The Socialist Left Party (SV) and Save the Children strongly disagree with the Immigration Appeals Board’s (UNE) decision to resume processing of Afghanistan cases.
“Save the Children reacts strongly to UNE resuming processing of Afghanistan cases. We expect that no children will be returned to Afghanistan as the situation is now,” said Camilla Scharffscher Engeset, special adviser for refugee children at Save the Children.
“We have just taken people out of Afghanistan because the situation there is life-threatening and unstable. We cannot send people back, more or less on the same plane that we picked people up with,” SV’s Immigration Policy Spokesperson, Grete Wold, said.
Proceedings were halted when the Taliban advanced and seized power last year. The UNE has indicated that this is now primarily a matter of preparatory processing of former asylum seekers and persons with a duty to leave after the application for residence has been rejected.
Some may be required to leave
The suspension of the travel obligation for Afghans rejected in Norway will be lifted from March 1.
The UNE writes that this may mean that some are again required to leave and that individual assessments must be made in each case. Reference is made to new assessments made in January, which indicate that the situation is not as unpredictable.
The SV believes it is not possible to return people to Afghanistan now.
“I hope this can at least mean that more people get to stay in Norway when they have their applications processed again. Afghanistan is not in a situation where we can return people. The only solution is to give these people a life here in Norway,” Wold said.
Cases to be re-examined
Save the Children also points out that the cases must be re-examined in light of the dramatic and unstable situation in the country.
“And it is crucial to avoid children or parents of children being returned to an extreme, insecure situation in Afghanistan,” Engeset said.
According to the UN and the global community, there is a major humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan due to parts of society collapsing after the Taliban took power. In addition, a large number of people have been evacuated from the country because they fear being subjected to repression by the Taliban regime.
Source : © NTB Scanpix / #Norway Today / #NorwayTodayNews
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