The Socialist People’s Party has called on the Minister For Integration Birthe Rønn Hornbech to explain why Denmark has twice attempted to deport a Tamil family, despite a UN decision to annul the deportation.

SPP Immigration Spokesperson Astrid Krag has made the call after disclosures that the European Court of Human Rights also stopped an attempt to deport the family using Rule 39 of the charter.

Rule 39 is used to prevent rejected asylum seekers from being forcibly sent to countries where they risk persecution.

Twice
The court’s decision to invoke Rule 39 came on the second attempt by Denmark to deport the family, which consists of a father, mother and two children.

Eight months previously, a similar deportation order was quashed by the United Nations High Commission for Refugees and the deportation process stopped at Frankfurt Airport.

“There is a major problem if the rule of law within the Danish administration is at such a poor level that it requires international authorities to ensure the safety of families. I will now be asking the minister for her views as to how this could have taken place,” says Krag.