July 2010 (in Norwegian)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCyLt0ZqnfK0aYE0ECRr0Em

New return center to be opened
The Norwegian government has decided to create a return center with 100 places. UDI has announced that the new center will be operated in the Oslo area, and startup is foreseen for 1 November 2010. Paul K. Lønseth, State Secretary in the Ministry of Justice and the Police, finds the new center a good idea. Before the new system with return centers were introduced, rejected asylum-seekers ended up on the street, Lønseth comments. A report published on Wednesday by the Norwegian University of Science and Technology states that the offer of housing to rejected asylum-seekers is not good enough. Heikki Holmås from the Socialist Left Party believes that it is important that the rejected asylum-seekers have activities while they wait for a return.
NRK 7 July 2010 (in Norwegian)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCyLt0ZqnfK0aYE0ECRs0En

Return centers destructive
Psychiatrist Sverre Varvin from the National Research Centre for Violence and Traumatic Stress is not surprised by this week's rioting at the return centers. The residents at the center are in a desperate situation, and feel cornered. The frustration is mainly directed against the Norwegian government and asylum policy. He argues that the return centers are destructive. Studies show that asylum-seekers suffer from a much higher psychological morbidity than the rest of the population. Most of them have been exposed to conditions that may be traumatizing and provide post-traumatic disorders, says Varvin. Therefore more psycho-social help should be available in the centers. He fears that these riots could be the beginning of something far worse. Some residents might be desperate enough to hurt themselves. Rejected asylum-seekers should not be placed in the return centers the way they are at the moment, Varvin explains.
Verdens gang 7 July 2010 (in Norwegian)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCyLt0ZqnfK0aYE0ECRt0Eo

Sweden

Europe turns down refugees
A record number of refugees are in need of protection in a third country during the next five years. UNHCR calls especially on Europe to accept more quota refugees. On Tuesday, a meeting of three days between governments, UNHCR and NGO's in the resettlement countries was concluded in Geneva. The discussion revolved around how countries could receive more refugees who cannot stay in the country where they first fled from. According to UNHCR, in the next three to five years, 805.000 refugees should be resettled. It is nearly 8 per cent more than compared to the latest estimate conducted a few years ago. But the annual quota for resettlement is a constant figure at 80.000 places. Antonio Guterres, UN High Commissioner for Refugees, comments that resettlement is particularly important as new crises continue to drive people to flee and old conflicts fail to be solved. It would be best if the persons could return home, Guterres stresses. He is disappointed that Europe only accounts for six per cent of resettlements. European governments should take a stronger humanitarian responsibility for resettlement, since persons are suffering in refugee camps and cities worldwide, comments Migration Board's Director General Dan Eliasson. Sweden ranks top among the European countries by receiving annually 1900 refugees through resettlement, argues Eliasson. Sweden has a long tradition of resettlement and of the 4500 refugees resettled in Europe, Sweden takes 40 per cent, he clarifies. If all European countries did as Sweden, it would amount to about 100.000 refugees. What is needed is political will, concludes Eliasson.
Svenska Dagbladet 7 July 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCyLt0ZqnfK0aYE0ECRu0Ep

Migration Board rejects UNHCR criticism on Iraqi deportation
In some parts of Iraq one can live a decent life today, and against this reasoning Sweden deported 56 rejected asylum-seeking Iraqis back to Baghdad in June, despite sharp criticism from UNHCR. Dan Eliasson, Migration Board director general, dismissed the criticism at a press conference in Geneva earlier this week. The Board had estimated that the deported Iraqis did not risk their lives. Eliasson states that Swedish courts had determined that no threat of individual persecution existed. According to UNHCR spokesperson Melissa Fleming, individuals cannot be dropped in Baghdad for further transport. Also Antonio Guterres, UN High Commissioner for Refugees, commented that due to the lack of security in Iraq no persons should be sent to Baghdad. Andrew Harper, head of UNHCR's Iraq unit, further adds that life in Iraq cannot be regarded as decent. The situation is very unstable and dangerous in many parts. After 122 days there is still no government in place. Electricity is only on for 1-2 hours per day in Baghdad, there is lack of water and about 50 degrees. It is a huge disappointment that European countries return Iraqis to such a situation. Volker Türk, chief of international protection at UNHCR would have wished that Sweden refrain from forced returns to Iraq. But sometimes one has to agree to disagree, Türk comments.
Svenska Dagbladet 7 July 2010 (in Swedish) http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCyLt0ZqnfK0aYE0ECRv0Eq

Global summer workers
Twelve unaccompanied refugee children in Umeå have the possibility to work in Sweden over the summer. The municipal housing estate Bostaden will serve as a springboard into society. Bostaden offers this kind of possibility for the second time, since the first trial was so successful that the company now hires three times more employees than last time. The refugee children give a great input for the company, mostly their language skills are impressive, says Sverker Moritz, supervisor at Bostaden AB.
Sveriges Television 8 July 2010 (in Swedish) http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCyLt0ZqnfK0aYE0ECRw0Er

UNHCR in the news

Racism threatens football festivities
The final World Cup festivities on Sunday may start a wave of xenophobia and violence in South Africa. Several civic and refugee organizations have recently warned the authorities that xenophobia in South Africa is on the rise again. Bloody riots claimed 62 migrant workers' lives in spring 2008. Somali traders are now reported to have been subjected to threats in Cape Town, and in Johannesburg, immigrants have received letters urging them to leave the country before the end of the World Cup. UNHCR warns that the situation is intimidating. UNHCR representative Pumla Rulashe says that it is difficult to say whether the threats become reality, but the UN is ready and waiting for the Government's reaction. Minister of Police Nathi Mthethwa has declared that the authorities are ready to protect the people from attacks. Meanwhile, the ANC party remained skeptical towards reports of increased threat of violence.
Hufvudstadsbladet 8 July 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCyLt0ZqnfK0aYE0ECRx0Es
Aamulehti 8 July 2010 (in Finnish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCyLt0ZqnfK0aYE0ECRy0Et

[Roope]

Saturday 10 July to Monday 12 July 2010

Denmark

More seek and receive asylum in Denmark
The influx of persons seeking and granted asylum in Denmark has surprised the Danish authorities. The forecast for the number of persons to be granted asylum this year has now been increased by 47 per cent, from 1,500 to 2,200 persons. The growth is mainly due to the increased number in Afghans to Denmark, as well as Kurds from Syria. One quarter of Afghans seeking asylum in Denmark consists of unaccompanied minors. The Minister of Refugee, Immigration and Integration Affairs Birthe Ronn Hornbech (Liberals) says it is not easier to get asylum in Denmark, but that more persons are trying. She hopes that a care centre for boys in Afghanistan and faster application procedures will cause the number of asylum-seekers to decrease.
Lorry Online 9 July 2010 (in Danish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCyrD0ZqnfK0aYE0ECZp0Ei
Danmarks Radio 10 July 2010 (in Danish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCyrD0ZqnfK0aYE0ECZq0Ej
Danmarks Radio 10 July 2010 (in Danish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCyrD0ZqnfK0aYE0ECZr0Ek
Berlingske Tidende 9 July 2010 (in Danish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCyrD0ZqnfK0aYE0ECZs0El

Finland

More Chechen asylum-seekers get asylum
During the first four months this year 185 Russian citizens applied for asylum in Finland. According to the Immigration Service, a majority of them are Chechens or from elsewhere in North Caucasus, including Ingush. In 2009, a total of 73 Russian citizens were either granted asylum or a residence permit. Furthermore, an increasing number of Chechen asylum-seekers are granted asylum in Finland. A report by the Immigration Service points out that the situation for human rights activists, relatives of rebels and women in Chechnya is unsafe compared to that of families who support the government.
Suomen Kuvalehti 10 July 2010 (in Finnish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCyrD0ZqnfK0aYE0ECZt0Em

Researcher expects more strikes against minorities
A leading expert on racism, Dr Vesa Puuronen of the University of East Finland, says he is not surprised by a recent attack at the Helsinki Pride event and vandalism against the Helsinki headquarters of the national gay rights organization. He believes that more strikes targeting minorities will be seen in the run-up to next spring's elections. He says that due to the up-coming elections, issues concerning immigration and minorities are guaranteed to come to the fore.
YLE 9 July 2010 (in English)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCyrD0ZqnfK0aYE0ECZu0En

Norway

Very few asylum-seekers are terrorists
Minister Storberget's link between asylum-seekers and the terrorist danger is misleading, says Kari Helene Partapuoli from the Anti-Racist Center. Storberget commented that when the number of asylum-seekers falls to 50 per cent of the level of last year, the Norwegian immigration officials have a better control of the arriving persons. Thus, the terrorist danger in Norway may become lower with the decreased influx of asylum-seekers, Storberget continued. Partapuoli sees it as wrong to link asylum-seekers with terrorists. Researchers at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) are also critical of the way Storberget pronounces the terrorism issue. Tore Bjørgo, terrorism researcher at the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs (NUPI), states that Storberget misses the main pattern. All three men now charged with terrorism have a permanent residence permit in Norway, but the vast majority of terrorist attacks have been committed by persons who have lived in the country for many years, even by second-generation immigrants, notes Bjørgo. Both Partapuoli and Ingvald Bertelsen from the Norwegian Organisation for Asylum Seekers (NOAS) remind that many asylum-seekers come to Norway because they fled from areas where terrorist groups are active. Very few of these persons are criminals, says Partapuoli. It is absolutely absurd if a person fleeing from terror will automatically be suspected of terrorism, she continues. She believes that Storberget's comment will spill over to the debate over immigration. A survey conducted by Verdens Gang shows that one third of Norwegians have become more skeptical of people with minority backgrounds. 57 per cent believe that immigrants will make it more difficult in Norway because of the terrorism case. State secretary Paul K. Lønseth declares that nobody believes that all asylum-seekers are criminals or terrorists. But, he continues, it is clear that among the asylum-seekers may be persons wanting to exploit the asylum system for terrorism. Although asylum-seekers have not been involved in many terrorist cases, nevertheless, 95 per cent of asylum-seekers come without proper identification, clarifies Lønseth.

Three persons were arrested on Thursday charged with planning terror attacks – two of them in Norway and one while on holiday in Germany. The man thought to lead the Norway-based al-Qaida cell is of Uigur origin – he came to Norway in 1999 as a quota refugee, and is now a Norwegian citizen. The two others: Iraqi national with residency on humanitarian grounds, came to Norway as asylum-seeker in 1999; Uzbek national with permanent residency permit on family reunification grounds after asylum application failed in 2002.
Verdens Gang 11 July 2010 (in Norwegian)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCyrD0ZqnfK0aYE0ECZv0Eo
Verdens Gang 11 July 2010 (in Norwegian)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCyrD0ZqnfK0aYE0ECZw0Ep
Aftenposten 8 July 2010 (in Norwegian)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCyrD0ZqnfK0aYE0ECZx0Eq

Storberget promises proper check on asylum-seekers
According to Minister of Justice and the Police Knut Storberget, part of the available capacity of the Directorate of Immigration (UDI) will be used to improve background checks of persons coming to Norway. This becomes possible now that the UDI has increased capacity due to fewer asylum-seekers. The UDI will retain its executive capacity despite fewer asylum-seekers. Lowering the asylum influx allows the UDI to reduce the processing time of applications and emphasize integration aspects more thoroughly, and to return unfounded applicants faster. Storberget states that those persons are not wanted who do not have a valid reason to be in Norway. At the same time there is need for a more thorough check on quota refugees, he commented. He also promised a better follow-up of those who have already been granted a residence permit. The cooperation between the UDI, the Norwegian Police Security Service (PST) and the police will be further strengthened. If the UDI takes over the responsibility for the first asylum hearing, more time is left for the police for background checking, clarified Storberget.
Dagsavisen 11 July 2010 (in Norwegian)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCyrD0ZqnfK0aYE0ECZy0Er
Verdens Gang 11 July 2010 (in Norwegian)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCyrD0ZqnfK0aYE0ECZz0Es

Sentenced to four weeks imprisonment after arson
A 36-year-old Iraqi, considered to be the leader of the riots at Lier return centre, was sentenced to four weeks imprisonment by Drammen District Court on Friday. When the verdict was read, the man, who claims to be a Kurd from Iraq, stood up and shouted at the judge that she was racist. He also showed the finger, and was taken out by two policemen after repeatedly shouting "Heil Hitler". The man's lawyer Karsten Gjone thinks this is yet another sign of the man's frustration. A total of 23 asylum-seekers were arrested after the fire. 19 of the 23 accused were freed on Friday afternoon. Two of the 19 tried to return to Lier, but were not given permission. All 23, including the Iraqi man, are still charged with causing serious property damage. Three persons waiting for their deportation at the Police Immigration Unit (PU) face the same charges. These three will be deported as soon as possible.
Verdens Gang 10 July 2010 (in Norwegian)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCyrD0ZqnfK0aYE0ECZ10Ef
Verdens Gang 10 July 2010 (in Norwegian)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCyrD0ZqnfK0aYE0ECZ20Eg
Dagbladet 9 July 2010 (in Norwegian)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCyrD0ZqnfK0aYE0ECZ30Eh
Dagbladet 10 July 2010 (in Norwegian)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCyrD0ZqnfK0aYE0ECZ40Ei

[Roope]

Tuesday 13 July to Wednesday 14 July 2010

Denmark

Deportations to Greece stopped
After the European Court of Human Rights' enforcement of the Rule 39, Denmark cannot return asylum-seekers to Greece in cases where they risk being persecuted in their homeland.  The rule also prevents Denmark from forcibly returning an asylum-seeker before his or her case is tried by a Danish court. Andreas Kamm, Secretary-General of the Danish Refugee Council, is pleased that asylum-seekers are now entitled to have their cases tried in Denmark. He stresses that the principles of the Refugee Convention mean that no refugee should be returned to a place where they risk persecution. A couple of weeks ago Denmark resumed the practice of returning asylum-seekers to Greece. This was done according to the Dublin Regulation, which allows an EU country to return asylum-seekers to the first EU country they were registered in. Andreas Kamm adds that Denmark should immediately stop all returns to Greece, where most of the 20,000 asylum-seekers arriving annually end up on the street without access to any help or asylum procedures. Denmark is not the only country where the ECHR has had to enforce rules to ensure that asylum-seekers are not sent home before their cases are processed. Alone in 2009 and during the first quarter of 2010, over 500 returns to Greece from different European countries have been stopped by the Court.
Jyllands-Posten 14 July 2010 (in Danish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCzE10ZqnfK0aYE0ECto0E5

Norway

More asylum-seekers forcibly deported
During the first six months of 2010, 21 per cent of rejected persons returned voluntary, compared to last year's 24 per cent.  The total number of returns in the first half of 2010, either forcible or voluntary, was 2976. Never before have so many persons been sent out. Given that only 1834 persons without any legal residence permit were returned last year, the total number of returns increased by 62 per cent in just one year. But compared to 2008 the development is more modest: in 2008, 2891 persons were returned. The increase in the two years represents only 3 per cent. The group most affected by returns is Somalis. The majority of Somalis were not returned to their home country, but to the first country they applied for asylum in. The PU aims at returning 5900 persons before the end of the year. The number of asylum-seekers in Norway has almost halved when compared to last year.
Dagsavisen 14 July 2010 (in Norwegian)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCzE10ZqnfK0aYE0ECtp0E6

More asylum-seekers forcibly deported
The National Police Immigration Service (PU) has used more force than before when returning rejected asylum-seekers without a legal residence permit in Norway. Simultaneously, the proportion of voluntary returns has gone down from 2009. During the first six months of 2010, 21 per cent rejected persons returned voluntary, compared to last year's figures of 24 per cent.  The total number of returns in the first half of 2010, either forcible or voluntary, was 2976. Never before have so many persons been sent out. Given that only 1834 persons without any legal residence permit were returned last year, the total number of returns increased by 62 per cent in just one year. But compared to 2008 the development is more modest: in 2008, 2891 persons were returned. The increase in the two years represents only 3 per cent. The group most affected by returns is Somalis. The majority of Somalis were not returned to their home country, but to the first country they applied for asylum in. The PU aims at returning 5900 persons before the end of the year. The number of asylum-seekers in Norway has almost been halved when compared to last year.
Dagsavisen 14 July 2010 (in Norwegian)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCzE10ZqnfK0aYE0ECtp0E6

Contested return policy for unaccompanied minors
On Monday, the Ombudsman for Children and Save the Children announced that they are very concerned about the asylum process and health situation for unaccompanied young persons. Rejected minor asylum-seekers cannot be returned until they turn 18, thus the children are forced to wait in return centers. Salhus return center in Hordaland county was established last autumn, and receives unaccompanied asylum-seekers between 16 and 18 years of age who have had their asylum applications rejected. Those who live in return centers are well aware of an expiration date for their stay in Norway. Some argue that Norwegian authorities should consider offering these young persons education opportunities. Joril Christensen, Hordaland Labour Party, will try to get the Norwegian practice tested in the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg if the Government does not change its policy.
NRK 12 July 2010 (in Norwegian)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCzE10ZqnfK0aYE0D4LA0EO
NRK 12 July 2010 (in Norwegian)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCzE10ZqnfK0aYE0ECtq0E7

Asylum-seekers missing in Norway
In the aftermath of the Lier return center fire, several asylum-seekers that were arrested by the police are missing. According to the police, these persons were released, and the Directorate of Immigration (UDI) comments that the former residents at the Lier return center should contact UDI for a renewed temporary place. Not even the police know where the 14 missing asylum-seekers are at the moment. Kari Helene Partapuoli, leader of the Anti-Racist Center, cannot understand why the police and the UDI did not cooperate more efficiently in this case which involves persons who are very desperate, and have lost their accommodation. Employees at the waiting centers are not particularly happy about this, because the arrested persons had made threats against staff during the police investigation. Safety measures are being put in place.
Dagbladet 13 July 2010 (in Norwegian)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCzE10ZqnfK0aYE0ECtr0E8

Sweden

Even more refugee children hiding
More unaccompanied young persons who have sought asylum in Sweden are disappearing from the Migration Board's homes in Malmö without the staff knowing their whereabouts. The disappearances started at the end of 2009 and can be explained by several planned mass deportations.  It has been difficult to find school places for young persons in Malmö, because it is up to individual principals or municipalities to offer school places and many schools in Malmö have declined applications. Abdi is 16 years old and from Somalia, and has been hiding for seven months, ever since he learned that he would be returned back to Malta.
Sveriges Radio 13 July 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCzE10ZqnfK0aYE0ECts0EA

Progress Party: Burqa ban in Norway
Norway will eventually follow France in introducing a ban on the burqa, says Per Willy Amundsen, immigration spokesman in the populist-right Progress Party. On Tuesday, the French National Assembly voted on a proposal to ban women from wearing full head coverage. The legislation, to be adopted by the Senate before it takes effect, would introduce a fine of 150 euros for those who wear a burqa or a niqab in the public. The Progress Party motioned for a burqa ban already in May, but the motion was rejected by all the other parties in the Storting. According to Amundsen, the ban would increase individual freedom.
Aftonbladet 13 July 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCzE10ZqnfK0aYE0ECtt0EB

[Roope]

Thursday 15 July to Friday 16 July 2010

Denmark

Socialist People's Party: Asylum-seekers not to be deported to Greece
It is very appropriate that the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) now criticizes Denmark for deporting rejected asylum-seekers to Greece, considers Socialist People's Party (SF) spokesperson Astrid Krag. She has long called for a policy shift from Birthe Rønn Hornbech, Minister of Refugee, Immigration and Integration Affairs. Krag is happy that the ECHR decided to put an end to asylum-seekers being sent back to a country where the asylum system has actually collapsed. The ECHR decision had an effect, since now three asylum-seekers are held back in Denmark until their case is processed. Asylum-seekers cannot be returned to Greece before things have changed for the better, argues Krag. Minister Birthe Rønn Hornbech will first review the three specific cases before she can comment on whether the Danish asylum practice should be changed.
Jyllands-Posten 14 July 2010 (in Danish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCzZ30ZqnfK0aYE0EDDR0ED

Liberal Alliance opposes its own policy
Although the Liberal Alliance states in its party program that it wishes to abolish the cash benefit given to refugees, the party will not vote for its removal if it brings the coalition government into minority. The Party leader Anders Samuelsen says that the cash benefit given to refugees is problematic, and that it is not one of the points the party will fight for. He adds that competent foreigners who can support themselves are welcome to Denmark, and that Denmark should not receive immigrants without the community benefiting from it, as in his view, immigration is only foreign aid disbursed in Denmark. The Conservatives' integration spokesperson Naser Khader thinks it is odd that the Liberal Alliance opposes cash benefits, as he believes it motivates newly arrived Danes to get jobs.
Berlingske Tidende 15 July 2010 (in Danish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCzZ30ZqnfK0aYE0EDDS0EE

Comprehensive strategy sought as Roma are deported
After police raids on a derelict post office and a camp site in Amager, the authorities have deported 23 members of the Roma community to Romania. The mass deportation, which was carried out as a measure to preserve "public order and health" according to the Danish Immigration Service, comes in the wake of a lively debate about what to do with the increasing number of Roma who have decided to come to Denmark. The head of Copenhagen Council's homeless section, Steen Bo Pedersen, says that it is estimated that there are between 200 and 400 Roma in Copenhagen this summer. He adds that the influx of Roma and other East Europeans could be attributed to a change in EU immigration rules in 2007.
The Copenhagen Post 15 July 2010 (in English)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCzZ30ZqnfK0aYE0EDDT0EF

Finland

5000 Somalis queue for residence permit
5000 Somalis are currently waiting for a decision on their applications for residence permit on the basis of family ties. The Immigration Service officials have been struggling with queues, as each month they receive 300 new applications for family reunification. The Director General at the Immigration Service, Jorma Vuorio, says that the Immigration Service will have to recruit 20 temporary officers to help shorten the queues. According to the Minister of Migration and European Affairs, Astrid Thors, it is not yet possible to say whether the Immigration Service can recruit new staff. She notes, however, that the Aliens Act stipulates that applications must be processed within nine months and that this should be a goal for the Immigration Service.
Turun Sanomat 16 July 2010 (in Finnish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCzZ30ZqnfK0aYE0EDDU0EG
YLE 16 July 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCzZ30ZqnfK0aYE0EDDV0EH

Norway

Unrest at Haslemoen transit center
On Tuesday, the police received several reports of unrest at the Haslemoen transit center in Hedmark. The troublemakers had already calmed down when the police arrived at the center. There had been bickering, fighting and some breaking of the dishes in the cafeteria, the police state. Many residents live in the center, so events similar to the one on Tuesday happen often, comments Kjell-Åge Moen, head of the center. Approximately 65 residents from the return center in Lier were transferred to Haslemoen and Stange after the Lier center was set on fire. However, the troublemakers from Lier were not involved in the events at the Haslemoen center. According to the police, the Directorate of Immigration (UDI) was contacted on Tuesday and UDI decided to transfer one of the most aggressive persons to a different center. The trouble continued on Thursday evening, and one person was lightly injured in the unrest.
NRK 14 July 2010 (in Norwegian)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCzZ30ZqnfK0aYE0EDDW0EI
NRK 15 July 2010 (in Norwegian)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCzZ30ZqnfK0aYE0EDDX0EJ
Verdens Gang 15 July 2010 (in Norwegian)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCzZ30ZqnfK0aYE0EDDY0EK

Asylum-seekers to work for free
Presently asylum-seekers cannot participate in free voluntary work in Norway, but the government is about to make an amendment to the legislation. The amendment is intended to prevent undeclared work and labor exploitation. But after a pressure of several years by non-governmental organizations such as Frivillig Norge and the Norwegian Red Cross, the Ministry of Justice and the Police now proposes that asylum-seekers could be allowed to contribute with unpaid work. It is important to activate persons waiting for a decision on their residence application and let them at the same time help others, comments Sven Mollekleiv, president of the Norwegian Red Cross. The worst that can happen is that persons fleeing war and conflict have to sit and have nothing to occupy themselves with. At worst these persons get sick, Mollekleiv continues. The Ministry of Justice and the Police sent the legislation proposal out for comment last Friday. To prevent labor exploitation, the proposal suggests that asylum-seekers should not be allowed to do things one normally receives a compensation for.
Aftenposten 15 July 2010 (in Norwegian)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCzZ30ZqnfK0aYE0EDDZ0EL

Residence permits for radical Islamists
Several asylum-seekers have been granted a residence permit in Norway because they are members of the radical Islamist party Hizb ut-Tahrir. The reason is that they risk persecution and torture in their home countries. According to Aftenposten, the Hizb ut-Tahrir Party pursues a worldwide Islamic state, is opposed to democracy and anti-Semitic in the party statements, and additionally forbidden in Germany. In recent years, at least six Uzbeks and Uighurs have been granted residence in Norway because of their association with the party. The Directorate of Immigration has no accurate official list of how many persons with a connection to the party have a residence permit. Two of the men suspected of terrorism in Norway have a background in Central Asia where Hizb ut-Tahrir has the strongest foothold, but it is not verified whether the two men are or have been members of the party. Zeyno Baran, an American expert on radical Islamist groups, comments that radical Islamists in Central Asia do ideological preparations for terrorist attacks. According to her, opponents of the worldwide Islamic caliphate, a kind of Islamic super-state, are viewed as enemies of the radical Islamists.
Verdens Gang 15 July 2010 (in Norwegian)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCzZ30ZqnfK0aYE0EDDa0ES
Aftenposten 16 July 2010 (in Norwegian)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCzZ30ZqnfK0aYE0EDDb0ET

Pointless to grant residence permits for radical Islamists
Several Norwegian parties took a stand on the news that radical Islamists are granted residence permits in Norway. Of the government parties the Centre Party's immigration spokesperson, Ola Borten Moe, is most critical of persons being granted residence because of their association with radical Islamist movements in their countries of origin. This is completely pointless and something must be done as soon as possible, comments Moe. Labour Party spokesperson, Lise Christoffersen, believes that one cannot deny the right to asylum because of an alleged connection to Islam. There must be an assessment of the individual situation of the country they fled from, and Norway is bound by international conventions, she adds. Per-Willy Amundsen, immigration policy spokesperson in the Progress Party, states that granting asylum is not desirable at all. Radical Islamists should not be granted residence. According to Amundsen, this challenges the whole concept of refugees. One always pictures a refugee who fights against dictatorship, desires democracy and freedom, he continues. The thought that someone wants to introduce an even worse terrorist regime than the one they fled from is seldom applied. Geir J. Bekkevold, immigration policy spokesperson in the Christian Democratic Party, notes that when Norway provides protection to those who are persecuted but at the same time are engaged in terrorist acts, the problem seems to be turned upside down. Akhtar Chaudhry, spokesperson for justice policy in the Socialist Left Party, states that the asylum authorities are aimed at those who experience persecution, torture, rape or other type of oppression. Violence should never be permitted for achieving political goals, but one should get protection if one is persecuted, Chaudhry adds. Trond Helleland, spokesperson for immigration policy in the Conservative party, sees that to start dividing persons into Islamist groups and other persecuted groups would be a difficult human rights assessment. An Islamist's life is as important as anybody else's. Therefore, the assessment should be done on an individual basis, he concludes.
Aftenposten 15 July 2010 (in Norwegian)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCzZ30ZqnfK0aYE0EDDc0EU

Two terror suspects before Oslo court
The hearing of the two men suspected of terrorism in Norway took place at the Oslo District Court on Monday afternoon behind closed doors. Michael Davud, a 39-year-old of Uighur origin, and David Jakobsen, a 31-year-old Uzbek, were asked by the public prosecutor to remain in full custody for eight weeks in order to facilitate further investigation. Lawyers for the two defendants reported that their clients, whose cases were heard separately, were opposed to the request to remain in custody. Kjell Dahl, defending lawyer for Jakobsen, commented that his client had been cooperating with the Norwegian Police Security Service (PST) for over six months before he was arrested last week. He had acted as an informant to the police, meeting with PST agents regularly, Dahl considered. Public Prosecutor Signe Kathrine Aalling was aware that Jakobsen had been in contact with PST agents, but stated that the accused had never informed the police about the purchase of hydrogen peroxide, a fluid of volatile nature which could be used to make a bomb. Michael Davud was charged as the ringleader of a three-man terror group with planning a bombing attack on undecided Norwegian targets. The Uighur arrived in Norway in the late 1990's and was granted citizenship in 2007. The third suspect, 37-year-old Saeed Bujak, was arrested in Germany. According to NRK, the Iraqi Kurd arrived in Norway on Wednesday for interrogation and trial.
Norway News 13 July 2010 (in Norwegian)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCzZ30ZqnfK0aYE0EDDd0EV
NRK 15 July 2010 (in Norwegian)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCzZ30ZqnfK0aYE0EDDe0EW

Sweden

Police arrest illegal refugees
For several years now the police in Malmö have regularly requested lists from the municipality's registry office of couples that are about to be wed by a local registrar. The initiative results in one or more arrests per month of illegal refugees who have had their claim for asylum denied, according to Leif Fransson, deputy head of the border police in Skåne. The information the police request is public and available to anyone upon request, and it is an instrument the police use in their work, continues Fransson. The Migration Board is reluctant to state anything about how persons whose claims have been denied are caught by the police. It is a difficult balance, and it is hard to say what is right or wrong, says Anna Wessel, acting head of department at the Migration Board. The pressure on the Swedish border police has increased following a Riksdag decision to track more illegal refugees who are in hiding. The method used by the police in Skåne is therefore arousing interest from other counties. There are estimated to be some 8,000 persons currently residing illegally in Sweden, writes DN.
Dagens Nyheter 15 July 2010 p:20 (in Swedish)

Despite criticism more forcible returns to Iraq
Despite criticism of group deportations to Iraq, more rejected asylum-seekers who do not return voluntarily are forcibly returned with bigger charter planes to Iraq. Overall, the system works very well, and only a few individuals resist, comments Per-Uno Johansson, head of the Investigation Unit of the Border Police Department in Stockholm. These persons will then be handcuffed in order to prevent them from hurting themselves or the transportation staff. Since December 2008, 460 Iraqi men, women and children have been forcibly deported with large charter flights. Last year, seven flights were carried out, and this year has already witnessed eight ones. More charter deportations are likely to be carried out this year, states Johansson. However, the latest criticism for mass deportations to Iraq came from UNHCR in June. Hanne Mathisen, spokesperson for UNHCR in the Nordic and Baltic countries, comments that Iraqis coming from areas considered by UNHCR as unstable and dangerous should be granted international protection and not be deported. Given that Sweden rejects asylum applications from persons coming from the central areas of Iraq and based on information UNHCR has from the media and from lawyers, one assumes that persons originating from the five central areas are amongst those being deported, says Mathisen. Baghdad is one of the sites that UNHCR considers to be dangerous and the chartered planes land there. After the persons arrive in Baghdad, it is up to the Iraqis themselves to reach their final destination in Iraq. Additionally, they receive 100 dollars for the transport, something Mathisen is also critical of, because the amount is not sufficient. Sweden should bear the responsibility to ensure that the deported persons reach their place of origin safely, concludes Mathisen.
Sveriges Radio 15 July 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCzZ30ZqnfK0aYE0EDDf0EX
Sveriges Radio 15 July 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCzZ30ZqnfK0aYE0EDDg0EY

Billström rejects UNHCR criticism
UNHCR has repeatedly criticized forcible Iraqi deportations from Sweden to sites in Iraq that are still unstable. But Tobias Billström, Minister for Migration and Asylum Policy, turns down the critics. According to him, not all persons deported back to Iraq are in a threatening situation, but the Swedish immigration authorities and courts must decide case by case, and that is what they are doing at the moment. He does not agree that Sweden goes against UNHCR recommendations in this case. Sweden has a process system that gives all applicants the opportunity to have their applications tested individually, Billström argues. Rejected Iraqis are not deported back because they are Iraqis, but the reality is that not everyone can stay in Sweden just because they come from Iraq. UNHCR has also criticized the pocket money of 100 dollars that is handed to persons when they arrive in Baghdad. Billström notes that Sweden's responsibility ends at the airport in Baghdad. The rejected asylum-seekers are free Iraqi citizens returned to their country of origin and therefore the Swedish State bears no further responsibility. Sweden cannot take an absolute and indefinite responsibility for a person who had once been in contact with Swedish authorities, the course falls on its own absurdity. Sveriges Radio 15 July 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCzZ30ZqnfK0aYE0EDDh0EZ

Shortest asylum processes in 20 years
So far this year, 14,056 persons have sought asylum in Sweden, an increase of 36 per cent compared to the same period last year. Meanwhile, asylum decisions are processed faster – in 4,5 months, which is the shortest time in 20 years. After negative decisions and Dublin Cases, according to which applicants must apply in another EU country, 41 per cent of applicants have been granted asylum. In the first half of last year, the proportion was 33 per cent. An increase in Somali applicants might have affected this figure, since Somalis are now granted asylum more often due to the difficult security situation in the country. In May, the Migration Board raised its forecast for asylum-seekers to Sweden this year to 31,000. The next forecast will be given to the Government in late July.  So far this year, 1,025 unaccompanied minors have sought asylum in Sweden. Previous estimations suggested that 3,000 unaccompanied minors would seek asylum in Sweden this year, but the half-year figures imply that the number will be diminished.
Dagens Nyheter 15 July 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCzZ30ZqnfK0aYE0EDDi0Ea

EU countries disagree on common asylum policy
The European Commissioner for Home Affairs, Cecilia Malmström, says that reaching a consensus on the common European asylum policy by 2012 will be very difficult due to big differences in opinions among the member countries. The main dispute is about how asylum-seekers should be received, when and how a person can be put into custody, how family reunion should take place and how to ease the burden of southern European countries that receive large numbers of asylum-seekers. The Minister for Migration and Asylum Policy, Tobias Billström, is more optimistic about the prospects of reaching a consensus, although he also sees complications due to costs, especially at a time when most European states are struggling with large deficits in state finances.  One of the most difficult questions to solve is the exceptions to the principle that asylum-seekers should have their applications processed in the country they first arrived in. Mainly Greece and Malta would be able to send asylum-seekers to the other EU countries, as they receive more applicants than they can handle. Sweden and several other countries believe that these exemptions cannot be used as an excuse to avoid improving poor reception systems.
Dagens Nyheter 15 July 2010 (in Swedish)
http://www.dn.se/nyheter/varlden/last-om-gemensamt-asylsystem-i-eu-1.1138390

[Roope]

Saturday 17 July to Monday 19 July 2010

Denmark

Integration Minister urged to take action
Denmark continues to send asylum-seekers back to Greece, says the Minister of Refugee, Immigration and Integration Affairs, Birthe Rønn Hornbech. This despite the ruling of the European Court of Human Rights that has prevented the deportation of three asylum-seekers from Denmark based on the so-called Rule 39. The Socialist People's Party, the Social Democrats and the Danish Refugee Council urge the Integration Minister to take action and state  that asylum-seekers should stay in Denmark until the asylum situation in Greece is improved.  The risk that asylum-seekers are being returned to Greece are simply too high, says the Secretary General of the Danish Refugee Council, Andreas Kamm. He stresses that Greece does not have the capacity to cope with as many asylum-seekers as the country is receiving right now. The Socialist People's Party's spokesperson in asylum issues, Astrid Krag, also wonders why the Minister of Refugee, Immigration and Integration Affairs does not listen to the international organizations' warning. The Socialist Democrat's spokesperson Henrik Dam Kristensen agrees that the Minister must take action, and wishes that she will put pressure on the EU Commission in order to solve the asylum problems in Greece. He believes it is not fair that the Minister does not raise the question at the EU level.
Danmarks Radio 16 July 2010 (in Danish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCz4x0ZqnfK0aYE0EDHN0Ei
Tidende 16 July 2010 (in Danish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCz4x0ZqnfK0aYE0EDHO0Ej
TV2 Nyhederne 16 July 2010 (in Danish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCz4x0ZqnfK0aYE0EDHP0Ek
Berlingske Tidende 16 July 2010 (in Danish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCz4x0ZqnfK0aYE0EDHQ0El

Strong criticism towards EU's asylum policy
Several experts claim that the collapse of the Greek asylum system is merely a symptom of the deep crisis the EU asylum system has fallen into. The reason for Greece's problems is that the country receives far more asylum-seekers than the other EU countries. While Denmark processed 1,725 applications in 2008, nearly 31,000 persons sought asylum in Greece. Andreas Kamm, Secretary General of the Danish Refugee Council, says the burden is so uneven that the system is falling apart, and the countries in the periphery are tempted to act against the Dublin Regulation. According to the Dublin Regulation, asylum-seekers should have their applications processed in the EU country they first arrived in.
Danmarks Radio 19 July 2010 (in Danish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCz4x0ZqnfK0aYE0EDHR0Em

Finland

Poll: EU harmful to Finland in immigration and asylum matters
Half of the Finns believe that the EU has brought Finland more harm than good in immigration and asylum matters, according to an opinion poll commissioned by Aamulehti and MTV3 and conducted by TNS Gallup. The negative attitudes towards immigration issues are interesting since according to the same query, 73 per cent of Finns were of the opinion that the EU should create common, binding rules for work-related immigration, integration and reception of refugees.
Aamulehti 19 July 2010 (in Finnish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCz4x0ZqnfK0aYE0EDHS0En

Arson at housing for unaccompanied minors
A threatening fire broke out at a refugee housing for unaccompanied minors in Oravainen on Friday afternoon. The fire caused no major damage. The Rescue department believes that it is possible that the fire was arson.
Hufvudstadsbladet 16 July 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCz4x0ZqnfK0aYE0EDHT0Eo
Vasabladet 16 July 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCz4x0ZqnfK0aYE0EDHU0Ep

True Finns raised to fourth most popular party
The immigration critical True Finns party has, for the first time, gained a support of over ten per cent, shows a survey commissioned by YLE news. According to the survey, the True Finns have now risen to Finland's fourth most popular political party over the Greens. In the survey conducted in July, 10.1 per cent of the respondents said they would vote for the True Finns, while the Greens gained a support of 9.5 per cent. Timo Soikkanen, Professor in Policital History at the University of Turku, estimates that economic and immigration issues will be the most important topics in the parliamentary elections to be held next April. Soikkanen believes that the other political parties are forced to harden their positions in immigration issues, not to loose their popularity to the True Finns party.
Helsingin Sanomat 16 July 2010 (in Finnish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCz4x0ZqnfK0aYE0EDHV0Eq
Helsingin Sanomat 17 July 2010 (in Finnish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCz4x0ZqnfK0aYE0EDHW0Er

True Finns leader Soini says presidential candidacy is "likely"
Timo Soini, a Finnish Euro-MP and leader of the opposition True Finns, hinted in a blog entry posted on Wednesday that he would stand as a candidate in the 2012 presidential election. Soini wrote that his candidacy is "likely". In the 2006 presidential election where Tarja Halonen won her second and final term, Soini took 3.4 per cent of the vote. Soini had said earlier he would return to Finnish politics by standing in next year's general election.
Helsinki Times 16 July 2010 (in English)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCz4x0ZqnfK0aYE0EDHX0Es

Norway

Warnings about potentially dangerous asylum-seekers
So far this year, the Norwegian government has warned about eight persons applying for residence in Norway who could threaten basic national interests, security or foreign policy interests. The Directorate of Immigration has notified the Ministry of Justice and the Police and the Norwegian Police Security Service about their concerns. In addition to the eight new cases, the Ministry is checking twelve other persons who could be a potential threat to Norway. Most of the cases concern asylum-seekers. Examples of conditions leading to a warning are suspicion of espionage, ideological conviction, and an affiliation to a party or an organization that supports terrorist networks or groupings that have carried out violent or extremist acts.
Dagsavisen 17 July 2010 (in Norwegian)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCz4x0ZqnfK0aYE0EDHY0Et
NRK 17 July 2010 (in Norwegian)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCz4x0ZqnfK0aYE0EDHZ0Eu
Aftenposten 17 July 2010 (in Norwegian)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCz4x0ZqnfK0aYE0EDHa0E2

UD unaware of the missing Uighur's whereabouts
The Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Norwegian Embassy is Islamabad in Pakistan have not been able to find out where the Uighur from Bergen is located after he was extradited from Pakistan to China in June. According to TV 2, the man is suspected of terrorism against Chinese targets. The man is a Chinese citizen, but has refugee status in Norway. He has claimed consular assistance from the Ministry, comments communications advisor Kjetil Elsebutangen from the MFA. On 17 May, the Norwegian Embassy in Islamabad was notified that the Pakistani authorities had arrested a Uighur family in northern Pakistan, since the family was staying illegally in the country. The Embassy immediately began the work to get the four family members extradited to Norway. On 12 June, the mother and two children, all Norwegian nationals, were handed over to the Norwegian Embassy, and are now back in Norway. The Embassy received a message that the man had been handed over to the Chinese authorities because he was a Chinese citizen, adds Elsebutangen. The official reasons for the arrest and extradition do not mention the suspected terrorist affiliation. The Pakistani authorities justified the arrest of the Uighur man due to his illegal stay in the country, and justified the extradition to China because the Uighur man has Chinese citizenship.
Dagsavisen 16 July 2010 (in Norwegian)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCz4x0ZqnfK0aYE0EDHb0E3

Sweden

New technology to track damaged fingerprints
In order to shorten the asylum process, the Migration Board has purchased new technology to read damaged fingerprints. Asylum-seekers often damage their fingers so their fingerprints cannot be registered in the EU common database for asylum-seekers. Every year, thousands of asylum cases are complicated by the fact that the Migration Board does not manage to establish the fingerprints. Among those who sought asylum in Sweden last year, 2,000 persons could not be identified through fingerprints. The figure for this year is at 1,000 persons. The new equipment can read fingerprints even on damaged or worn fingers. Madeleine Seidlitz, refugee lawyer at Amnesty International, states that the new technology will certainly streamline the Migration Board's work, but hardly does anything about the human suffering. The waiting time can be shortened, but at the same time one has to consider the human dimension and ask why individuals have taken such drastic measures, she adds.
Dagens Nyheter 17 July 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCz4x0ZqnfK0aYE0EDHc0E4
Sveriges Television 17 July 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCz4x0ZqnfK0aYE0EDHd0E5
Sveriges Radio 17 July 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCz4x0ZqnfK0aYE0EDHe0E6
Stockholm News 17 July 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCz4x0ZqnfK0aYE0EDHf0E7

More places needed for refugee children
This year, around 3,000 unaccompanied refugee children and adolescents under the age of 18 are expected to seek asylum in Sweden without a guardian. As of 14 July, 1,153 minors had sought asylum in Sweden during this year. For years, the reception system for minors has been very strained, but now the situation has improved. The number of so-called arrival municipalities, where the children wait for permanent accommodation in other municipalities, has increased from four to nine, including several municipalities in Northern Sweden. Furthermore, the Migration Board has agreed with municipalities and regions on 1,976 housing sites, which means that 730 new places are added this year. In addition, The Östergötland and Västerbotten counties have offered more seats than they had first intended. However, the need is larger than the already agreed accommodations. In past years, the number of asylum applications from unaccompanied children increased over the summer and further increased during the autumn. An appeal for more accommodation sites has therefore been sent from the Migration Board, Save the Children and Children's Ombudsman to all municipal councils in Sweden.
Svenska Dagbladet 17 July 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCz4x0ZqnfK0aYE0EDHg0E8
Sveriges Radio 18 July 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCz4x0ZqnfK0aYE0EDHh0EA
Sveriges Radio 18 July 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCz4x0ZqnfK0aYE0EDHi0EB



UNHCR in the world

37,000 on the run in DRC
37,000 persons have been displaced in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo due to fighting between the Congolese army and a Ugandan rebel group. The internally displaced persons, most of them villagers, are now scattered throughout the region. The fighting takes place along the border between the DRC and Uganda, in and around the Ruwenzori Mountains. The Ugandan rebel group ADF / Nalu was chased out of Uganda in 2001, and has after that been hiding across the border in DRC. The group says it fights for the rights of Muslims. Meanwhile, Uganda has deported 1,800 Rwandans who have been denied asylum. Many Rwandans are drawn to the neighboring country in hope of getting a piece of land. UNHCR has criticized Uganda's handling of Rwandans, and pointed out that many of them never had their asylum claims examined.
Hufvudstadsbladet 16 July 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCz4x0ZqnfK0aYE0EDHj0EC

NB. This story was also published in Sweden
Sveriges Television 16 July 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCz4x0ZqnfK0aYE0EDHk0ED

OSCE to send policemen to Kyrgyzstan
The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, OSCE, will send 52 police observers to Kyrgyzstan to monitor peace in the southern parts of the country. President of Kyrgyzstan, Roza Otunbajeva, has given the OSCE the authority to review the causes to recent months' violence. The OSCE delegation will also train local police forces. According to UNHCR, there are still some 75,000 internally displaced persons in the Kyrgyz south in the aftermath of the violence.
Hufvudstadsbladet 16 July 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCz4x0ZqnfK0aYE0EDHl0EE
Savon Sanomat 16 July 2010 (in Finnish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eCz4x0ZqnfK0aYE0EDHm0EF

[Roope]

Tuesday 20 July to Wednesday 21 July 2010

Denmark

UN: Danish government covers up racism
The Danish government has been accused of failing to accept the true extent of racism in the country. According to Niels-Erik Hansen, head of the Documentation and Advisory Centre on Racism, a new report compiled by the government for the UN Racism Committee cosmetically enhances the real statistics by failing to include crimes that were possibly racially motivated. At the same time, the number of actual cases prosecuted according to anti-racism legislation is set too low. If one ignores the issues and refuses to hear anything it is easy to reach the conclusion that racism does not exist, adds Hansen. Unfortunately, this report fails to mention the 560 cases of possible acts of racism that the Danish Security and Intelligence Service (PET) has uncovered, such as assault, attempted murder and damage to property, he continues. The government report that will be used to form the basis of the UN evaluation of racism in Denmark, states that there have only been 123 reported cases of racism over the past five years, compared to police figures of 190. A Justice Ministry spokesman said that if the UN Racism Committee asks for PET's figures they would be supplied.
Jyllands-Posten 20 July 2010 (in Danish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eC1QW0ZqnfK0aYE0EDP30E7

Refugees to get psychiatric help through video
Refugees and immigrants in outlying areas of Denmark will receive psychiatric help in their mother tongue through video. The Ministry of the Interior and Health supports the project with one million DKK. Through a video conference a psychiatrist can treat mentally ill immigrants and refugees who avoid queuing on the waiting lists in the local areas. The Minister of the Interior and Health, Bertel Haarder, sees great prospects in the project that is expected to run until May 2012, after which it could be expanded and made permanent. Minister Haarder notes that through the project, it is even possible to get treatment from therapists in Sweden.
Berlingske Tidende 19 July 2010 (in Danish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eC1QW0ZqnfK0aYE0EDP40E8
Jyllands-Posten 19 July 2010 (in Danish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eC1QW0ZqnfK0aYE0EDP50EA

Norway

Norway stops deportations to northern Iraq
Norway has suspended deportations to Northern Iraq. The reason is said to be that the National Police Immigration Service (PU) has been unable to receive a reply from the authorities in northern Iraq - the Kurdish controlled part - since February when the PU requested the deportation of asylum-seekers. Currently, 528 rejected asylum-seekers wait in Norwegian return centers, but it is unclear how many of them are from northern Iraq. UN sources have advised not to return persons to the southern and central Iraq, including Baghdad. However, forced expulsions have still been implemented. Recently, UNHCR indicated that no deportations should be carried out to the provinces of Baghdad, Diyala, Kirkuk, Nineveh and Saladin - provinces quite far north. The Kurdish-controlled provinces in the far north are considered more secure. According to State Secretary Pål Lönseth from the Ministry of Justice and the Police, Norway has cooperated well with the Kurdish autonomy but the cooperation could be more efficient. A series of human rights organizations have protested against returning persons at all to Iraq. The most famous of the persons in Norway waiting for a return to Northern Iraq is the Kurdish Islamist leader Mullah Krekar. Last year in May, Norwegian and Iraqi authorities closed an agreement on the returning of Iraqi asylum-seekers. Three quarters of those who have returned are reported to have done so voluntarily.
Verdens Gang 20 July 2010 (in Norwegian)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eC1QW0ZqnfK0aYE0EDP60EB
Aftenposten 20 July 2010 (in Norwegian)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eC1QW0ZqnfK0aYE0EDP70EC

NB. This story was also covered in Finland and Sweden
Hufvudstadsbladet 21 July 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eC1QW0ZqnfK0aYE0EDP80ED
Dagens Nyheter 20 July 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eC1QW0ZqnfK0aYE0EDQA0EN
Sveriges Television 21 July 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eC1QW0ZqnfK0aYE0EDQB0EO
TV 4 Nyhetskanalen 20 July 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eC1QW0ZqnfK0aYE0EDQC0EP

Five Palestinian asylum-seekers on hunger strike
On Friday morning, six asylum-seekers from Gaza and the West Bank started a hunger strike at the reception center in Svolvaer. One of them quit the strike on Sunday due to stomach problems. Some of the center residents have been waiting for a decision on their asylum application for 1,5 years. The management at the reception center closely follows the events at the center, and has contacted the local doctor to ensure that the strikers' health is not put in danger, comments Marianne Hansen, acting head at the center. She emphasizes that the protest is not aimed at the reception center, since the strikers are satisfied with the conditions there. Rather, they are critical of the asylum policy at the more central level, Hansen continues. The police comment that they will not take action before the health of the strikers reaches a critical level. The strikers aim at protesting as long as they have received a response to their application from the Directorate of Immigration.
NRK 19 July 2010 (in Norwegian)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eC1QW0ZqnfK0aYE0EDQD0EQ

Some make millions on asylum centers
While residents at return centers receive 100 kroner a week in pocket money, private companies and their management earn millions of kronor for operating the centers. Vidar Veseth, leader of the union Norwegian Society for reception center staff, told that according to the union estimations, alone Hero Norway AS, Link AS and the Norwegian receiving operations contracted by the Directorate of Immigration accounted for 60 million kronor in profit. If the number of staff is cut down, the risk of conflicts at the centers increases, Veseth commented. Hero Norway AS is the largest private operator that runs centers and has 8662 places in 45 centers. The company operates among others the Fagerli return center in Nannestad, the Haslemoen transit center as well as the Hvalstad center for unaccompanied minors.
Dagbladet 20 July 2010 (in Norwegian)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eC1QW0ZqnfK0aYE0EDQE0ER

[Roope]

Thursday 22 July to Friday 23 July 2010

Denmark

Racism claims exaggerated says Khader
There is far more racism in France and Spain than in Denmark, says leading immigrant politician Naser Khader in response to claims by Niels-Erik Hansen, head of the Documentation and Advisory Centre for Racism, that the government has whitewashed a new report written for the UN Committee on Racism. Khader says that unfortunately, Niels Erik-Hansen sees racism everywhere he looks, and adds that he does not see Denmark as a racist country and that one should also remember that there is racism between immigrant groups that does not appear in the official statistics. He added that the UN should use its power to combat racism in countries such as Iran or Saudi Arabia, where people are not allowed to carry the Bible or build Christian churches.
Jyllands-Posten 21 July 2010 (in Danish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eC1k80ZqnfK0aYE0EDis0EW

"Only skillful workers to be given residence"
New figures from the Ministry of Refugee, Immigration and Integration Affairs show that in 2050, nearly 20 per cent of working age Danish residents will have an immigrant background. Both the Liberals and the Conservatives react by saying that if the Danish welfare society is to be maintained in the future, Denmark must focus on attracting skilled workers from abroad and educate the immigrants already residing in the country. Naser Khader, integration spokesperson for the Conservatives, says that Denmark has an international obligation and a moral responsibility to let refugees into the country, but in terms of immigration, Denmark must be ruthless and give residence permits only to highly skilled workers who can help develop the Danish welfare society.
Berlingske Tidende 22 July 2010 (in Danish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eC1k80ZqnfK0aYE0EDit0EX
Danmarks Radio 22 July 2010 (in English)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eC1k80ZqnfK0aYE0EDiu0EY

Estonia

Estonia attracting immigrants again
Estonia attracts several thousands of immigrants every year, although the exact numbers are not available. According to official statistics, more than 3,000 persons a year have moved to Estonia during the past three years. Last year Estonia recorded the immigration of 3,643 persons, while 4,647 emigrated.
Baltic News Service 20 July 2010 (in English) (Subscription required)
www.bns.ee

Finland

10,000 have immigrated to Finland this year
According to Statistics Finland, Finland's population was 5,362,073 at the end of June. From January to June, the population grew by 10,650 persons. The biggest reason for population growth was that immigration exceeded emigration by 5,750 persons. According to preliminary data, 10,650 persons immigrated to Finland during January to June, while 4,900 persons moved from Finland.
YLE 22 July 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eC1k80ZqnfK0aYE0EDiv0EZ

Chechen refugees do not affect relations between Finland and Russia
One topic raised during the Russian President Medvedev's visit to Finland was Chechen refugees. The President was asked what he thinks of refugees from the Russian North Caucasus who have been granted asylum in Finland, and whether he considers Russia to be safe. He answered that if law-abiding Russian citizens apply for a residence permit or citizenship in Finland, they can by all means do so. But if these persons are wanted in Russia, Russia does not consider granting asylum as a friendly act, he added. Mikko Palonkorpi, researcher concentrated on the Caucasus region, does not think that President Dmitry Medvedev wanted to blame Finland or the Finnish authorities. Formally, the second Chechen war is over, and Russia believes that persons from the North Caucasian Republics are not in need of asylum. However, opponents of the regime continue to be persecuted, according to the Immigration Service. Also researcher Mikko Korpi says that conditions throughout the North Caucasus are difficult and persons have often good reasons for asylum.
YLE 23 July 2010 (in Finnish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eC1k80ZqnfK0aYE0EDiw0Ea

Latvia

Afghan, Pakistani, Iranian nationals account for most illegal border crossers
According to the State Border Guard, 54 persons were detained for illegal border crossing during the first six months this year. Most of them were third-country nationals who were detained at the border checkpoints. The largest share of these persons came from Afghanistan, Pakistan, Congo, Iran and China. The number of persons detained for illegal border crossing has declined this year compared to the same period last year. The State Border Guard has also registered 31 applications for asylum so far this year.
Baltic News Service 22 July 2010 (in English) (Subscription required)
www.bns.ee

Illegal transportation of Afghanis
According to the head of the Border Guard Service, Normunds Garbars, illegal transportation of Afghani citizens trough Latvia to other European countries is one of the main problems at the Eastern border. Garbars says that illegal border crossers from Afghanistan get detained almost every month. In total, 45 non-EU citizens got detained during the first six months of this year.
Integration and Minority Information Service 23 July 2010 (in English)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eC1k80ZqnfK0aYE0DVlf0Ed

Norway

Storberget: European asylum regulation may fail
According to Minister Knut Storberget, the Dublin Regulation may collapse due to the financial crisis. He fears that Norway may witness a sharp increase in asylum-seekers. The Dublin Regulation is the main reason that in the first half of 2010, Norway returned a record number of asylum-seekers. Because of a poor economic situation, several Southern European countries may no longer be able to receive returned asylum-seekers from third countries. For example, Greece does not have adequate procedures for handling asylum-seekers, considers Petter Eide, Secretary General of Norwegian People's Aid. Storberget desires a better deal for Europe in the close future. He sees that Europe needs a greater degree of responsibility distribution for the taking care of all those who seek asylum here. Eide believes that the Dublin Regulation should be replaced. He states that a new regulation must ensure greater equality for the treatment of asylum-seekers. That is not the case with today's regulation. The new regulation would allow countries like Greece and Italy to invest adequate resources and be at the same time put under pressure to improve the asylum process functions. Storberget considers that Norway is also trying to improve conditions for asylum-seekers in Greece. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that Minister Jonas Gahr Støre has been in contact with the Greek authorities in order to build and improve Greece's damaged asylum system. Ingvald Bertelsen, communications advisor at the Norwegian Organization for Asylum Seekers, believes that Storberget has exaggerated the danger of a massive influx of asylum-seekers to Norway. According to him, it is almost tragically comical how Norway tries to protect itself against an imaginary flux of asylum-seekers. In reality, a fairly modest number of asylum-seekers come to Norway, he concludes.
NRK 21 July 2010 (in Norwegian)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eC1k80ZqnfK0aYE0EDix0Eb
Verdens Gang 22 July 2010 (in Norwegian)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eC1k80ZqnfK0aYE0EDiy0Ec

Longer detention period for persons without legal residence
The Government is about to introduce an EU directive that will make it possible to detain persons without legal residence in Norway for eighteen months, which corresponds to a normal penalty for an armed robbery. At the same time, the criteria for detention will be made less strict. Asylum lawyer Arild Humlen thinks that detention based on unclear identity is in breach of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). The Minister of Justice and the Police, Knut Storberget, says that restrictive measures are necessary, but he does not yet know how many persons would be detained as a result of the new rules. He notes that if asylum-seekers do not cooperate when clarifying their identity, there must be consequences, and the threat of imprisonment signalizes that. Norwegian Organization for Asylum Seekers (NOAS) sees the government's proposal as disturbing. Ingvald Bertelsen from NOAS says that the proposal will lead to more control, and fears that more persons without legal residence in the country will go into hiding. Moreover, there will be an increase in detention costs, Bertelsen notes. Berit Lindeman from the Norwegian Helsinki Committee says restrictive measures are in place, but thinks that imprisonment should only be used in individual cases.
Aftenposten 22 July 2010 (in Norwegian)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eC1k80ZqnfK0aYE0EDiz0Ed

Over half of criminals in Oslo foreigners
For the first time over half of those arrested of crimes in Oslo are of foreign nationality. Nine years ago, just over 30 per cent of the arrested persons in Oslo were foreigners. One of the potential reasons for an increased number of foreign inmates is open borders. Criminals without a Norwegian citizenship commit drug and theft crimes, grand theft and burglary, most of the drug sellers being from West Africa, North Africa and Somalia. Residential burglary is mostly committed by Eastern Europeans and Chileans. Kåre Stølen, head of the Grønland police station, requires that criminal asylum-seekers should not be let go free until they are deported. According to him, many persons are repeatedly arrested which demands too much of the police resources. Another problem which Stølen brings up is that deported criminals tend to return to Norway soon after deportation. Head of the Judiciary Committee Per Sandberg (Progress Party) believes that Minister Storberget should grasp the problem. Anders B. Werp from the Conservative Party and member of the Committee sees that when a person violates the freedom of the Schengen co-operation there should be two consequences: either the person is deported from Norway in a faster manner, so that the person can be incarcerated in the home country, or then borders should be closed for those who abuse the freedom in Europe. Minister Storberget promises an improved and tightened Immigration Act where a person can be punished if he or she breaks the ban entry to Norway.
NRK 21 July 2010 (in Norwegian)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eC1k80ZqnfK0aYE0EDi10EQ
Verdens Gang 21 July 2010 (in Norwegian)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eC1k80ZqnfK0aYE0EDi20ER

Asylum industry a golden opportunity
The Progress Party believes that the state should engage in Norwegian asylum centers. On Tuesday, Dagbladet wrote about private companies earning millions of kronor by running asylum centers on behalf of the Directorate of Immigration (UDI). Per-Willy Amundsen, immigration policy spokesperson in the Progress Party, considers that the reason for private companies earning a lot through asylum centers lies in the large flux of asylum-seekers that arrived in Norway in 2009. Last year, there was an increase of 19 per cent in comparison to 2008. The UDI has had to triple its capacity over a short period of time, Amundsen commented. He believes that private companies are a necessity, because the alternative would be worse, namely no reception centers at all. He clarifies that the Progress Party desires a different policy, with dramatically reduced numbers of asylum-seekers and closed reception centers. Lise Christoffersen from the Labour Party and member of the municipal and administrative committee in Stortinget sees that the Labour Party will not rule out that reception centers should not be put out to tender in the future as well. UDI must make sure that the quality in the centers is in accordance with the offer for private companies, and if there are contradictions, a control system has to be set up. She mentions the example of the Lier return center where the staff had been illegally working overtime. She believes that the issue of whether public services should be out for tender should be discussed. She notes that one has to accept that private companies make money on public services, but there is a limit for profit-making. The system should not function in the way that quality is reduced to increase profit, she concludes.
Dagbladet 22 July 2010 (in Norwegian)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eC1k80ZqnfK0aYE0EDi30ES

Norway returns the most asylum-seekers to Greece
The Norwegian People's Aid considers that Norway violates human rights by returning asylum-seekers to the crisis-hit Greece. So far this year, 186 asylum-seekers were returned to Greece, according to figures from the National Police Immigration Service (PU). The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), the Norwegian People's Aid and the Norwegian Organization for Asylum Seekers now demand a halt to the return of asylum-seekers to Greece. The organizations question the treatment and the legal protection of asylum-seekers in Greece. Rolf Vestvik, director of the community and information department of the NRC, believes that Norway is abusing the Dublin Regulation. It is said that one can return asylum-seekers to the first country of arrival in Europe, but the Regulation does not say that one should, he clarifies. From February to April this year, 170 asylum-seekers were returned to Greece from other European countries, and 50 of them were sent out from Norway, being followed by the next country on the list, Austria, returning only 33 asylum-seekers. Vestvik sees that Norway violates UN recommendations while pursuing a stricter asylum policy. Norway has to ensure that the asylum-seekers' rights are respected, and this is not the case in Greece. In February, the Norwegian Immigration Appeals Board (UNE) decided to return asylum-seekers to Greece, despite the conditions there. According to NRC, the decision is contrary to UNHCR recommendations and the judgments by the European Court of Human Rights. Vestvik underlies that the NRC has made a different assessment than the UNE. At the same time, the Greek government has asked for help in a situation where the country feels it has a disproportionate share of the responsibility for asylum-seekers coming to Europe. The NRC view is supported by one of the world's leading experts on asylum law, the American-Canadian law professor James C. Hathaway from the University of Michigan. Hathaway considers that Norway should not return asylum-seekers to Greece because Greece has no credible asylum policy.
Dagbladet 22 July 2010 (in Norwegian)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eC1k80ZqnfK0aYE0EDi40ET

Storberget runs over UNE
In March, the Norwegian Immigration Appeals Board (UNE) passed a resolution that enables the return of asylum-seekers to Somalia. Now the case must be reviewed again because Minister of Justice and the Police, Knut Storberget, considers the decision does not imply sufficiently good reasons. Several persons at UNE feel overruled by the Ministry. Six of the seven members of the Board at UNE regard the conditions in Mogadishu safe enough for returns. The decision will be taken for review because the rationale for protection and the security aspect must be confirmed. According to Storberget, there is no lack of confidence in UNE. Currently, 120 asylum applications are put on hold while the decision is reassessed.
TV2 Nyhetene 22 July 2010 (in Norwegian)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eC1k80ZqnfK0aYE0EDi50EU

Hunger strikers started to drink
One of the Palestinians on hunger strike who was released from the hospital on Wednesday after having been hospitalized since Monday ended the hunger strike on Thursday. Four Palestinians still continue to strike against the Norwegian asylum policy at the center in Svolvær, but the situation is not as dramatic as before. The men have started taking fluids, since they realized that by not drinking water they would probably not live long enough to receive a decision on their asylum applications from the Directorate of Immigration, no matter of the result.
NRK 22 July 2010 (in Norwegian)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eC1k80ZqnfK0aYE0EDi60EV

Sweden

Swedish criticism of Roma deportations in Denmark
In early July, 23 Roma from Romania were deported from Denmark for squatting in an abandoned house and in some bushes on Amager. According to the Danish police, the Roma had slept on illegal sites. In regards to the freedom of movement inside the EU, Denmark has breached against EU directives by deporting the Roma, states Maria Leissner, Democracy Ambassador appointed by the Swedish government. She adds that Denmark made the decision to deport the Roma due to a racial basis. Conservative integration spokesman Naser Khader says they were not deported due to their race, but due to their criminal behavior. More Roma may further be deported and additional police action is to be expected, considers Danish Minister of Justice, Lars Barfoed. The fact that Denmark would have breached EU law is rejected by Karsten Lauritzen, spokesperson for integration and migration issues in the ruling Liberal Party. He argues that jobs and the free movement in Europe are linked, but the homeless Roma are not in Denmark to work. Jobs and the free movement are inter-linked, but the homeless Roma and Eastern Europeans do not work and some of them are not interested in working, adds Lauritzen. In Sweden, deportations of Roma have not been implemented in the same way as in Denmark, but there is still racism against Roma in Sweden. The terms for free movement seem to be slipping when applying the principle to Roma EU citizens from Romania, concludes Leissner. The Danish People's Party (DF) comments that the Swedish critique is grotesque and wants to see if the Swedish government backs the statements of Leissner. If so, the DF will ask the Danish government to explain the situation.
Sveriges Radio 22 July 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eC1k80ZqnfK0aYE0EDi70EW

NB. This story was also covered in Denmark
Politiken 23 July 2010 (in Danish)

[Roope]

Saturday 24 July to Monday 26 July 2010

Denmark

Danish-Swedish Roma discussion
The deportation of 23 Roma creates resentment among the Danish Social Liberals and the Unity List (Red-Green Alliance). Both parties urge Danish ministers to give further explanations after the deportation that the Swedish Ambassador for Democracy, and Chair of the Delegation for Roma Issues, Maria Leissner, has labeled racist. The Social Liberals' immigration spokesperson, Marianne Jelved, believes that the deportation is breaching with the principle of equal treatment. She asks the Minister of Refugee, Immigration and Integration Affairs, Birthe Ronn Hornbech (Liberals), to clarify whether similar deportations of other EU citizens have been taken place. Unity List's Per Clausen urges the Minister for Justice, Lars Barfoed (Conservatives), to confirm whether there is evidence that the deportees really committed a crime. Minister Barfoed says he is "indifferent" to any Swedish criticism in this matter.
Jyllands-Posten 23 July 2010 (in Danish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eC2Gh0ZqnfK0aYE0EDpe0Ec
Jyllands-Posten 23 July 2010 (in Danish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eC2Gh0ZqnfK0aYE0EDpf0Ed
Jyllands-Posten 23 July 2010 (in Danish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eC2Gh0ZqnfK0aYE0EDpg0Ee
Jyllands-Posten 24 July 2010 (in Danish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eC2Gh0ZqnfK0aYE0EDph0Ef

Many volunteers to help asylum-seeking children
The last three years have seen a massive increase in the number of unaccompanied minors to Denmark - from 50 to nearly 400, which have lead to a shortage of volunteers supporting asylum-seeking children and young persons while they wait for a decision on their asylum claims. Karen Inger Thorsen from the Danish Red Cross Asylum Department explains that children arriving in Denmark are mainly youngsters between the ages of 15 and 18, and come to the country without their parents. The interest in volunteering has increased after the media has informed about the problem, and the Red Cross is currently experiencing a boom in the number of volunteers.
Danmarks Radio 24 July 2010 (in Danish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eC2Gh0ZqnfK0aYE0EDpi0Eg

Finland

Number of asylum-seekers fell dramatically
The number of asylum-seekers coming to Finland has dropped dramatically from last year. While some 6,000 persons sought asylum in Finland last year, the estimated figure for this year is around 4,000. Due to the decrease in the number of asylum-seekers, the Finnish Immigration Service has to abolish up to 1,000 places from reception centers this year. Earlier this year, Parikkala reception centre for unaccompanied minors was closed as the number of young asylum-seekers has fallen. A legislative amendment, according to which asylum applications lodged by EU citizens are processed expeditiously, has significantly reduced the number of asylum-seekers from EU countries. In practice, EU-citizens cannot obtain asylum in Finland. The influx of Bulgarians to Finland has stopped after the amendment entered into force in the beginning of July.
YLE 26 July 2010 (in Finnish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eC2Gh0ZqnfK0aYE0EDpj0Eh
YLE 26 July 2010 (in English)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eC2Gh0ZqnfK0aYE0EDpk0Ei
Aamulehti 26 July 2010 (in Finnish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eC2Gh0ZqnfK0aYE0EDpl0Ej

True Finns require tougher stance on immigration
"Tougher stance on immigration" was the message when thirteen True Finns parliamentary election candidates announced the Party's election manifesto in Turku on Saturday. The candidates claimed that they are not against immigration, but for a better immigration, and believe that their message will have resonance among the other parties. Vesa-Matti Saarakkala, Chairman of the True Finns Youth, said that it is a pleasure to see that all Finnish parties now need to take a position on this issue. Saarakkala and Helsinki City Council member Jussi Halla-aho are among the candidates who have signed the manifesto that will put forward various measures to tighten immigration laws, particularly regarding deportation, family reunification and housing arrangements. The candidates have also listed measures to reduce the attractiveness of Finland. Furthermore, the manifesto contains a proposal to establish a "truth commission" that would study the costs of humanitarian immigration over the last 20 years.
Vasabladet 24 July 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eC2Gh0ZqnfK0aYE0EDpm0Ek
YLE 24 July 2010 (in Finnish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eC2Gh0ZqnfK0aYE0EDpn0El
Helsingin Sanomat 24 July 2010 (in Finnish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eC2Gh0ZqnfK0aYE0EDpo0Em
Turun Sanomat 24 July 2010 (in Finnish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eC2Gh0ZqnfK0aYE0EDpp0En

Norway

"Race" to be replaced
The Government proposes to replace the term "race" with "ethnicity, ancestry and skin color" in the Norwegian Aliens Act (Utlendingsloven). In the current Act, the criteria according to which a person is recognized as a refugee derive from the wording "that a person has a well founded fear of persecution due to race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group or political opinion." This phrasing is also found in the 1951 Refugee Convention's definition of a refugee. The government and a management committee of the Parliament requested in 2008 a consideration of a replacing word, because the term "race" can have unfortunate associations in the Norwegian language. According to Rune Berglund Steen from the Norwegian Centre against Racism, it is problematic to have a legislation that strengthens a false and dangerous sense of humanity. Therefore, Norway needs a law that can diagnose racist persecution, but does not use the pursuers' concepts, he adds. Steen considers that the wording in the Refugee Convention is also misleading, because the very Convention is designed to protect persons because of alleged race, but at the same time helps to sustain the concept.
Aftenposten 23 July 2010 (in Norwegian)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eC2Gh0ZqnfK0aYE0EDpq0Eo

Hunger strikers: will they let me die?
Palestinian Mahmoud Hegazy, who has been on a hunger strike for a week will strike until he gets an answer on his asylum application. Hegazy has been waiting a year and a half for a decision from the Norwegian Immigration Appeals Board (UNE). Five other strikers have already ended their hunger strike as they believe they have already made their point clear. Hegazy sought asylum in Norway since he fears for his life in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. The six Palestinians started their hunger strike after that UNE needed four months extension to decide on their asylum applications. Both reception center staff in the city of Svolvær and the Directorate of Immigration (UDI) would prefer that Hegazy ended his strike, but he will continue for as long as he receives a decision from the authorities.
NRK 23 July 2010 (in Norwegian)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eC2Gh0ZqnfK0aYE0EDpr0Ep

Sweden

European Court says No to deportation
The European Court of Justice has ruled that Sweden should not deport a 40-year-old woman whose asylum application has been rejected, to Afghanistan. The Court ruled that the woman risks social exclusion and possibly death if she is returned. Thus, a deportation would therefore also breach Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which prohibits torture. The woman sought asylum in 2004 with her husband. The couple has since separated and the woman has met a Swedish man.
Dagens Nyheter 24 July 2010 p: 7 (in Swedish)

Integration policy should be based on individuals
Minister for Integration and Gender Equality, Nyamko Sabuni, believes that the Swedish society should not consist of ethnic enclaves with different rules and laws. Sweden has been spared from larger street riots calling for an end to ethnic discrimination. However, the country has recently experienced street fires in some of the most vulnerable suburbs of the major cities. The segregation that lies behind these fires could develop into something far worse if the society does not succeed in countering isolation – this is best done by basing integration policy on each individual, rather than on religious or ethnic groups, says Sabuni.
Svenska Dagbladet 24 July 2010 p: 5 (in Swedish)

Still many deportation cases
Although the immigration group at the Uppsala police has been expanded, the number of deportation cases is not reduced. The group has to forcibly return about 50 Iraqis in the near future, but it may take a long time since over 200 cases are pending assessment. Police assistant Cecilia Johansson, one of the four persons handling the cases, notes that the deportation process may take several weeks and months before the rejected asylum-seekers can be returned to their home countries. Despite new staff in the immigration group, only two police officers and two civilian employees are in charge of the cases. According to the Swedish Migration Board statistics, so far this year, 985 Iraqis have voluntarily returned home under the Board's responsibility. 1015 Iraqis have been handed over to the police for forcible return. Hans ten Feld, UNHCR Regional Representative in the Baltic and Nordic countries, believes that the forcible deportations to Iraq should be avoided due to the situation in Iraq. For those who are still going to be returned, it is best that they have to wait as little time as possible due to humanitarian reasons. Amnesty International also calls for Sweden to immediately stop the forcible returns to Iraq. Nadja Francis from the Migration Board says the Board try its best to monitor the situation in Iraq but follows deportation orders from the its legal unit.
Uppsala Nya Tidning 24 July 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eC2Gh0ZqnfK0aYE0EDps0Eq

No identity despite alien passport
There are many persons living in Sweden without a proper identity even if they have obtained a residence permit. Asylum-seekers without identification documents from their home country may obtain a so-called Alien's Passport (Främlingspass) from the Swedish Migration Board. However, if the person has no identity proof before the passport is issued, then it is not recognised as an identification document. Almost 200 Somalis live in the city of Eskilstuna without a proper identification. The Alien's Passport cannot be treated as a Swedish passport if the person has no identity before the passport is issued. Since there is currently no proper government or a system that could issue official identification papers, many Somalis lack proper identification. As a consequence, many cannot get a bank card without adequate Swedish identification.
Sveriges Radio 26 July 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eC2Gh0ZqnfK0aYE0EDpt0Er

Migration Board lacks information on LGBT asylum-seekers
The Migration Board has been strongly criticized for inadequate information concerning lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people (LGBT) asylum-seekers. The Board makes decisions whether LGBT persons have grounds for asylum based on inadequate information. A new report called "Unknown persons" (Okänt folk) was published earlier this summer. The report states that LGBT persons often face persecution, violence, death threats and harassment. Stig-Åke Petersson, refugee administrator at the Swedish Federation for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Rights (RFSL), notes that there unfortunately is no statistics on how many LGBT asylum-seekers come to Sweden. The Migration Board should conduct study trips to gather information of the life situation of LGBT persons in other countries, take measures to gather more concrete information, meet with LGBT persons and pay closer attention to existing reports on LGBT persons, Petersson adds. Journalist Anna-Maria Sörberg, one of the report authors, considers that information on LGBT asylum-seekers is still general, selective and that these issues ahave a subordinate role compared to other asylum matters. Instead, the Migration Board should use several sources on gender identity with an emphasis on both men and women. Sörberg adds that LGBT issues seem to be rather new and unknown issues, although the critique is not new. Minister for Migration and Asylum Policy, Tobias Billström, states that knowledge about this can be improved, but the matter is linked to competence and staff issues.
TV4 Nyhetsmorgon 25 July 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eC2Gh0ZqnfK0aYE0EDpu0Es

[Roope]

Tuesday 27 July to Wednesday 28 July 2010

Denmark

Government threatened by DF over immigration law
The People's Party (DF) will not support the Liberal-Conservative government's upcoming reform plan if the current law requiring foreign spouses to be at least 24 years old to be eligible for residence permit is changed to the age requirement of 28 years. As the 24-year rule now stands, Danish citizens who marry a foreigner must both be at least 24 to be able live together in Denmark. DF wants that age requirement to be raised to 28 years, and wants the law to be changed to include an exemption for spouses from Western countries. Kristian Thulesen Dahl, DF's party secretary, notes that the idea behind the party's proposal was to avoid creating unnecessary difficulties for non-problematic immigrants. Both the Liberals and Conservatives have indicated they would not support DF's proposal.
Berlingske Tidende 24 July 2010 (in Danish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eC2bS0ZqnfK0aYE0ED530Et
Jyllands-Posten 28 July 2010 (in English)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eC2bS0ZqnfK0aYE0ED540Eu
The Copenhagen Post 28 July 2010 (in English)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eC2bS0ZqnfK0aYE0ED550Ev

Finland

Finnish municipalities cut down asylum places
The number of asylum-seekers in Finland has decreased this year by one third compared to last year's figures. This means that the Finnish Immigration Service has begun to cut resources for the reception centers. Last year, 6000 persons applied for a residence permit in Finland, and the City of Helsinki invested in several new reception centers. This year, the number of asylum-seekers is estimated to be around 4000 persons. In Helsinki, the Immigration Service has already reduced the number of places with 700. Also in Espoo, there are several empty rooms in centers. If the numbers continue to decline, the Immigration Service has to decide on new cuts already in the autumn. At the same time, the asylum process functions more smoothly than ever. Previously, an applicant had to wait up to one year or longer for a decision, but currently the process is faster. Esko Repo, Head of the Asylum Unit at the Immigration Service, notes that more flexible decisions will be cheaper for the municipalities. An asylum-seeker awaiting a decision costs 40 euros a day, he explains. A decline in the number of asylum-seekers has also been noticed in other Finnish municipalities and cities, including Oravainen, Pietarsaari, Pirkanmaa, Kajaani and Lapland.
YLE 27 July 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eC2bS0ZqnfK0aYE0ED560Ew
YLE 26 July 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eC2bS0ZqnfK0aYE0ED570Ex
YLE 26 July 2010 (in Finnish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eC2bS0ZqnfK0aYE0ED580Ey
YLE 26 July 2010 (in Finnish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eC2bS0ZqnfK0aYE0ED6A0EA
YLE 27 July 2010 (in Finnish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eC2bS0ZqnfK0aYE0ED6B0EB

Norway

UDI cuts down 177 places for minor asylum-seekers
The Directorate of Immigration (UDI) closes 177 reception places for unaccompanied minors in six municipalities in the upcoming autumn and winter. So far in 2010, there has been a reduction of 66 per cent for minor asylum-seekers. According to UDI, closing down reception places leads to fewer jobs. At the same time, asylum centers cannot stay empty. Per Engan-Skei, acting Deputy Director at UDI, sees that UDI's mission lies in adapting the center capacities to demand. Center operators, center staff and communities deserve praise for the great efforts in offering minor asylum-seekers protection and housing, he adds. Reception places to be closed are situated in the municipalities Tromsø, Tysfjord, Hitra, Stavanger, Kristiansand and Tranøy. The centers will start closing 31 October this year.
Dagsavisen 27 July 2010 (in Norwegian)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eC2bS0ZqnfK0aYE0ED6C0EC
NRK 27 July 2010 (in Norwegian)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eC2bS0ZqnfK0aYE0ED6D0ED

388 children disappeared in ten years
In the past ten years, nearly four hundred minors have disappeared from Norwegian asylum centers. Only a third of them show up after their disappearance, Directorate of Immigration (UDI) statistics states. Tirill Sjøvoll from Save the Children's youth organization PRESS considers that the number of disappearances is too high. Save the Children contacted police districts near the reception center two years ago, and several stated that they put less effort into finding minor asylum-seekers than Norwegian children. So far this year, 48 children have disappeared, despite the large decrease in the influx of minor asylum-seekers. Only 63 of the 194 minors who have been reported missing since 2005 until today have returned to centers. The reception centers have a regular procedure for notifying the police, the UDI and children's welfare. UDI officials believe that the majority of the children leave the centers voluntarily, but the possibility that they might be in debt to human smugglers cannot be excluded.
Verdens Gang 28 July 2010 (in Norwegian)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eC2bS0ZqnfK0aYE0ED6E0EE

Sweden

New rules for identification
The Swedish government has decided that all those who have a residence permit in Sweden will receive an identification document equivalent to a Swedish passport. A number of persons who have ended up in an identification vacuum when they arrived in Sweden will have the same opportunities as everyone else, comments Lars Tegenfelt, lawyer at the Swedish Tax Agency. Many new arrivals come from war-torn areas and have no opportunity to obtain proper identification documents. With the new change, the only requirement to receive an identification document is that the person has a residence permit and that the personal data submitted earlier to Swedish authorities is consistent. In order for the new system to function, the Tax Agency will need data from the Migration Board to issue ID cards. The changes are expected to come into force on 1 October this year.
Sveriges Radio 26 July 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eC2bS0ZqnfK0aYE0ED6F0EF

Persons without documentation receive no health care during summer
During the summer, the opportunity for persons without documentation to receive health care reduces drastically. The undocumented persons do not dare to look for care within the usual health sector. In Sweden, there are several clinics under secret addresses with volunteer doctors and nurses that the undocumented persons can turn to. However, several secret clinics are closed during the summer. Many regular hospitals lack clear instructions for the staff on how to receive patients without identity documents, and often undocumented persons are denied care. Within the EU Sweden has the most restrictive health care legislation for persons without documentation. On several occasions, the UN has criticized Sweden for limited access to health care for the undocumented. Staff in healthcare often contact the Migration Board or even the police for instructions, and provide information on the person's hiding place. If the Migration Board is contacted and the undocumented is picked up, then medical confidentiality has been violated and a person in need of health care may be deported.
Sveriges Television 27 July 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eC2bS0ZqnfK0aYE0ED6G0EG

Sweden and Norway continue returns to Greece
The Greek authorities should immediately review their policy of locking up immigrants and asylum-seekers, including minors, states Amnesty International in a new report. The organization is particularly concerned that Greece locks up children. Because of this Sweden decided to stop deportations of unaccompanied minors to Greece in 2008. However, Sweden continues to return hundreds of adults to Greece every year. Amnesty calls for a stop on the deportations. Madelaine Seidlitz, lawyer at Amnesty, considers that Sweden should not return asylum-seekers to Greece. Tobias Billström, Minister for Migration and Asylum Policy, notes that a total ban on deportations to Greece is not planned. He comments that countries with poorly functioning asylum systems cannot be allowed to evade responsibility to improve these systems. These countries might take advantage of the system while evading responsibility and Sweden cannot support such a position, Billström concludes. Amnesty International has also criticized Norway on returning asylum-seekers to Greece.
Dagens Nyheter 28 July 2010 p: 16 (in Swedish)

NB. This story was also covered in Norway
Dagsavisen 27 July 2010 (in Norwegian)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eC2bS0ZqnfK0aYE0ED6H0EH

Renewed unrest at Haslemoen in Norway
Four persons were arrested after fighting at the Haslemoen center on Monday evening. Several persons were injured, but none of them seriously. According to the police in Hedmark, both center staff and residents were assaulted and injured during the unrest. The police received several call-outs in the last week. About 60 of the center residents were evacuated from the Lier return center which was set on fire in early July. When the new arrivals came, the number of staff at the center has been increased.
Dagens Nyheter 27 July 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eC2bS0ZqnfK0aYE0ED6I0EI

RFSL: Sweden Democrats use LGBT rights against immigration
Ulrika Westerlund, chairperson of the Swedish Federation for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Rights (RFSL), warns for a trend similar to that in the Netherlands, Norway and Denmark where anti-immigration parties have used LGBT issues to pick votes. RFSL recently adopted an action plan against racism which included a strategy to actively respond to the Sweden Democrats. She gives the example of Jimmie Åkesson's debate article in Aftonbladet where he tried to use LGBT persons' rights to argue against immigration.
Dagens Nyheter 26 July 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eC2bS0ZqnfK0aYE0ED6J0EJ

Prejudice against gay asylum-seekers
The Migration Board criticizes itself on the use of a stereotypic picture of a gay person, which can lead to an inaccurate decision when an LGBT person seeks asylum in Sweden. Knowledge on LGBT issues among staff members has to be improved. This year, the Board attends Pride for the first time. According to two externally conducted studies, experienced administrators and decision-makers at the Migration Broad who meet asylum-seekers and make important decisions on their future have prejudiced idea of homosexuals based on norms and stereotypes. Sofia Sjö is the leader of the project "Beyond the border" at the Migration Board. The project aims at reducing risks related to norms and ideas about sexual orientation and gender identity that could affect the asylum process. Errors in the assessment of an individual asylum-seeker may lead to wrong decisions. So far 300 employees at the Board have been trained in norm criticism within the project. Minister Tobias Billström considers that many Swedish authorities still view the LGBT perspective as a new and unknown issue, but the Migration Board is now on the right track. He adds that correct information and knowledge is crucial to guarantee the quality assurance of the asylum process. Sjö estimates that about 300 persons seek asylum based on sexual orientation. One should remember that it is not sexual orientation or gender identity itself that is the basis for a residence permit, but a well-founded fear of persecution if returned to one's home country.
Dagens Nyheter 27 July 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eC2bS0ZqnfK0aYE0ED6K0EK
Sveriges Radio 26 July 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eC2bS0ZqnfK0aYE0ED6L0EL

[Roope]

Thursday 29 July to Friday 30 July 2010

Denmark

Rønn: DF demands harm integration and welfare
Minister of Refugee, Immigration and Integration Affairs Birthe Rønn Hornbech (Liberals) has commented on the Danish People's Party (DF) law proposal to increase the age requirement for foreign spouses from 24 to 28 year. She warns that with the 28-year rule more persons could take advantage of EU regulations and spend more time in other EU countries and thereby become less integrated into the Danish society. The 24 year age requirement facilitates the entry of less integrated and uneducated persons to Denmark, Rønn adds, and stresses that the 24-year rule has reduced forced marriages and has positively contributed to integration.
Berlingske Tidende 29 July 2010 (in Danish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eC2wE0ZqnfK0aYE0EEGL0Ek
Politiken 29 July 2010 (in Danish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eC2wE0ZqnfK0aYE0EEGM0El

Social Liberals for changes in immigration policy
The Social Liberals will launch a political campaign on three key issues: immigration policy, economic reforms and better education. On immigration policies, the party criticizes the two leading opposition parties, the Social Democrats (S) and the Socialist People's Party (SF). The Social Liberals' demands the opening-up of borders and an increase of foreigners in Denmark. Also, the party would abolish the 24-year age requirement for foreign spouses, and the requirement for the foreign spouse to have a connection with Denmark, both of which the S-SF coalition is in favor of maintaining. The Social Liberals have previously requested that it should be easier to get work and residence permits in Denmark. The party suggests that women could come to Denmark through family reunification even if they got divorced from their Danish spouses. Currently, foreign spouses can stay in Denmark if they have stayed in the country for at least seven years. The Social Liberals want a halt to the 7-year rule, since it increases the risk of pro forma marriages and female abuse. The S-SF coalition welcomes the Social Liberals to join them, but without the change of the current rules.
Politiken 29 July 2010 (in Danish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eC2wE0ZqnfK0aYE0EEGN0Em

Finland

Sinnemäki: True Finns' immigration policy deteriorates problems
Anni Sinnemäki, Minister of Labour and president of the Green League of Finland, strongly criticizes the True Finns' planned immigration policy. A group of candidates standing for parliamentary elections in True Finns published a manifesto for tighter immigration policies on Saturday. Sinnemäki believes that the manifesto would worsen current problems, since the manifesto considers immigrants to belong to a lower social class. At the same time she thanks the Party for publishing it. Concrete proposals are easier to discuss than diffuse baiting, insecurity and suspicion in online forums, she comments.
Helsingin Sanomat 28 July 2010
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eC2wE0ZqnfK0aYE0EEGO0En
Uusi Suomi 28 July 2010 (in Finnish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eC2wE0ZqnfK0aYE0EEGP0Eo
Åbo Underrättelser 28 July 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eC2wE0ZqnfK0aYE0EEGQ0Ep

Norway

Haslemoen receives help in conflict management
Since the return center in Lier was set on fire on 7 July and after 60 residents from Lier were transferred to the Haslemoen transit center, there have been five incidents of unrest at Haslemoen. Now the center will receive expert help in conflict management. The Directorate of Immigration (UDI) and the center staff have introduced several measures to hedge against further unrest at the center. Three of the four trouble-makers that were caught after the fighting on Monday, had been residing in Haslemoen for a longer time, and one of them has already been deported from Norway.
Verdens Gang 28 July 2010 (in Norwegian)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eC2wE0ZqnfK0aYE0EEGR0Eq

"They want to make witch brew out of me"
Over 50 albinos have been brutally killed in Africa during the last three years. Only in Tanzania, 53 albinos were killed between 2007 and 2009. Often different body parts of persons with albinism are sold for huge sums in the illicit market to be used for black magic. Amadou Diallo, a 35-year-old albino from Guinea in West Africa, fears the same fate, but his asylum application was rejected. Diallo has been attacked before, but the Norwegian Immigration Appeals Board (UNE) considers that he is not in danger of being subjected to inhuman treatment in his home country, since UNE considers that persecution of albinos does not exist in West Africa. Diallo has appealed the decision. The International Committee of the Red Cross has stated that the killing of albino persons is a small scale humanitarian crisis since albinos have to flee from their homes to hide from potential killers.
Dagbladet 29 July 2010 (in Norwegian)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eC2wE0ZqnfK0aYE0EEGS0Er
Dagbladet 29 July 2010 (in Norwegian)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eC2wE0ZqnfK0aYE0EEGT0Es

Sweden

Hard criticism against Greek asylum system
Following criticism by Amnesty International in their new report on detention of asylum-seekers in Greece, Liv Feijen, head of the legal unit at UNHCR Stockholm, is asked about UNHCR's view regarding the transfer of rejected asylum-seekers to Greece. She confirms that UNHCR shares the views of Amnesty and Human Rights Watch in their criticism of the human rights situation in Greece and that returns should be suspended until the situation has improved. UNHCR and the EU are supporting Greece to make changes but that will take time. She emphasizes that both the reception conditions and the asylum process are below required standards. As evidenced by a recent ruling by the European Court of Human Rights, the treatment of asylum-seekers in Greece constitute inhuman treatment without procedural safeguards such as legal support, and inadequate access to food and health care. Often women, men and children have to share the same facilities. Individuals are detained for between 3-12 months without a court decision or the right to have the detention reviewed by a court. Feijen emphasizes that there is a possibility to use the Sovereignty Clause in the Dublin Regulation in this situation and determine asylum claims in Sweden instead of transferring the claimant to a country where their rights may be violated. She recalls that Sweden has international obligations according to international and European refugee law and human rights law. Responding to how Sweden is applying the Dublin Regulation in comparison to other countries, Feijen mentions Finland as an example where each applicant has the possibility to submit arguments against a transfer e.g. humanitarian reasons, medical reasons or family reasons before a decision is taken on transfer. This would be particularly recommendable in Sweden, where a Dublin transferee does not have access to a legal representative. On the question what Swedish authorities can do, Feijen says that UNHCR and the Swedish authorities are cooperating on a European level to support Greece in adhering to its obligations which is the ultimate solution.
Sveriges Radio 27 July 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eC2wE0ZqnfK0aYE0EEGU0Et

How should Sweden interpret Dublin Regulation
Minister for Migration and Asylum Policy Tobias Billström and Bodil Ceballos, spokesperson for migration policy in the Green Party, participated in a debate on the European asylum policy. Ceballos considers that asylum applications should be assessed in the last EU country of arrival and not in the first EU country of arrival as the case is today. Billström disagrees and sees that with the Regulation, all EU countries share their responsibility. Sweden has good contacts with the new government in Greece, and other EU countries help Greece to improve its asylum system, he notes. Ceballos believes that currently some countries share a heavier burden than others due to their geographic location. Billström notes that the asylum process should be similar in all EU countries. Ceballos is afraid that the Nordic countries that so far have a well-functioning system adjust downwards instead of upwards if the asylum system is harmonized. Billström mentions that the European Commission has the final responsibility, and Ceballos concludes that the asylum system should rather be seen from the individual perspective than as a system.
Sveriges Radio 27 July 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eC2wE0ZqnfK0aYE0EEGU0Et

Short processing times of asylum applications
According to the Swedish Migration Board, the processing time of asylum applications is now down to four and a half months, the shortest time in 20 years. At the same time, the number of asylum-seekers has decreased. The Board expects to receive a total of around 29,000 asylum applications in 2010 – 2000 fewer than the estimations given in May. The main reason for the decline are fewer Somalis seeking asylum in Sweden.
Svenska Dagbladet 30 July 2010 p: 10 (in Swedish)

Top SD candidate quits
Staffan Gising, the top candidate for the Sweden Democrats (SD) in Mariestad, has left the party saying that SD is too hostile to Muslims. According to him, the party uses similar rhetoric as Nazi Germany did against Jews in the 1930's. He considers that the Swedish integration policy functions extremely badly, and he joined the party out of curiosity, since it was the only one that dared to talk about integration problems. Recently, the party has been too much focused on Islam and the fear of Muslims taking over the world, a view he could not support. Jimmie Åkesson, SD party leader, disagrees with Gising's criticism. According to Åkesson, there is no doubt that Islamization causes problems in the Swedish society. He notes that SD does not tackle specific groups, but instead criticizes the Swedish society in its adaptation to the Muslim minority.
Svenska Dagbladet 30 July 2010 p: 6 (in Swedish)
Dagens Nyheter 30 July 2010 p: 9 (in Swedish)
Sveriges Radio 29 July 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eC2wE0ZqnfK0aYE0EEGV0Eu

Refugee reception in Sorsele
The small Sorsele municipality in northern Sweden receives the most unaccompanied minors per capita in Sweden. Since Sorsele is hit hard by retirements and relocations, the municipality has agreed to boost the economy by receiving 33 unaccompanied minors. The municipality receives 6 million kronor from the state, around 2000 kronor per capita. However, the critics consider that the children will not benefit in the best possible way, since the care for unaccompanied minors is said to be below standard.
Sveriges Radio 29 July 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eC2wE0ZqnfK0aYE0EEGW0Ev
Sveriges Radio 29 July 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eC2wE0ZqnfK0aYE0EEGX0Ew

[Roope]

Saturday 31 July to Monday 2 August 2010

Finland

More money to immigration
The Ministry of Finance is proposing that the funding of immigration costs should be increased by almost 35 million euros in the state budget for next year. That would mean an increase by one fifth compared to this year. The money would be given to municipalities to cover general costs of immigration. The Ministry of Interior will in its own budget exceed the Ministry of Finance's proposal by approximately 30 million euros. The majority of the money would be destined for the Finnish Immigration Service's activities and for combating terrorism and economic crimes. The Ministry of Interior also proposes an increased compensation of 40 per cent for municipalities to cover costs that are generated by asylum-seekers who have been granted residence permits. This is about seven million euros more than what the Ministry of Finance proposes.
Vasabladet 30 July 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eC3Sm0ZqnfK0aYE0EELi0EP

Immigration a major theme in parliamentary elections
Immigration is becoming a major theme for next spring's parliamentary elections. All the parliamentary parties classify immigration either as an important or a very important election issue. From the governmental parties, the National Coalition Party, the Green League of Finland and the Swedish People's Party consider immigration to be a very important election topic. Also the True Finns and the Finnish Christian Union see immigration as very significant. Only the Finnish Center Party and the opposition leader, the Finnish Social Democratic Party, deem the issues as less significant.
Aamulehti 31 July 2010 (in Finnish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eC3Sm0ZqnfK0aYE0EELj0EQ
Turun Sanomat 2 August 2010 (in Finnish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eC3Sm0ZqnfK0aYE0EELk0ER

Norway

Criticism of Italian asylum conditions
33-year-old Eritrean Michael Habtu was persecuted in his home country because he did not want to be involved in corruption. After he fled from Eritrea, he was imprisoned in Libya and after that he lived on the street in Italy. His asylum application was later rejected in Norway and now he awaits the appeal process. He says he would rather return to Libya than be sent back to Italy. According to him, asylum-seekers in Italy are not offered health care or any support, and the housing conditions are poor. Latest figures by the Norwegian National Police Immigration Service (PU) show that 1,226 persons were returned to other European countries in 2010 under the Dublin Regulation, 554 of them to Italy, 196 to Greece, and 191 persons to Sweden. Due to the criticism of the Dublin Regulation by Southern European states, the Regulation will soon be revised. Minister of Justice and the Police Knut Storberget declares that a break-down of the cooperation within the Dublin Regulation would lead to an increased influx of around 40,000-60,000 asylum-seekers to Norway each year.
Dagbladet 30 July 2010 (in Norwegian)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eC3Sm0ZqnfK0aYE0EELl0ES

Sweden

Deportation of Roma potentially erroneous
The Discrimination Office in Stockholm is prepared to assist the rejected Roma in an appeal to the Migration Court of Appeal. Juan Fonseca from the office fears that the deportation of the Roma who were accused of begging was incorrectly applied. He is now willing to assist them in the appeal process. He is unaware whether it was the border police or the Swedish Migration Board that made the decision to deport the Roma. The case should be decided by a judicial body, and if the police in this instance have taken the decision, the Roma have the right for a re-examination of their case by the Migration Board.
Dagens Nyheter 30 July 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eC3Sm0ZqnfK0aYE0EELm0ET

[Roope]

Tuesday 3 August to Wednesday 4 August 2010

Denmark

Asylum-seekers treated as criminals
A new report by Amnesty International criticizes Greece for its treatment of asylum-seekers and illegal immigrants. According to the report, asylum-seekers and unaccompanied minors are imprisoned and treated as criminals on arrival in Greece. The report concludes that this treatment does not conform to the practices endorsed by the UN Refugee Convention and other human rights conventions.
Danmarks Radio 3 August 2010 (in Danish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eC3nO0ZqnfK0aYE0EETg0ES

Danish PM rejects DF demands for changes to 24-year rule
The Danish government will not change the 24-year-rule for family reunification to a 28-year-rule, announces Danish Prime Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen. The 24-year-rule stipulates at what age a foreign citizen can qualify for family reunification because of marriage. The Danish People's Party (DF) has proposed that the age limit should be raised to 28 years, to make it more difficult for foreigners from non-Western countries to qualify for family reunification and receive the right to stay in Denmark. The Prime Minister further rejects a DF proposal to set up an integration commission that would investigate the total cost of immigration, citing differences in DF and government approaches to the issue.
Berlingske Tidende 3 August 2010 (in Danish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eC3nO0ZqnfK0aYE0EETh0ET
The Copenhagen Post 4 August 2010 (in English)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eC3nO0ZqnfK0aYE0EETi0EU
Danmarks Radio 4 August 2010 (in English)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eC3nO0ZqnfK0aYE0EETj0EV

Estonia

Center Party launches amendments to citizenship law
On Tuesday, the parliamentary group of Estonia's oppositional Center Party launched in an extraordinary session at the parliament (Riigikogu) a bill of amendments to Citizenship law. The amendment would concern granting citizenship by birth to children born to permanent residents in Estonia. According to the bill, children born in Estonia whose parents have been declared stateless persons and who live in the country on the basis of long-term residence permits would be eligible for citizenship. Centrist lawmakers explained that Estonia has to fulfill the international commitment made already in 1996 with the ratification of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and place children's interests above other political considerations that could be related to their parents' action or inaction. The change in the law would reduce the number of stateless persons, ensure equal treatment of children born in Estonia and reduce bureaucracy.
Baltic News Service 3 August 2010 (in English) (Subscription required)
www.bns.ee

Norway

Rising number of asylum-seekers in Europe
The number of persons seeking asylum in Europe rose in 2009, but the number of persons caught while crossing the border illegally in the EU was halved. According to an annual report by Eurodac, 236,939 persons sought asylum in Europe last year. The decline suggests that stricter border controls in Italy and to a lesser extent in Spain have affected the situation. 60 per cent of all persons trying to cross the EU border illegally were caught in Greece. The report reveals that the EU countries declined 73 per cent of asylum applications, but almost one in four applicants tried again in another EU country.
Verdens Gang 3 August 2010 (in Norwegian)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eC3nO0ZqnfK0aYE0EETk0EW

Storm at Haslemoen
Both the municipality and residents at the Haslemoen reception center now demand answers from the Directorate of Immigration (UDI) about the future of Haslemoen. Frustrated residents at the center want to know why they have to wait for months without receiving any response on when and where their asylum applications are to be processed. The reception centre was set up for asylum-seekers who were to stay only for a few weeks. In recent weeks there have almost daily been fights and false fire alarms at the centre. The UDI is looking into the issue, but meanwhile the center has to manage with extra security staff.
NRK 3 August 2010 (in Norwegian)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eC3nO0ZqnfK0aYE0EETl0EX

Sweden

Red-green criticism of Roma deportations
The red-green parties are sharply critical of Sweden deporting Roma who had been begging. Last Friday, Sveriges Radio revealed that over fifty Roma were returned from Sweden in 2010, although they are EU citizens and therefore have the right to reside in another EU country for up to three months without working or studying. Thomas Bodström from the Social Democratic Party would make begging an election issue. Begging is not illegal in Sweden, but according to Minister Tobias Billström, a person residing in Sweden has to be able to support oneself financially in a reasonable way, and begging cannot be counted as such. The Left Party calls the deportations a scandal and requires the government to act both nationally and at the EU level. Sweden participates in expelling persons who have not committed any crime and contributes to the historical and widely spread discrimination against Roma, comments Kalle Larsson, refugee policy spokesperson for the Left Party. Also, the Party demands a truth commission to be established to examine the treatment of Roma in Europe.
Sveriges Television 2 August 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eC3nO0ZqnfK0aYE0EETm0EY
Sveriges Radio 2 August 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eC3nO0ZqnfK0aYE0EETn0EZ



UNHCR in the news

Dadaab, the world's largest refugee camp
Approximately 300,000 Somali refugees reside in the biggest refugee camp in the world, many of them have been there ever since the camp was opened in 1991. During some months, Dadaab has received more than 6000 new arrivals. Dadaab, situated in Kenya, was initially planned for 90,000 refugees, but now the number is three times higher. Food distribution functions well, but water shortage is a big problem. UNHCR is aware that the situation in the camp is intolerable, but the organization is not allowed to build a new camp to ease the overcrowdedness. Almost no other country than Kenya is willing to receive large numbers of the poor Somalis. "We must do everything we can to help the Somalis who live here- especially the young ones. We manage to send some of them off each year to start new lives in other countries. We have also managed to send some gifted young people to Universities around the world, in the hope that they will return to build a peaceful Somalia one day, says Richard Acland, UNHCR. But very few get the chance to leave. For 99 per cent of the refugees life looks to continue in the same way, without any hope or future. Almost 2 million Somalis are also internally displaced. 68 per cent of Somalis who apply for asylum in Sweden are given protection.
Sveriges Television 22 July 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eC3nO0ZqnfK0aYE0EETo0Ea
NB. This item was produced on a Nordic press trip, facilitated by UNHCR.

[Roope]

Thursday 5 August to Friday 6 August 2010

Denmark

DF proposal shot down
A Danish People's Party (DF) proposal to stop all immigration from non-Western countries has been dismissed by the Liberal and Conservative parties. The serial rejection of DF proposals relating to immigration and refugee policy by the government highlights a deep division within the centre-right parliamentary bloc, according to Prime Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen. The same sentiment was echoed in Conservative Naser Khader's comments that the proposal was "ridiculous", and the Liberal Party's integration spokesperson Karsten Lauritzen's assertion that he cannot see "how stopping immigration would ensure the future of the welfare state."
Berlingske Tidende 4 August 2010 (in Danish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eC3710ZqnfK0aYE0EEhp0EW
Berlingske Tidende 4 August 2010 (in Danish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eC3710ZqnfK0aYE0EEhq0EX

Latvia

Human smugglers detained
The leader of a group of human traffickers, who escaped in May when his gang was caught at an attempt to smuggle several illegal immigrants into Latvia, was detained on Monday. The Latvian National Border Guard had managed to track the suspect and the 33-year-old man was detained on the outskirts of Riga in cooperation with the local municipal police. He has now been placed in a pre-trial detention facility. The group of human traffickers was attempting to smuggle a group of illegal immigrants allegedly from Afghanistan and Iraq to Latvia.
Baltic News Service 3 August 2010 (in English) (Subscription required)
www.bns.ee

Norway

More cases of human trafficking in Norway, compared to other Nordics
Norway registers far more cases of human trafficking with the police than the other Nordic countries, a new report by the UN reveals. The report includes crime statistics from over 120 countries between the years 2003 and 2008. In 2008, Sweden reported 20 registered cases of so-called human trafficking, while Norway had 48 cases. For the same period, Denmark did not report any cases. Although many incidents have been reported after a new law against human trafficking was implemented in 2004 in Norway, there have only been eleven cases that have lead to a court ruling. About 90 per cent of cases do not lead to court decisions. Often the suspected persons are not in Norway, so they cannot be brought to court.
NRK 5 August 2010 (in Norwegian)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eC3710ZqnfK0aYE0EEhr0EY

Iranian lawyer seeking asylum in Norway
Iranian lawyer Mohammad Mostafaei, known for defending clients who have been sentenced to death by the Iranian regime, has applied for political asylum in Norway. There is currently an arrest warrant out for Mostafaei in his home country. On Wednesday, a UNHCR representative confirmed that Mostafaei has applied for political asylum, however declining to comment on which country this regards. Mostafaei is currently in custody in Turkey, after having fled there from Iran. Turkish officials have assured the media that Mostafaei will not be sent back to Iran, as he has applied for asylum. Mohammad Mostafaei has a high profile in Iran as the defense counsel of Sakineh Mohammadi-Ashtiani, an Iranian woman who has been sentenced to death for adultery. In an interview with CNN he has confirmed that he has been in contact with the Norwegian embassy and completed an application for political asylum.
ABC Nyheter 6 August 2010 (in Norwegian)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eC3710ZqnfK0aYE0EEhs0EZ

[Roope]

Saturday 7 August to Monday 9 August 2010

Denmark

Denmark sued for deporting Roma
A Hungarian Roma rights organisation intends to sue the Danish State on behalf of the 23 Roma who were deported from Denmark in July. The lawsuit will determine whether the deportation was a violation of European law. The Danish Immigration Service states that one group of Roma was deported for invasion of privacy, while another group was deported for camping illegally. Provisions in the Aliens Act allow for the deportation of foreign citizens who pose a threat to public order. Director of the Danish Institute for Human Rights Jonas Christoffersen thinks the outcome of the lawsuit will impact Roma in the EU in general.
Danmarks Radio, 6 August 2010 (in English)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eC4dR0ZqnfK0aYE0EElR0EP

Finland

Parties on quota refugees and asylum-seekers
The Swedish People's Party in Finland (SFP) and the Left Alliance are in favour of increasing the number of annual quota refugees in Finland, according to a survey conducted by the Finnish News Agency STT. SFP would like to increase the quota to a thousand, a third more than the current 750. The Left Alliance has similar recommendations, whereas the True Finns want to decrease the number. All the Finnish parties want to speed up the processing of asylum applications and increase the money invested in language studies for immigrants. The parties are divided in their views on how much asylum-seekers should receive income support. The True Finns would not grant anything to persons residing in reception centers, whereas the Centre Party suggests a new reception support allowance, which would be smaller than the current amount. According to the Green League income support is more important than food or clothing support, because it activates asylum-seekers.
Helsingin Sanomat 7 August 2010 (in Finnish)
http://www.hs.fi/politiikka/artikkeli/Rkp+ja+Vasemmistoliitto+ottaisivat+lisää+kiintiöpakolaisia/1135259154009
Uusi Suomi 7 August 2010 (in Finnish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eC4dR0ZqnfK0aYE0EElS0EQ
Turun Sanomat 7 August 2010 (in Finnish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eC4dR0ZqnfK0aYE0EElT0ER
Vasabladet 7 August 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eC4dR0ZqnfK0aYE0EElU0ES

Norway

12 million affected by Pakistan flooding – urgent need for more funds
Pakistani authorities say up to twelve million people in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab regions have been affected by the Pakistani flooding disaster. The flooding is the worst Pakistan ha seen for 80 years and a spokesperson for OCHA (UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs) says that over 500 000 people in the Sindh region have been evacuated. There is an acute need for more funding, with the total cost of the relief effort estimated at up to 1 billion dollars. Complains about a lack of funding are voiced by Waleed Rauf, country director for help organisation CARE. Rauf explains that the organisation's budget for the Pakistani relief effort is only 1.4 million NOK, despite the catastrophe being similar in scope to the Haiti earthquake when CARE managed to raise funds of 328 million NOK. A large number of villages are under water, and the disaster has also been a severe blow to Pakistan's agricultural sector. UNHCR spokesperson Melissa Fleming says "the scale of the needs is absolutely daunting", highlighting the urgent need for additional funds.
ABC Nyheter 6 August 2010 (in Norwegian)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eC4dR0ZqnfK0aYE0EElV0ET
Dagbladet 6 August 2010 (in Norwegian)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eC4dR0ZqnfK0aYE0EElW0EU
Dagbladet 7 August 2010 (in Norwegian)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eC4dR0ZqnfK0aYE0EElX0EV
Aftenposten 7 August 2010 (in Norwegian)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eC4dR0ZqnfK0aYE0EElY0EW

Foreign minister 'very pleased' on behalf of Iranian lawyer Mostafaei
Norwegian foreign minister Jonas Gahr Støre has expressed his delight that Iranian human rights lawyer Mohammad Mostafaei has arrived in Norway. Støre denies that Norwegian authorities were involved in Mostafaei's flight from Iran to Turkey. Mostafaei has secured a visa which gives him and his family the right to stay in Norway for one year. Contrary to earlier reports in Norwegian media, Mostafaei says he does not wish to apply for political asylum, and that his motivation for leaving Iran was to draw attention to the human rights situation in the country. Prior to fleeing Iran, Mostafaei had renewed his visa at the Norwegian embassy in Tehran. Støre explains that during the time Mostafaei was in custody in Turkey, Norwegian officials were in contact with Turkish authorities as well as UNHCR, and that they are happy to finally see Mostafaei in safety.
NRK  8 August 2010 (In Norweigan)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eC4dR0ZqnfK0aYE0EElZ0EX
Dagbladet 9 August 2010 (In Norwegian)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eC4dR0ZqnfK0aYE0EEla0Ee
Verdens Gang 8 August 2010 (in Norwegian)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eC4dR0ZqnfK0aYE0EElb0Ef
NRK 8 August 2010 (in Norwegian)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eC4dR0ZqnfK0aYE0EElc0Eg

Decline in number of asylum-seekers
The decline in the number of asylum-seekers arriving in Norway that was observed in the first half of the year looks set to continue. In July, 863 persons applied for asylum in Norway. So far this year 5300 asylum-seekers have arrived, almost 50 per cent fewer than during the same period last year. Despite this trend, a small rise in the number of unaccompanied minors, mostly from Afghanistan, was observed in July.
Verdens Gang 6 August 2010 (in Norwegian)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eC4dR0ZqnfK0aYE0EEld0Eh

Sweden

Few persons denied family reunification
Since stricter requirements for family reunification were introduced in February, only 70 of the total of 5000 applications have been rejected in Sweden, according to the Migration Board. A new rule states that immigrants wanting to bring in a family member must be able to support themselves and have proper housing. 20 persons who fell under the new rules had their reunification applications granted, whereas 70 persons received negative decisions. The Government  had expected that the new rules would affect about ten per cent of all family reunification cases.
Dagens Nyheter 7 August 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eC4dR0ZqnfK0aYE0EEle0Ei
Uppsala Nya Tidning 7 August 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eC4dR0ZqnfK0aYE0EElf0Ej

Refugee children suffer in Malta
A recent report highlights the indecent conditions under which unaccompanied minor asylum-seekers are forced to live in Malta. The authors of the report urge the government to stop sending back unaccompanied minors to Malta. Children face racism, abuse, insult and they have to live in unhygienic conditions in two refugee camps at the abandoned air base Hal Far in southern Malta. The authors, Emma Söderman and Anna Lundberg from Malmö College, visited two refugee camps last May and interviewed 15 unaccompanied minors who were returned from Sweden. 800 refugees live in containers and in an aircraft hangar, or in a tent camp housing 1200 persons. According to the report, the Maltese authorities do not live up to either the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child or the minimum provisions of the EU Directive. The three red-green opposition parties in Sweden, the Christian Democrats, the Swedish Church, the Red Cross and UNICEF demand Sweden to stop returning unaccompanied minors to Malta.
Dagens Nyheter 6 August 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eC4dR0ZqnfK0aYE0EElg0Ek
Sveriges Television 6 August 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eC4dR0ZqnfK0aYE0EElh0El

Sweden Democrats to limit immigration and emigration
The Sweden Democrats (SD) want to limit immigration to Sweden by 90 per cent, by making Sweden inhospitable to immigrants. Party leader Jimmie Åkesson proposes several measures to obstruct integration of immigrants into the Swedish society. SD also suggest that Sweden should leave the European Union, to limit emigration rates of native Swedes. Åkesson has attempted to alter the party's xenophobic image, but Sweden's Minister for Migration and Asylum Policy, Tobias Billström, states that SD immigration policies are incompatible with the Geneva Refugee Convention.
Svenska Dagbladet, 7 August 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eC4dR0ZqnfK0aYE0EEli0Em

[Roope]

Tuesday 10 August to Wednesday 11 August 2010

Finland

Finland supports Pakistani flood victims
Finland has granted a total of 1.2 million euros in humanitarian assistance to the flood victims in Pakistan. Finland's assistance will be distributed and used in the sectors of shelter, health care, water supply and sanitation. The support is being channeled through the World Health Organization (600,000 EUR), UNHCR (400,000 EUR) and Finn Church Aid (200,000 EUR).
Helsingin Sanomat 9 August 2010 (in Finnish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eC4yk0ZqnfK0aYE0EE8j0Eh

Renewed debate on "grandma clause"
The controversial "grandma clause" is being debated again. The public stir on the deportation of two Russian and Egyptian grandmothers increased the pressure to amend legislation. A new proposal would facilitate the granting of residence permits to elderly immigrants. An elderly parent could be granted a residence permit if he or she is alone in his or her home country and livelihood in Finland is provided for by a child who is a Finnish citizen. Rantakangas, chairperson of the Administrative committee, adds that current legislation already reserves the right for the courts to consider humanitarian aspects.
Uusi Suomi 10 August 2010 (in Finnish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eC4yk0ZqnfK0aYE0EE8k0Ei
Verkkouutiset 10 August 2010 (in Finnish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eC4yk0ZqnfK0aYE0EE8l0Ej
Satakunnan Kansa 10 August 2010 (in Finnish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eC4yk0ZqnfK0aYE0EE8m0Ek

Sweden

Public Employment Service liable for work integration
The Public Employment Service is scheduled to assume responsibility for the integration of refugees onto the Swedish labour market from December this year. Certain duties, such as providing housing for refugees, will still be administered by the municipalities. A recent report from the county administrative boards states that the greatest challenge with the reform will be the division of responsibilities.
Sveriges Radio 10 August 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eC4yk0ZqnfK0aYE0EE8n0El

Forced returns increasing
The number of forced returns of asylum-seekers in Sweden is increasing. According to the Prison and Probation Service, the number has increased with 30 per cent since 2007. Around half of the rejected asylum-seekers leave Sweden voluntarily. Rejected asylum-seekers that instead go into hiding are reported to the police in growing numbers. In 2007, the Migration Board reported 6 000 cases, and they estimate that they will report around 10 000 cases in 2010.
Sveriges Radio 9 August 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eC4yk0ZqnfK0aYE0EE8o0Em

Swedish aid to Pakistan
The Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency (MSB) has offered to help with water purification in the flooded areas in Pakistan. MSB has proposed to send three water-purifying aggregates that could provide clean water for 24,000 persons. Upon acceptance of the offer, the aggregates and up to 8 staff could be in place within a few days, according to MSB.
Dagens Nyheter 9 August 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eC4yk0ZqnfK0aYE0EE8p0En

[Roope]

Thursday 12 August to Monday 16 August 2010

Denmark

Church played no part in asylum decisions
The decision to grant asylum to at least twenty of the rejected asylum-seekers who had taken refuge in Brorsons Church in Copenhagen, was not affected by the fact that they were staying in a church. The Minister for Refugee, Immigration and Integration Affairs, Birthe Rønn Hornbech, denies that any outside factors affect asylum decisions, and that the cases have been reviewed solely on their own merits and independently of media speculations.
Berlingske Tidende 13 August 2010 (in Danish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eC5pa0ZqnfK0aYE0EFOe0Ei

Danish politician prosecuted for racism
MP Jesper Langballe of the Danish People's Party stated in January this year that Muslims commonly beat their daughters to death. Langballe's statement was made in defence of Lars Hedegaard, president of The Free Press Society, who had previously accused Muslims of raping their daughters. Both Langballe and Hedegaard are now prosecuted for breaching the racism section of the Danish penal code. Prime Minister Lars Lökke Rasmussen has expressed his disapproval of both statements, whereas Pia Kjærsgaard, Danish People's Party leader, has commented positively on Langballe's statement. The two court cases have however led to both the government and the Danish People's Party stating their intentions to change the racism section, so that only actions, and not statements, may be deemed criminal.
Dagens Nyheter 11 August 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eC5pa0ZqnfK0aYE0EFOf0Ej

Finland

SDP: Finland distributes flights for free
Maarit Feldt-Ranta, leader of the working group on immigration issues in the Social Democratic Party (SDP), notes that Finland lacks information on arriving refugees. She states that legislators do not know what kind of advantages Finland offers in family reunification in comparison to other countries. Costs for one single flight lie around 1000 Euros, so altogether Finland paid for flights from Africa to the amount of 600,000 Euros last year. The SDP report suggests that Finland should adopt the European practice of letting persons pay for half of their flights. In Sweden, the Somalis have to prove their identity with an official passport, but in Finland, they usually do not possess passports or any other identification documents. Feldt-Ranta adds that the requirement for official documents is problematic, since asylum-seekers often come from disorganized societies.
Uusi Suomi 14 August 2010 (in Finnish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eC5pa0ZqnfK0aYE0EFOg0Ek
Uusi Suomi 14 August 2010 (in Finnish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eC5pa0ZqnfK0aYE0EFOh0El
Verkkouutiset 14 August 2010 (in Finnish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eC5pa0ZqnfK0aYE0EFOi0Em

More Somalis apply for family reunification
A record number of Somali families can expect to be reunited in Finland this year. By the end of July, nearly 2,500 family reunification applications were filed from Somalia. This is more than the total number of applications in 2009. The Finnish Immigration Service predicts it will receive 4,500 applications this year, more than double compared to 2009. According to the Finnish Immigration Service, it is only able to process 1,200 applications a year due to a lack of resources. EU regulations call for applications to be reviewed within nine months. In comparison, the applications for family reunification have almost ended in Sweden. The Finnish Immigration Service wishes to receive more funding in the government's budget, since the Service has calculated to need at least 20 more staff members to review applications.
YLE 14 August 2010 (in English)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eC5pa0ZqnfK0aYE0EFOj0En
YLE 14 August 2010 (in Finnish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eC5pa0ZqnfK0aYE0EFOk0Eo
Aamulehti 14 August 2010 (in Finnish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eC5pa0ZqnfK0aYE0EFOl0Ep
Turun Sanomat 14 August 2010 (in Finnish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eC5pa0ZqnfK0aYE0EFOm0Eq

SDP: number of refugees to stay constant
According to the Finnish Social Democratic Party, the readiness to receive refugees in Finland should be kept in the current numbers. However, the Party would increase the number of personnel processing asylum applications. Also, rejected asylum-seekers should be returned faster than what the current situation implies. Rejected EU citizens would not be able to receive income support from the communities, but should remain within the reception services until deportation, states the new report published on Thursday. Those applying for family reunification in Finland should be expected to finance their travel costs to some extent. As far as is known, Finland is the only country in the world to pay the complete travel costs for those coming to Finland through family reunification. According to the report, this has encouraged families to send unaccompanied minors abroad, to pave the way for the rest of the family. In 2009, Finland received 559 minor asylum-seekers.
Verkkouutiset 12 August 2010 (in Finnish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eC5pa0ZqnfK0aYE0EFOn0Er

Immigration discussion populist
Current discussions on Finnish immigration policy have a populist tone, says Ombudsman for Minorities Eva Biaudet. According to her, current Finnish policy on refugees has neither been liberal nor open. She notes that it has been easy to play on people's fears and prejudices especially during economic decline, and it is unfortunate that many political parties, most recently the Social Democrats (SDP), have toughened their stance on immigration. Biaudet thought that Thursday's SDP policy document on immigration was an effort to be on the centre stage on this issue in the run up to next year's parliamentary elections. She reminds that Finland currently grants relatively few residence or asylum permits. Statistics show that refugees do not consider Finland more appealing than other European states. Nevertheless, Biaudet is pleased that immigration is discussed but she hopes the debate would focus on real issues rather than on fears.
YLE 12 August 2010 (in English)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eC5pa0ZqnfK0aYE0EFOo0Es
YLE 12 August 2010 (in Finnish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eC5pa0ZqnfK0aYE0EFOp0Et

Interpretation of "grandma clause" cannot be changed
A legislative amendment would be required for parents of Finnish citizens to be allowed to stay in the country. Many politicians have advocated for a more liberal interpretation of the current Aliens Act, but lawyers at the Ministry of the Interior have concluded that the only way would be to change the law.
YLE 13 August 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eC5pa0ZqnfK0aYE0EFOq0Eu
YLE 13 August 2010 (in Finnish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eC5pa0ZqnfK0aYE0EFOr0Ev

Rejected asylum-seeker on hunger strike
A Kurdish asylum-seeker who was declined asylum in Finland has gone on hunger strike at the Kemi reception centre. The 32-year-old man has intensified his hunger strike by sowing his mouth shut, and he intends to continue to strike until the court has overturned his case. A complaint has been submitted to the administrative court, where handling the case may take up to a year. The asylum-seeker, suffering from leukaemia, came from Iraq to Finland around one and a half years ago. In addition to political reasons, his illness is also a factor in his asylum application, as leukaemia can rarely be treated in Iraq. According to lawyer Husein Muhammed from the Refugee Advice Centre, hunger strikes do not influence court decisions.
Helsingin Sanomat 12 August 2010 (in Finnish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eC5pa0ZqnfK0aYE0EFOs0Ew
YLE 12 August 2010 (in Finnish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eC5pa0ZqnfK0aYE0EFOt0Ex
Uusi Suomi 12 August 2010 (in Finnish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eC5pa0ZqnfK0aYE0EFOu0Ey
Pohjolan Sanomat 12 August 2010 (in Finnish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eC5pa0ZqnfK0aYE0EFOv0Ez
Hufvudstadsbladet 12 August 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eC5pa0ZqnfK0aYE0EFOw0E1
NewsRoom Finland 12 August 2010 (in English)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eC5pa0ZqnfK0aYE0EFOx0E2

Norway

Three fires at Haslemoen reception centre
The police and fire brigade were called to Haslemoen reception centre three times on Sunday, because residents had started fires. Since July, there have been numerous similar incidents at Haslemoen as well as other asylum centres in eastern Norway. The mayor of Våler municipality, where Haslemoen is located, has called for an emergency meeting with the chief of the fire department. No one was injured in Sunday's incidents.
Aftenposten 16 August 2010 (in Norwegian)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eC5pa0ZqnfK0aYE0EFOy0E3
NRK 16 August 2010 (in Norwegian)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eC5pa0ZqnfK0aYE0EFOz0E4

Asylum centre troublemakers to be sent home
There has been trouble, including fires and violence, every week this summer at asylum centres in eastern Norway. "The government does not accept that persons who have been denied asylum threaten with or engage in violent activities", says Pål Lønseth, State Secretary at the Ministry of Justice. The situation is "no longer sustainable", according to Lønseth. The Directorate of Immigration and the National Police Immigration Service are now launching new return arrangements for rejected Somali asylum-seekers, who are now offered a lump sum payment of 10 000 NOK as an encouragement to return home. As returns to Somalia go against UN advice, the IOM does not wish to be involved. To avoid that these induced returns are mistaken for UN-sanctioned voluntary returns, the Norwegian government has decided to call them 'humanitarian returns'.
Aftenposten 11 August 2010 (in Norwegian)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eC5pa0ZqnfK0aYE0EFO10Eq
Aftenposten 11 August 2010 (in Norwegian)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eC5pa0ZqnfK0aYE0EFO20Er

Violent asylum-seekers to be locked-up
The Directorate of Immigration (UDI) wants the right to detain aggressive persons who have had their applications for asylum denied. Director Ida Børresen says UDI would like to see a centre where asylum-seekers who have been denied asylum and are involved in serious crime can be locked up.
Verdens Gang 13 August 2010 (in Norwegian)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eC5pa0ZqnfK0aYE0EFO30Es

Sweden

Refugees unaware of their right to seek asylum a second time
Many refugees living in hiding in Sweden are unaware of their right to seek asylum a second time. Rejection of asylum applications have a limitation period of four years, after which a second application may be filed. When an appeal has been lodged with a court of law, the asylum-seeker may stay legally in Sweden for up to ten months and will enjoy the right to health care, work, and schooling. A second application has often led to recognition. The Migration Board however states that the possibilities of recognition have recently been limited for a person who has gone into hiding. According to the consulting firm Internationell flyktingcenterinformation (International refugee centre information), around 3 000 persons currently live in hiding in Sweden.
Sveriges Television 13 August 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eC5pa0ZqnfK0aYE0EFO40Et

[Roope]

Tuesday 17 August to Wednesday 18 August 2010

Finland

National Coalition: family reunification issue for budget negotiations
The Finnish asylum policy is constantly tightened, but the legislation lags behind, states the National Coalition Party. Finland has chosen an exceptional path in paying for arrivals through family reunification. Instead, Finland should adopt a practice similar to other European states, where the travel costs are only paid for those with a refugee status. Denmark requires a certain minimum income support for those already in the country to receive family members. Travels costs for asylum-seekers in family reunification matters might be changed already in the budget negotiations, but partial solutions could be reached even faster. Currently around 9000 applications for family reunification are filed in the Finnish Immigration Service.
Aamulehti 17 August 2010 (in Finnish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eC6Cv0ZqnfK0aYE0EFbq0Eq
Verkkouutiset 16 August 2010 (in Finnish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eC6Cv0ZqnfK0aYE0EFbr0Er

Asylum-seekers burden economy in Helsinki
The City of Helsinki requires a change in the legislation on the integration of immigrants and the reception of asylum-seekers. The City's report handed to the Ministry of the Interior shows that refugees voluntarily seek to Helsinki from other municipalities in Finland. Many asylum-seekers register with a poste restante address and then look for the services provided by the City of Helsinki. This strains the economy, because Helsinki cannot predict how much money is to be spent on the integration of asylum-seekers.
YLE 17 August 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eC6Cv0ZqnfK0aYE0EFbs0Es

Tent made out of handicrafts
In the Lammi reception center for asylum-seekers, five women participate with their handicrafts in an art installation which will be part of the European Capital of Culture in Turku in 2011. The purpose of the project "Pots, sandals and a tent" is to let the voices of refugee women be heard. Their stories are also collected, and altogether around 500 women from around the world have prepared handicrafts. In addition to the participation from Lammi, also Joutseno and Turku reception centers contribute to the project, and persons who have resided longer in Finland.
Hämeen Sanomat 17 August 2010 (in Finnish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eC6Cv0ZqnfK0aYE0EFbt0Et

Latvia

Council of NGOs on non-citizens in Latvia
The Council of NGOs of Latvia highlights that non-citizens of Latvia are a unique institution and believes that its existence is justified only on political and not on legal grounds. The Council also points at the statements by specific international bodies which have on various occasions voiced their concern regarding the democratic deficit in Latvia due to a significant part of the persons being denied voting rights. The Council asks for international attention to the ethnocratic policy in Latvia and calls for the immediate abolition of the division of society into citizens and non-citizens.
Integration and Minority Information Service 12 August 2010 (in English)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eC6Cv0ZqnfK0aYE0EFbu0Eu

Norway

Mayor demands answers from Directorate of Immigration
After the troubles at Lier and Fagerli return centres earlier in the summer, 65 asylum-seekers who had been denied asylum were moved to Haslemoen reception centre. Since then, many incidents involving fires and violence have occurred at Haslemoen. The fire brigade was called to the centre over twenty times in the last week. The mayor of Våler municipality, where Haslemoen is located, yesterday called for an emergency meeting with the fire brigade, police and reception centre management. Next week a meeting with the Directorate of Immigration (UDI) will take place. UDI says that the 65 will be moved from Haslemoen to another location before 1 September.
Verdens Gang 17 August 2010 (in Norwegian)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eC6Cv0ZqnfK0aYE0EFbv0Ev

Sweden

28 unaccompanied minors returned to Malta in 2009
So far in 2010, the Migration Board has decided to return 50 persons back to Malta, six of whom were unaccompanied minors. In 2009, there were 299 rejected persons to be returned to Malta, 28 of them minors. Malta's Minister for Justice and Home Affairs, Carmelo Mifsud Bonnici, argues that the 3000 refugees who arrived in the densely populated Malta in 2008 account for 60,000 refugees in Sweden. UNHCR has criticized the conditions minor asylum-seekers face in Malta and their humanitarian needs.
Sveriges Radio 18 August 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eC6Cv0ZqnfK0aYE0EFbw0Ew

Migration Board: "No reason to cease forced returns to Malta"
Due to indications of mistreatment of asylum-seeking children in Malta, several political parties in Sweden have demanded that forced returns of minors cease. The Director for Legal Affairs of the Swedish Migration Board, Mikael Ribbenvik, disagrees. He states that asylum-seeking children are treated sufficiently well in Malta, and that there are no reasons to cease forced returns to the country under the Dublin regulation. The Migration Board reports that the living standards for asylum-seekers in Malta are high. Researcher Anna Lundberg objects to these statements and criticises the Migration Board for not having consulted the children, but only representatives from public authorities and NGOs. Lundberg met with forcibly returned minors children in Malta this summer, and states that they were living among adult asylum-seekers under very poor conditions, and that many of them found the facilities prison-like. Ribbenvik states that he cannot see that talking with the children would add value to the report.
Sveriges Radio 17 August 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eC6Cv0ZqnfK0aYE0EFbx0Ex

Centre-right parties critical of Roma deportations
This year, 50 Roma, all EU citizens, have been deported from Sweden, reportedly for begging. This has triggered a political debate, and three of the four centre-right parties in the government coalition are critical of the Roma deportations. Although begging is not illegal in Sweden, the Swedish police justifies the deportations by referring to the Aliens act, according to which foreigners may be deported if they are unable to support themselves in an honest manner. The party leader for the Christian Democrats and migration spokespersons for the Centre Party and the Liberal Party are critical of deporting persons because they are Roma and beggars. Tobias Billström, Minister for Migration and Asylum Policy, states that deportations of beggars from other EU countries are consistent with Swedish laws, and adds that the trial of these cases is a matter for the police and the authorities.
Sveriges Radio 16 August 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eC6Cv0ZqnfK0aYE0EFby0Ey

The Greens give up demand for refugee amnesty
In party negotiations with the Social Democratic Party, the Green Party has given up one of their core issues: refugee amnesty. Both the Green Party and the Left Party have advocated for a general amnesty for rejected asylum-seekers who have stayed in the country illegally. Common policies for labour migration have not yet been agreed upon for the three centre-left parties.
Svenska Dagbladet 17 August 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eC6Cv0ZqnfK0aYE0EFbz0Ez
Sveriges Television 17 August 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eC6Cv0ZqnfK0aYE0EFb10Em

"Good proposal" to accept fewer asylum-seekers
Sven-Erik Österberg, group leader for the Social-Democratic members of parliament, would like to allow schools the right to deny teachers to wear the full veil in the classroom. He also views the idea to let fewer asylum-seekers stay in the country in a positive light. Kalle Larsson, anti-racism spokesperson for the Left Party, declined to comment, but adds that the Left Party would like to see the red-green parliamentary bloc support a policy of accepting more asylum-seekers.
SVT 17 August 2010 (In Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eC6Cv0ZqnfK0aYE0EFb20En

Sahlin says integration policy has failed
On the campaign trail in the Stockholm suburb of Rinkeby on Tuesday, Mona Sahlin, leader of the opposition Social Democratic Party, admitted that Swedish integration policy in the last 20 years has failed. Sahlin stated that the integration policy should be inclusive of everyone, and that refugees often face discrimination in the labour market.
Dagens Nyheter I:13 18 Aug 2010 (in Swedish)



UNHCR in the news

Humanitarian workers expelled and admitted in Darfur
Five UN and Red Cross staff members have been expelled in Western Darfur. In contrast, humanitarian workers in the Southern Darfur are let to enter the refugee camp in Kalma. According to the news agency AFP, one of the expelled UN staff members is working for FAO and two for UNHCR. The Sudanese government has denied its part in expelling the persons, and has shifted the responsibility to the authorities in Western Darfur.
YLE 17 August 2010 (in Finnish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eC6Cv0ZqnfK0aYE0EFb30Eo

NB. This story was also covered in Norway and Sweden
Verdens Gang 16 August 2010 (in Norwegian)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eC6Cv0ZqnfK0aYE0EFb40Ep
Sveriges Radio 17 August 2010 (in Swedish)
http://balticnordic.unhcr.se/cgi-bin2/DM/y/eC6Cv0ZqnfK0aYE0EFb50Eq