Norway imprisons gay asylum seekers claims Skeiv Verden
Norway is the second best country for gays in the world. Nevertheless, Norway imprison and deport half of homosexual asylum seekers to countries where they are killed claims Skeiv Verden.
Skeiv Verden is an Norwegian national interest organisation for lesbians, gays, bisexuals, transgender, intercultural and queer people (LGBTIQ) with minority backgrounds.
Right now, when it is ready for Oslo Pride, Norway has imprisoned a young gay man, Skeiv Verden Assistant Secretary-General Nina Bahar writes in a debate article published by one of Norways biggest newspapers VG.
He is called Mehdi (pseudonym to protect him) and has barely finished his teens. Next week, he would have attended his very first celebration of Oslo Pride, he would’ve joined the parade with us, Nina writes.
Instead, he was imprisoned. He is punished because the Norwegian immigration authorities (UDI) do not believe he is gay – he seems to be stereotypical, they say he is making sure.
Mehdi is not alone in not being believed. According to UDI‘s own figures, more than half of homosexual asylum seekers have been refused in recent years. Since 2012, it has been justified in the inability to probate theirs gay sexual orientation.
2012 was a turning point for gay asylum seekers. Then Norwegian Supreme Court (Høyesterett) ruled that Norway could no longer deport gay asylum seekers with the message that they would hide their sexual orientation when returned to their country of origin. Before the verdict, it was not necessary to assess the credibility of applicants.
What you just read what Nina Bahar described are not unique for Norway, most likely you have heard your home country have the same practices and this is very worrying. It’s extremely difficult to prove your sexual orientation when you are fleeing a country that has the practice to kill you if they knew that you wasn’t straight – you are absolutely not flaunting your sexual orientation in that kind of country – to create evidence for you sexual orientation for asylum seeker application in Norway or in another country in the world that where being LGBTIQ is not a crime. Stereotyping LGBTIQ asylum seekers are just wrong on many levels – it’s like saying that all straight men are interested in cars and football and grabs women in the Trump way – else you can’t label your self as straight. Sounds ridiculous right ?