Sweden: sending back refugees
01 January 1994
Sweden leads Europe in deporting asylum seekers. In 1992/3 a total of 16,861 asylum seekers were deported, with between 85-90% refused asylum. Between July-December 1993 more than 10 million was allocated to set up special police task forces charged with searching for and arresting refugees denied asylum. These task forces raided churches and convents where refugees had sought sanctuary. Several cases have been reported where mentally ill refugees - who are to be expelled - are held in isolation in prison for several months until they are "fit" enough to travel. The number of refugees seeking asylum in Sweden has dropped from 83,000 in 1992 to 37,581 in 1993. This decrease is partly explained by the introduction of visas to enter from Bosnia in June 1993.
Swedish TextTV, 11 & 12.1.94.