UN demands responses from Norway about the Asylum seekers return agreement with Ethiopia

 







  
Ethiopians Asylum Seekers took action in April outside the castle where it was held Council. The asylum seekers carried a placard that reads "Stop helping the dictator in Ethiopia," which refers to the Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, who has held power in the country since 1991.Ethiopian Demonstration Photo: Junge, Heiko / Scanpix
(it is not edited just we post it by using google translator you can follow the original  link http://www.nrk.no/nyheter/norge/1.8071883)
In another letter to the Norwegian government is the United Nations with critical questions to Norway's controversial return agreement with Ethiopia. Among the things the United Nations wonder is how Norway is to prevent the returned asylum seekers tortured.

UN Special Rapporteur for migrants' rights, Francois Crepeau, asking Norway to answer more questions about the extradition agreement between Norway and Ethiopia.
About 700 Ethiopians who have been denied their asylum applications is scheduled to be sent home after Norway signed a controversial deal with returning the Ethiopian regime 26 January this year.
Currently, only five Ethiopians were sent back to their home country, all five went voluntarily.
In a new, critical letter to the Norwegian authorities that NRK has had access to, ask the UN Special Rapporteur on migrants' rights with five critical questions to return the agreement.
"The agreement does not make any guarantees that the returned asylum seekers will not be subjected to harassment, persecution, discrimination or criminal prosecution when they return," said the letter.
The UN is also concerned that Ethiopia, the ARRA (The Ethopian Administration for Refugee and Returnee Affairs), will receive 26,000 Norwegian kroner for each Ethiopian returned.
UN asks then how Norwegian authorities will see to it that the money comes the Ethiopians returned to good, and ask the same time it is true that the ARRA do not have experience to accept returned asylum seekers, as noted by return appointment.
  
Ethiopian asylum seekers in Norway over the last four years

    2011: 201 off - 182 grant
    2010: 314 off - 181 grant
    2009: 201 off - 217 grant
    2008: 129 off - 141 grant
Source: Directorate of Immigration

- How will you prevent torture?
The letter, signed the UN Special Rapporteur on migrants' rights, François Crépeau, asks also how to avoid the returned asylum seekers are not subjected to torture.
The Ethiopian asylum seekers' association in Norway have previously stated that repatriated Ethiopians at risk of being abducted and tortured in their homeland.
The letter from the United Nations it also appears that it is critical that Norway in agreement with Ethiopia is committed to provide "as much information as possible" for asylum seekers returned.
"It has been suggested that this may pose a risk for those returns," writes the UN, as the bottom of the letter asks whether the information above is correct.

   
Liberal Party leader Trine Skei Grande is pleased that the United Nations raises critical to the Norwegian authorities.
- Have not looked at what they send them to
Liberal Leader Trine Skei Grande says to NRK that she is pleased that the UN has been involved in Ethiopia question.
- The UN ask questions very similar to the questions the Liberals have asked in Parliament, as we have been very bad answer. Government can not say that they follow up in relation to torture, or what happens to them we send back, said Skei Grande.
She says that she, like the UN, respond that you should send back asylum seekers who have a security police with very bad reputation.
- This should be a wake in the World - and the Justice Department that you get as sharp questions from the UN. This is a question of human rights violations, there is talk of a terrible regime, with a terrible secret police that we send these people.
She believes the case shows that Norway must take greater account of human rights.
- Here the government has been most concerned to achieve a return appointment, and hardly enough regarded the regime you send people back, says Grande.

- Requires fingerprints
Klassekampen writes today that a legal tangle that the work returns are stopped. In a letter from Immigration to the Police Directorate states that the Ethiopian authorities require that the Norwegian police take fingerprints of them to be returned, to issue the necessary travel documents.
The police have stopped doing because it is in doubt whether it has title to it. Thus, they are not to be returned, travel documents, and thus they can not go home.
Political scientist and associate professor at the University of Stavanger Girum Zeleke is from Ethiopia. He says many of those who have applied for voluntary return are afraid to give up their fingerprints.
- They consider it safer than being forced to return. Then they can say they have been economic refugees, although they have been political, says Zeleke the class struggle.
He explains that these have given a false identity because they were afraid of being caught by agents of the regime in Ethiopia.
- If the fingerprints of their being handed over to Ethiopian authorities, their real identity be revealed, and they also risk severe punishment for forgery, said Zeleke.

- Will be answered
The letter from the United Nations it also appears that one wonders how Norway should ensure that the rights of asylum seekers who are entitled to protection and asylum seekers should be addressed.
Senior adviser at the Ministry of Justice, Trond Øvstedal, told NRK.no that the letter from the United Nations has been received and will be answered within the deadline.
- Until then, we do not want to comment on this, says Øvstedal.
NRK has been in contact with the UN Special Rapporteur on migrants' rights, François Crépeau. Crépeaus representative Jacqui Zalcberg says that the UN does not have the opportunity to comment on the criticism at the present time, and that the purpose of the letter is to get further information about a situation you "are potentially concerned."
The UN has given the Norwegian government 60 days to respond to criticism in the letter, dated 23 March and also been sent Ethiopian authorities.