Afghan refugees protest deportations in Sweden

Christine Olsson

STOCKHOLM — Hundreds of young Afghan asylum-seekers and their supporters have held daily sit-ins at Medborgarplatsen Square here demanding, “Stop the deportations to Afghanistan.” Above, Aug. 9 action. Organized by Ung i Sverige (Young in Sweden), the protests began Aug. 6 to oppose the Swedish government’s stance that it is now safe to deport refugees to large parts of Afghanistan. Some 1,000 people rallied Aug. 19. A hundred rightists held a counterprotest, chanting “No Afghans on our streets” and “Out with the scum.”

The Afghan youth sent an open letter to Swedish Migration Agency Director General Mikael Ribbenvik saying, “Is Sweden really a moral country when you tell Swedes not to travel to Afghanistan because it’s dangerous, but you think it’s safe for us young people to live there? It’s not human.”

Many of the refugees are unaccompanied minors, who are protected from deportation by a United Nations convention. More than 23,000 minors arrived in 2015 alone, fleeing the devastation of the 16-year-long war. Some come directly from Afghanistan. Most are sent to Sweden by their families who first fled to Iran or Pakistan. One participant told the Militant that in Iran they often face the choice of deportation or joining the Iranian military.

A third of the 12,168 Afghans’ requests for asylum, processed in 2016 ,were immediately rejected. The Swedish Migration Agency has decided to assume that those without documents who say they’re under 18 are lying and have started to conduct physical tests to attempt to determine their age. Those ruled to be adults are subject to deportation.

One protester, who did not wish to give his name, told the Militant that when his cousin was deported, he was dropped off in Kabul by Swedish cops. He had never been in Kabul in his life and knew no one.

— LARS ERLANDSSON