Asylum Seekers
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Changes To Refugee And Immigration Law Proposed
The Icelandic government could begin taking steps to abide international law where the treatment of refugees is concerned, if a bill currently in parliamentary committee passes as is. Stundin reports that the committee, representing all parliamentary parties and operating under the leadership…
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Akureyri Welcomes Asylum Seekers
Akureyri town council has expressed the desire to welcome up to 50 asylum seekers currently being detained in refugee camps in Greece and Italy. RÚV spoke with town council chairperson Guðmundur Baldvin Guðmundsson, who said that while it has not been decided…
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Seven Asylum Seekers, Including Family, Deported Without Warning
Seven Albanian asylum seekers – including a family of three – were deported without warning on Wednesday evening. “My client was not informed he was going to be deported until the Asylum Appeals Board released their conclusion,” lawyer Kolbrún Garðarsdóttir, who represents…
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94 Asylum Seekers So Far This Year, More Expected
94 people have applied for asylum so far this year, and twice as many are expected before the year is out. In an interview with Morgunblaðið, Directorate of Immigration director Kristín Völundardóttur said the increase – up from 70 at this time…
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Tony Omos Appeals To Iceland’s Supreme Court
Asylum seeker, Tony Omos, will appeal his case against the Directorate of Immigration (UTL) with Iceland’s Supreme Court, reports Vísir. Supreme Court lawyer, Kristján Stefánsson, will argue the case on Omos’ behalf. As reported, in December of last year the Reykjavík District Court acquitted the…
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Progressive Campaign Manager: Refugee “Slave Owner And Pimp”
The campaign manager for the Progressive Party in Reykjavík has declared Nigerian asylum seeker Tony Omos to be a “slave owner and pimp”. This is also not the first time he has spoken openly against ethnic minorities in Iceland. Stundin reports that…
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Asylum Seeker Doesn’t Have A Shoe To His Name
Five asylum seekers, a family, and their support group went to the office of the Reykjanesbær social services last Monday, requesting assistance in getting access to physicians, psychological aid, and clothing. In a letter sent to the Grapevine, the asylum seekers claim that…
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The Waiting Is The Worst For Asylum Seekers
Asylum seekers in Iceland struggle most with the uncertainty they experience while waiting for verdicts on whether they will be granted permission to stay, reports Vísir. According to research conducted by Lilja Ingvarsson into the emotional well being of asylum seekers, subjects…
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Special Prosecutor Investigating Menka Case
The Office of the Special Prosecutor has begun investigating charges made by Chaplas Menka against the police for the wanton use of excessive force which landed Menka in the hospital, reports Vísir. As reported, Liberian asylum seeker Menka was stopped by police…
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Hanna Birna May Avoid Parliamentary Hearing
Recently resigned Minister of the Interior Hanna Birna Kristjánsdóttir will likely not have to face a parliamentary hearing on the leaked memo scandal, due to her resignation, RÚV reports. Hanna Birna was due to appear in a live and publicly televised hearing to discuss…
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An Ornamental Resignation
Today, (now former) Minister of the Interior Hanna Birna Kristjánsdóttir resigned from her post, one year and one day after her ministry leaked a memo to select members of the press containing falsehoods and misinformation about Nigerian asylum seeker Tony Omos. As…
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Refugee Granted Asylum
After over two years of waiting and nearly being deported, Afghan asylum seeker Ghasem Mohamadi will officially be allowed to stay in Iceland. Vísir reports that Ghasem has been awarded political asylum in Iceland. The news comes as a relief to the…
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Lawyer Doubts Ministry’s Impartiality In Tony Omos Case
The lawyer for Nigerian asylum seeker Tony Omos has called into question the neutrality of the Ministry of the Interior to handle his appeal for asylum in Iceland. RÚV reports that Omos’ case was heard in Reykjavík District Court today, with his…
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Asylum Seekers To Get Health Coverage
A new bill from the Minister of Health would provide health insurance coverage to Iceland’s asylum seekers. Currently, only those asylum seekers who were expressly invited to Iceland by the government have had immediate health coverage. RÚV reports that this may soon…
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New Police Commissioner Wanted Iceland To Ignore International Law
The newly-appointed Commissioner of the Capital Area Police, Sigríður Björk Guðjónsdóttir, has gone on record saying Iceland should continue to ignore international law on the treatment of refugees. As DV points out, last December, Sigríður – at the time Suðurnes chief of…
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Completely Unthinkable
As you read this, the State Prosecutor is reviewing the latest findings of a months-long police investigation of the Ministry of the Interior, over a memo on Nigerian asylum seeker Tony Omos that found itself in the hands of select members of…
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Iceland To Welcome Syrian Refugees
The Icelandic government has agreed to accept families of Syrian refugees, with an emphasis on children.According to an announcement on the Ministry of the Interior’s website, the United Nations has called upon all capable nations to accept more Syrian refugees, as the crisis in…
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Changes To Law On Foreigners Approved
A number of changes to how asylum seeker applications are processed were approved by parliament last week.MBL reports that instead of asylum seeker applications being processed by either the Ministry of the Interior or the Directorate of Immigration, a special three-person committee will…
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Activists May File Charges Against Press
An activist group that focuses on asylum seeker issues may file charges against Stöð 2 with the Journalists’ Ethics Committee, over their coverage of a protest demonstration at the Ministry of the Interior yesterday.DV reports that the group, No Borders, believes they and…
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Haukur’s 18th Editorial
Do yourself a favour. Turn to page ten, right now, and read Haukur Már’s feature, Our Murderous Fences. It details how the Greek government is (mis) treating the nation’s asylum seekers and immigrants, and how the Icelandic government keeps sending our own…