Icelandic authorities are set to deport a pregnant woman who uses a wheelchair, in defiance of her doctor’s recommendations, RÚV reports. The woman, a Russian citizen, is in her third trimester of a high-risk pregnancy and expects twins.
According to RÚV, the woman arrived to Iceland with her husband and one-year-old child in 2024. Due to the family’s stop in Croatia before entering Iceland, the case is treated on the grounds of the Dublin regulation, which stipulates that asylum applicants may be sent back to the country they departed from.
The woman is 28 weeks pregnant and suffers serious medical issues, including using a wheelchair and requires assistance with her daily tasks. Due to her physical state, her doctor has issued a no-fly certificate.
Despite the doctor’s medical statement and the woman’s acute physical state, the Directorate of Immigration has denied postponing her deportation, instead opting to deport her via air ambulance.
The family’s lawyer, Arndís Ósk Magnúsdóttir, said the woman would be sent to Croatia, which has been criticised by humanitarian associations for deporting Russian refugees back to Russia.
In 2016, the woman’s husband, a political activist and dissenter in Russia, was sentenced to five years in prison. He was subsequently transported to Siberia, where he underwent inhumane treatment.
The man’s family — mother, sister, and brother — have all received asylum in Iceland due to his wife being persecuted in Russia.
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