Sending rejected asylum-seekers back to Afghanistan
There’s controversy over Sweden continuing to deport rejected asylum-seekers to Afghanistan. But the Swedish government says it never received a key letter from its counterpart in Kabul.
In an interview with Radio Sweden’s Persian service recently, Afghanistan’s Migration Minister said he had written to the Swedish government asking that all deportations be halted while a new agreement was negotiated between the two countries. But his Swedish counterpart, Morgan Johansson, says no such letter has been received by the government or by the foreign ministry.
“Our view is that all countries have a responsibility for their citizens,” he says. “And if a person is expelled from another country then you have to accept your own citizens when they return.”
Morgan Johansson, who is also Justice Minister, says the Swedish government is still relying on the findings of the Migration Board, that the security situation in Afghanistan hasn’t changed:
“We hold to our position about the security situation, and the possibility to reject those who don’t have a need for protection in Sweden,” he says. “The basic principle must be that if you need protection you can stay here. If you don’t need it then you can’t stay, and then you have to return to the country you came from.”
Sweden currently has no agreement on the issue with Afghanistan, and rather bases its policies on the legal determinations of the Migration Board. Morgan Johansson welcomes the suggestion that Afghanistan wants to talk about a new agreement, and says that if the Swedish authorities do receive a formal letter they will respond. But he says the starting point is that countries have to live up to their responsibilities:
“That doesn’t absolve Afghanistan of its responsibility today to accept people who are its citizens,” he says. “I don’t want to end up in a situation where we allow Afghanistan to ignore the fundamental issue in international law in this area, just because we are waiting to negotiate a new agreement.”
In the meantime Sweden will continue to expel those who have had their asylum applications rejected. One of those waiting to be sent back is 65 year old Assadolah Samet, who is a well-known political activist in Afghanistan. He’s currently in a facility in Gothenburg, together with his 27 year old daughter Sahar, who is a journalist and women’s rights activist.
He says they won’t survive long if they are sent back:
“We come from a troubled province, where the Taliban and terrorists are in power,” he says. “The only future that awaits us there is death.”
