Asylum seekers and refugees in Finland
Recent stories
Demonstration leads to IOM office closure
The Helsinki offices of the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) was forced to close for a day on 11 October when angry demonstrators constucted a 'temporary counter-office' where it distributed information about the IOM, how it controls migration and acts as a middle-man for inhuman deportation.
11 October 2002 (86 words)
Immigrant labour - exploited but vital
The Labour minister, Tarja Filatov, says that Finland needs to expand its immigrant workforce because one million workers out of a population of 5.
17 September 2002 (188 words)
Nordic mission to Somalia
A Nordic mission of four civil servants from Finland, Denmark, Norway and Sweden was sent to Somalia for a few weeks to investigate whether rejected Somalian asylum-seekers can be deported back to Somalia or not.
1 March 1996 (211 words)
Iraqi asylum-seekers in Estonian prisons brought to Finland
Finnish refugee and border control officers brought 88 Iraqi refugees including Kurds and Arabs from Estonia, where they had been in prison, some for periods ranging from nine months to two years.
1 April 1995 (126 words)
Ombudsman criticises officers at Helsinki harbour after expulsion of Kurds
The parliamentary ombudsman has criticised passport officers at Helsinki harbour following two cases that involved the expulsion of five Kurdish asylum-seekers.
1 April 1995 (241 words)
Finland undecided on EU 'burden sharing' initiative
The Chief of the Office for Aliens' Affairs of the Ministry of the Interior has said that the government is undecided on the Finnish response to the idea, being discussed throughout the European Union, that the burden of refugees should be spread more equally among all member states.
1 April 1995 (201 words)
Russian soldier given asylum
The Appeals Court has granted a Russian soldier who deserted a residence permit.
1 March 1994 (109 words)
Safe countries debate about Russia and Estonia
The interior minister of Finland, Mauri Pekkarin, told parliament in early November that Estonia and Russia should be added to the safe country list, which would mean that asylum-seekers arriving from these countries could be expelled almost immediately.
1 March 1994 (127 words)
Aliens Act introduces safe country category
A new Aliens Act, which includes a fast-track system for dealing with asylum requests, was approved on 10 July.
1 October 1993 (127 words)
New Aliens Act proposed
The Finnish government has introduced a new Bill to tighten up on the 1991 Aliens Act, but the Stockholm representative of UNHCR has warned a parliamentary committee on foreign affairs against proposals to expel refugees from 'safe countries'.
1 April 1993 (177 words)
Related links
None