Stopping the returns to Ethiopia

Source : KlasseKampen

 

FINGERPRINT: Only five Ethiopians were repatriated from Norway after returning Agreement came into force. Lack of clarity about the fingerprints can be distributed to Ethiopia delay returns. About 700 Ethiopians with a final rejection is next in line to be repatriated to Ethiopia after Norway signed a return agreement with the regime 26 January this year. According to information Klasskampen has obtained from the Directorate of Immigration (UDI) and National Police Immigration Service (PU), no one has so far been returned by force, and only five have returned voluntarily.

 

After the KlasseKampen know, conducting a legal tangle that the work of returns is stopped. In a letter from Immigration to the Police Directorate states that the Ethiopian authorities require that the Norwegian police take fingerprints of those who will return to issue necessary travel documents. The police have stopped dealing with, because they are in doubt whether they have legal authority to do so.

Thus, they are not being returned, travel documents, and can not go home to Ethiopia. Has given false identity Political scientist and associate professor at the University of Stavanger Girum Zeleke are even from Ethiopia. He knows more people who have applied for voluntary return, but he doubts that they will agree that their fingerprints will be received by Ethiopian authorities.

- Many people have applied for voluntary return, because they consider it safer than being forced to return. Then they can say they have been economic refugees in Europe, although in reality they have been political refugees, said Zeleke.

It is these Zeleke now believe will not agree to submit their fingerprints.

- These have given a false identity when applying for asylum because they were afraid of being exposed by the agents, who we know are active. If the fingerprint of their being handed over to Ethiopian authorities, their real identity be revealed, and they also risk severe punishment for document forgery.

May have committed offenses

It was not successful , to get answers from police about what makes them doubt whether they can deliver fingerprints to Ethiopia. Zeleke am convinced that if Ethiopia has received the fingerprints of any of the five that are returned, then, Norway has been guilty of an offense.

- I personally know of one case where an Ethiopian has been asked to give fingerprints at their local police station. If that happens, it may be an offense. I have notified the Data Inspectorate, which will follow this closely, says Zeleke. He argues that such information may be disclosed only in the case of the return of persons who have made a punishable offense.

- It’s no longer talking about a return appointment, but an extradition treaty, he said. Mean agreement is unlawful. When Ethiopia claimed by fingerprint of Ethiopians to be returned, they will probably argue that it is in line with the agreement signed with Norway 26 January.It says that Norway is committed to provide “as much information as possible” if they returned to help clarify their identity. A similar formulation is not found in any other return agreements entered into Norway, and have therefore met with strong criticism by, among other things, the Norwegian Organization for Asylum Seekers (NOAS).

Zeleke believe there are several conditions in the agreement making it illegal. He has collected more than 400 authorizations from the rejected asylum seekers from Ethiopia, which has sued the government for what they believe is an illegal agreement. Their lawyer Bent Endresen said to class struggle before Easter that return the agreement between Norway and Ethiopia in violation of the European Convention on Human Rights and the Norwegian Immigration Act, because you risk sending people to degrading and inhuman treatment.