Critical to Church Asylum at Hønefoss

Hønefoss Church, Ringerike. Photo: Kirken.no

Representative critical to Church Asylum at Hønefoss

Local elected representative in The Norwegian Church, Peder Gjerdrum, is critical of the fact that the family, that last year was granted a Church Asylum at Hønefoss, does not seem to be leaving the church in the foreseeable future.

Gjerdrum, who is also a permanent deputy member of the Hønefoss ward council, tells Vårt Land that the family’s presence affects the church’s ordinary activities.

“We said yes to giving them an acute church asylum. But now they have lived in the church for almost a year, and it is very uncertain whether they will leave the church if they do not win their court case in the summer,” Gjerdrum states.

Dean disagrees

The Dean of the Ringerike Deanery, Kristin Moen Saxegaard, counters with that she does not accept the summing up of the asylum case as Gjerdrum describes it.

“I acknowledge that the case is difficult and that the church had not envisioned such a long-lasting church asylum. Now we don’t have a choice, we must support the family and their demanding life situation,” she affirms.

Lost the right to stay

The Afghan family lost the right to stay in Norway after the Court of Appeal rejected a petition from the family to impose a ban on the implementation of their asylum rejection before their appeal is processed. The case comes up before the court this summer.

At the end of February last year, after a decision made by PU, the police extracted the couple and their three children from a congregation at Fitjar. The family, therefore, sought sanctuary in the Church at Hønefoss instead.


© NTB Scanpix / #Norway Today
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