From Iceland — Protest At Interior Ministry

Protest At Interior Ministry

Published January 18, 2014

Andie Sophia Fontaine
Photo by
althingi.is

Three organisations will be holding simultaneous protests at the Ministry of the Interior tomorrow at noon, demanding the minister’s resignation.

The Alda – Association for Sustainability and Democracy, activist organisation Attacand refugee and immigration rights group No Borders have all planned protests in front of the ministry at noon tomorrow. These protests call for the resignation of Minister of the Interior Hanna Birna Kristjánsdóttir, whose ministry is being investigated by the police for allegedly leaking a memo which falsely impugned on Nigerian asylum seeker Tony Omos and the mother of his child, Evelyn Glory Joseph. Lawyers for both Tony and Evelyn filed charges against the ministry, including breach of confidentiality, slander, and abuse of public office.

Alda has called the ministry’s handling of the case as being “characterised by silence, arrogance, and contradictory statements”. No Borders has taken matters further, saying that Tony Omos’ asylum case should be re-introduced for consideration in light of the unfair treatment he has received.

Attac maintains the Hanna Birna should resign at least whilst the investigation is ongoing. The police answer directly to her ministry, and the minister’s brother, Theódór Kristjánsson, is the assistant commissioner of the police branch tasked with investigating the ministry. He is also running for Mosfellsbær town council for the Independence Party, the party from which the minister herself hails.

More backstory on the case can be found here.

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