Forced return, Trandum | Sent back after forced return – Ethiopia rejected emergency passport

Betelhem Tamre Bitew was put on the plane to Ethiopia on Friday in a new deportation from the group of long-term Ethiopians without a residence permit in Norway. After 15 hours at the airport in Addis Ababa, she and the police entourage had to make a return trip. The Ethiopian authorities did not accept the emergency passport the Norwegian authorities had issued to her, a so-called laissez-passer.

On Monday, Bitew and several other Ethiopians were released from the Police’s immigration detention center at Trandum.

Nine years in Norway

– They came and said that now I am free, says the woman to Klassekampen on Tuesday.

Betelhem has lived in Norway for nine years, has a large network here, but has not received a residence permit, writes the newspaper. She is thus one of several with “illegal stay”.

The return from Addis Ababa took place just before midnight on the night of Sunday, Klassekampen writes.

Read also: Releases more detained Ethiopians: – Difficult to describe what I feel

Lawyer: No grounds for detention

Bitew’s lawyer tells the newspaper that if Ethiopia does not want to accept forced return, the grounds for detention will disappear.

– The detention then no longer follows a legitimate purpose, says the lawyer.

A friend of Bitew’s, Tewodros Matebe, who traveled with her, tells Nettavisen that she cooperated well with the two policewomen both before and during the trip to Addis Ababa. On arrival at the airport in Addis Ababa, they tried to go through immigration control where the two policewomen handed over a number of documents issued by the Norwegian police. Ethiopian immigration authorities rejected these documents, as they did not meet the requirements set by the local authorities.

This led to Bethlehem and her escorts spending over fifteen hours at the airport.

– I was present and saw with my own eyes that the two policewomen only presented laissez-passes for Bethlehem that were issued by the Norwegian police and an old ID card. They received a clear message from the immigration control that they do not accept such documentation.

On Monday, Nettavisen addressed an inquiry to the Police’s immigration unit about forced returns to Ethiopia in general, but has so far received no response to this inquiry other than that the police will not comment on individual cases.