Thomas Hylland Eriksen applied for amnesty when Maria Amelie (25) was named Norwegian of the Year. The Ministry of Justice says no, but the Left, KrF and SV are considering changing the law in 2011.
(THIS ARTICLE IS MACHINE TRANSLATED by Google from Norwegian)
Paperless. On Thursday 16 December, Ny Tid presented the award "Norwegian of the Year 2010" to paperless Maria Amelie (25), who has lived underground for the past seven years. The reason was her courage by standing up and publishing the book Illegal Norwegian (Pax) this autumn, as well as by raising the issue of the undocumented in the Norwegian debate. The award consisted, among other things, of a portrait drawn by Ny Tids artist Firuz Kutal.
Over 18.000 people live paperless, or as "irregular immigrants," in today's Norway.
About 12.000 are former asylum seekers who have been denied their application, according to new Statistics Norway.
– Norway must now put in place an amnesty scheme for the undocumented. I think it's a shame that not all people are equally valuable in Norway today!
This was stated by social anthropology professor Thomas Hylland Eriksen in the panel debate that Ny Tid arranged at the House of Literature after the award ceremony. 25-year-old Amelie was born in the Caucasus and has lived illegally in Norway since a UDI decision in 2003.
When the NRK, which duly covered the distribution, confronted Secretary of State Pål Lønseth (Ap) with the expulsion from Eriksen, his response was: "It is not appropriate to grant a general amnesty for people who have been in Norway illegally for, say, eight years. We cannot make rules that reward people who stay in Norway illegally for a long time. ”
Praise for New Time
Seven years ago, on the other hand, the UDI proposed measures that opened for amnesty for paperless refugees who have stayed in Norway for eight years. Over 20 European countries, such as Sweden and Spain, have given amnesty in recent years. But not Norway, nor is the proposal now relevant, according to the Ministry of Justice.
Parts of the Storting, on the other hand, want it differently. On 30 November, KrF, Venstre and SV arranged an open hearing on undocumented immigrants. Maria Amelie was among the four who told her story. Storting politician Geir Bekkevold from KrF showed up when Ny Tid handed out the award to the 25-year-old, who was born in the Caucasus.
- It is very brave of Ny Tid to nominate Maria Amelie as the Norwegian of the Year. This helps to increase the focus on the undocumented, says Bekkevold to Ny Tid.
Bekkevold says that KrF now wants to raise an interpellation debate about the situation of the paperless. However, he is skeptical of a general amnesty:
– There must be a policy on this that regulates and sets requirements for politicians on how asylum cases are to be handled. I do not believe in amnesty, but in laws that say that people who have stayed in the country for a certain period can stay here. It is good to start with good debates. If we make proposals, there is a danger that we will be voted down. We will now talk to the voluntary organization SEIF, which took the initiative for the campaign "No people are illegal", and get more information and knowledge, says the KrF politician.
- Negative news
The deputy leader of the Liberal Party, Helge Solum Larsen, also wants increased focus on the paperless, and held a joint seminar on the topic on 5 December.
- We have new proposals that we want to raise in the Storting together with KrF and SV, says Larsen to Ny Tid.
He believes that there are more regulated schemes for paperless in a number of other European countries than in Norway.
- The Ministry of Justice's State Secretary Pål Lønseth says it is irrelevant with an amnesty scheme for long-term undocumented migrants in Norway. What do you think about that?
– It is negative news that the Ministry of Justice only categorically rejects it and does not go into the issue. We must start putting pressure on the other parties – the Labor Party, the Center Party and the Conservatives. It can not be in anyone's interest for some people to become a class of their own outside society, says Larsen.
Will create debate
SV's Akhtar Chaudhry believes that Maria Amelie is a strong voice for the paperless.
- I hope that her book, the nomination of the Norwegian of the Year and her participation in the Storting hearing will contribute to improving the situation of the undocumented in Norway, says Chaudhry.
He points out that SV has been at the forefront of improving the situation of the paperless.
– We have argued that especially women and children who have lived in the country for a certain period must obtain a permanent residence permit. There is no majority for this idea at this time, but our job is to keep the matter warm and the flame alive, by gathering and spreading knowledge and engaging people, Chaudhry tells Ny Tid.
So it remains to be seen what 2011 might bring. Maria Amelie has been "illegal Norwegian" since November 9, 2003. She still is.
