Denmark repatriates Iraqis who failed to get asylum

Sep 2, 2009, 9:34 GMT

Copenhagen - Twenty-two Iraqi nationals were Wednesday headed back to Iraq after their asylum applications had been turned down, Danish police said.

The 21 men and one woman were taken overnight from an asylum centre north of Copenhagen to Odense. They were accompanied on the flight to Iraq by physicians and interpreters, officials told local media.

Denmark and Iraq in May signed an agreement over the repatriation of some 240 Iraqis. Criticism has been voiced against the deal as some of the failed asylum seekers have lived for years in Denmark.

Birthe Ronn Hornbech, minister for refugee, immigration and Integration affairs, said the government would continue to repatriate Iraqi asylum seekers whose applications had been rejected.

Hornbech said it would be 'best' if failed asylum seekers voluntarily left Denmark. 'This is something we have said for years,' she told Danish news agency Ritzau, and defended the police tactics.

Hornbech said the tally of how many face repatriation fluctuates since some asylum seekers leave on their own accord.

Peter Skaarup of the Danish People's Party that provide parliamentary backing to the centre-right government welcomed Wednesday's move saying it was 'high time' to make use of the repatriation agreement with Iraq.

The opposition Social Liberals and Red-Green Alliance were critical of the repatriation as was the support group Church Asylum.

'The government has not heeded warnings from Amnesty International, Save the Children and the United Nations,' Johanne Schmidt-Nielsen of the Red-Green Alliance said.

Early Wednesday some 50 activists were briefly detained when they gathered at the Brorson church in central Copenhagen that has earlier offered refuge to some Iraqi refugees.

Police raided the church in mid-August and detained 18 Iraqis that were taken to the Sandholm asylum centre, north of Copenhagen.

Seven Iraqis were repatriated on August 13.