Asylum Seekers Stay Despite Rejection in Sweden

With the vast majority coming from Iraq, Afghanistan and Somalia, the number of asylum seekers who defy the decision of the immigration authorities was 6 times higher in the previous year compared to the year before. In 2007, a record number of 2,400 people ignored their rejection.

Speaking to Swedish Radio News, Minister for Immigration Tobias Billström explained, it was often difficult to make the authorities in the other countries accept their former refugees. Billström added though he was optimistic that a specific agreement could be settled with the Iraqi government in due course.

Asylum organizations accuse Sweden of neglecting human rights by sending back refugees to unsafe regions.

Source: By Sveriges Radio 2008