Seven countries in the world are currently considered so dangerous that Swedish citizens are asked to leave there. But many asylum seekers from these countries are encouraged to go there instead.
So far this year, it applies to over 700 people, most of them from Afghanistan.
– I cannot go there, I risk the death penalty in Afghanistan because I am no longer a Muslim, says Syed Ghadeer Ali.
TV4 Nyheterna meets Syed Ghadeer Ali at the Swedish Migration Agency’s detention center in Märsta. Here he is being locked up because he does not voluntarily go to Afghanistan, where he believes he risks the death penalty under the Taliban’s Sharia law:
– I’m an atheist, I have an atheist symbol tattooed on my hand, maybe they’ll kill me right away, says Syed.
Afghanistan, Yemen, Lebanon, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Ukraine are currently covered by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ strongest warning: an appeal to Swedish citizens to leave the country. But so far this year alone, the Swedish Migration Agency has rejected 748 asylum applications from these countries and is urging the applicants to go back. Most, 431 cases, concern Afghan nationals.
Difference between Swedish citizens and others
Both the Swedish Migration Agency and the Minister of Migration explain this by saying that there is a difference between Swedish citizens and others.
– After all, Sweden has responsibility for Swedish citizens, says Maria Malmer Stenergard, who was Minister of Migration when this interview was conducted but is now Minister of Foreign Affairs.
Malmer Stenergard believes that it is more dangerous for Swedes to stay in the listed countries, even though the risks for, for example, persecuted minorities and those who are politically active in their home country may be greater than for Swedish citizens.
– It means different risks for a Swedish citizen when he goes to a foreign country compared to a person who belongs in that country, says Malmer Stenergard.
No diplomatic relations with Afghanistan
Syed Ghadeer Ali does not consider himself to belong in Afghanistan. He has not been there since he was three years old but has grown up as a refugee in neighboring Pakistan. He came to Sweden in 2015, has learned Swedish and has a permanent job as a support assistant in a group home.
– In Sweden, I have built a life with an apartment, job, friends, driver’s license. It feels very difficult to just leave everything.
Sweden has no diplomatic relations with Afghanistan, and the Taliban have not committed to accepting deported asylum seekers either. Therefore, it is not possible to carry out forced deportations there at the present time. Syed can wait for 12 months, which is the maximum time you can be held in custody.
– It feels like I’m waiting for nothing. The police have said that they cannot deport me. So I have great uncertainty about my future, it is very, very difficult.