REPRESENTATIVE SUSPECTS MISTAKES IN THE FORCED DEPORTATION OF AN AFGHAN FAMILY – DEMONSTRATORS MARCHED TO THE MINISTRY OF THE INTERIOR

Finland forcibly deported several Afghani asylum seekers to Kabul on Monday. In the course of the operation, the police used pepper spray and police dogs on demonstrators opposing the deportation.

Ghulam Hazrat, Marjaana Toiviainen and other people opposing forced deportations protested at the Helsinki airport on Monday night.

There was a family of six among the deported people. The police continuously prevented the legal representative of the family, reverend Marjaana Toiviainen, from meeting the family, regardless of the family’s requests. 

Police chief Hannu Pietilä has announced in a press release that none of the family members requested to see their legal representative. This information is incorrect. Reverend Toiviainen has evidence in the form of text messages showing that the daughter of the family requested to meet her. 

In addition, Toiviainen heard over the phone when the daughter of the family asked the police for a meeting with her. The daughter has also confirmed in a text message from Kabul on Tuesday afternoon that she requested to meet Toiviainen, but the police replied that it was too late.


According to Toiviainen, she asked the police at the police station and later at the airport how to make a complaint about not being allowed to meet the family, but the police failed to answer her questions. Toiviainen presented the power of attorney document to the police both at the police station and at the airport.
Marjaana Toiviainen fears that serious mistakes have been made at the asylum and deportation processes of the family. The Afghan family filed a new application for asylum during the weekend, after having received new information about mistakes made in the asylum process and new evidence of threat to their lives if returning to Afghanistan. 

An asylum seeker has the right to file a new application in light of new evidence. 
The police informed the family about an immediate negative decision on Monday. According to Toiviainen, she was not present as the legal representative of the family when they were informed about the decision. The decision must be given to the asylum seeker in written form and in the asylum seeker’s own language. Toiviainen inquires when and where the asylum interview took place and where is the transcript of the interview.

On Tuesday, the demonstrators marched in front of the Ministry of the Interior to pose questions to Permanent Secretary Päivi Nerg, who is in charge of immigration issues. She did not comment on the cursory negative asylum decision of the Afghan family or on the legality of the deportation. She insisted on trusting the professionalism of the Immigration Office and the decisions of the administrative court.  

Stop Deportations Finland, which summoned the demonstration, is a group of independent citizens, and does not have links to any political party.

Stop Deportations Finland
Press Release 
5th April 2017 
For immediate release

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