Rejected Iraqi asylum seekers disappear from Denmark

The refugee support group Asylret has come forward and told Danish police that 44 of the Iraqi asylum seekers who were staying in Denmark have disappeared. The group of 80-plus Iraqis was facing forced repatriation to their home country, prompting more than half of them to flee into hiding.

The Copenhagen Post reports that in May a repatriation agreement was signed between Denmark and Iraq. Since May, 54 Iraqis who had sought asylum in Denmark have been sent home due to problems with their identification.

Up until last week, some 80 Iraqi asylum seekers were staying in Copenhagen’s Brorsons Church. But 44 of them have gone missing, and Danish police can’t find them. Refugees are required to report to local authorities two times each week, and collect a welfare check every two weeks. If anyone breaks this schedule they are reported as missing to the National Police, who puts out an arrest warrant for them.

Asylret is one group within Denmark who works closely with Iraqi asylum seekers to help them stay. Showing how contentious the issue of forced repatriation to Iraq is at the moment, a spokesman for Asylret stated “How long must irresponsible and rotten Danish politicians be allowed to pretend that Iraq is a peaceful country and on the back of that send Iraqi refugees to a country plagued by civil war, terror and chaos.”

See more at the CPH Post.