The two Algerian boys, aged 15 and 16, who were stopped at Keflavík airport earlier this month for trying to enter the country with false passports, will be appealing their case to the Supreme Court.
As reported, the two boys – aged 15 and 16 – arrived at Keflavík International Airport on April 25. Passport control questioned the validity of their passports, and they turned out to be falsified. The two boys confessed, saying they were seeking asylum in Iceland. On April 30, they were sentenced to 30 days in prison.Numerous Icelandic authorities objected and had the boys freed.
This does not change the fact, however, that they were convicted of using false passports. But now, Morgunblaðið reports, they are seeking to appeal to the Supreme Court over those charges.
Their lawyer, Ragnar Aðalsteinsson, does not dispute the fact that they did use false passports to enter the country. However, he notes that international law regarding refugees states that those seeking asylum, saying they are doing so immediately upon their arrival, are afforded special protections by law. The two boys, he argues, told their arresting officers that they were seeking asylum in Iceland, and thus should have been given these protections.
The case is one with little precedent in Iceland – most children seeking asylum in Iceland arrive with their families. The boys in question traveled alone.
Buy subscriptions, t-shirts and more from our shop right here!
