An Albanian family – with three children as young as 9 – have been denied asylum, and face deportation from Iceland.
Vísir reports that the family has received notification from the Directorate of Immigration that their application for asylum in Iceland has been denied. As such, they soon face deportation back to their home country, where they contend their lives are in danger.
“I never want to go back to Albania,” Laura Telati, 15, told reporters. “I feel good about being in Iceland and have fun in school. I want to live in Iceland. I have great friends here.”
Aleka, the mother of the family, told reporters that they want no special help nor financial assistance from the government; that they “just want an opportunity to make a lives for ourselves in this country.”
The family initially fled Albania as the father of Hasan, the father of the family, was a leading figure in the Communist Party in that country. This has made their lives miserable in post-communist Albania, where they are essentially outcasts in their own society, and have in fact had shots fired at their home. They were subsequently evicted, and their lives threatened.
Despite this, the Directorate said that they do not consider the family to be in any immediate danger in their home country. The family can appeal for asylum, but this is a costly process, and they have to leave the country regardless, even while an appeal is still pending.
“I am scared for the future of my children,” Hasan said. “We are up against some very powerful people and my children have little hope for the future.”
The deportation comes just days after news broke that the three children had not been allowed to attend school on account of a mistake in processing at the Directorate.
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