Response to interpellation 2024/25:245 on the management of victims of political repression in Belarus
Translated from Swedish by AI; the translation may contain errors. The Swedish text is the original.
Summary AI, written in advance
The debate concerns the handling of victims of political oppression in Belarus and the rule of law in the asylum process. M argues that the government is clear in its condemnation of violations in Belarus and has contributed funds to a humanitarian fund 1. M emphasizes that the asylum process is legally secure as decisions are made individually 1 2 and that they are implementing a paradigm shift to address previous shortcomings 3. M believes that they have a legally secure migration policy and follow up on recommendations 3. S argues that Migrationsverket has systematically deported Belarusians despite the risk of torture 4 and that Statskontorets analysis shows shortcomings in the rule of law. S believes that the government should act proactively to ensure that those who need protection also receive it 5.
Written by AI in advance and may contain errors. The numbers lead to the speech a statement builds on; check against the text below.
Statsrådet Johan Forssell (M)
Mr. Speaker! I have been asked what measures the government has taken in connection with the EU's resolution to develop support programs for victims of political repression, and what measures I intend to take to ensure a legally secure process for asylum seekers.
The Swedish government, like the questioner, views the extensive repression against all parts of society in Belarus with great concern. The government is clear in its condemnation of the regime's violations of human rights and attacks on the democratic movement. Sweden has also been proactive regarding the EU-wide sanctions directed against the country. Sweden simultaneously maintains its long-term commitment to promoting democracy and respect for human rights in Belarus.
The Government emphasizes in all international forums the importance of keeping the political prisoners in Belarus high on the agenda. The Government has also contributed 5 million kronor this year to the newly established humanitarian fund for victims of repression in Belarus, which aims to provide support to political prisoners, including rehabilitation.
As a minister, I can neither or will not comment on individual cases. The need for protection in asylum cases is assessed individually by the Swedish Migration Agency, and the person who is judged to have a need for international protection is granted a residence permit in accordance with the Aliens Act. The Swedish Migration Agency analyzes the developments in the countries where asylum seekers originate in order to be able to make well-founded assessments of the need for protection. A decision that goes against the individual can be appealed to the Migration Court.
Sweden has a legally secure asylum process where the review and assessment by the Swedish Migration Agency and the migration courts are based on the circumstances of each individual case. That the asylum process is legally secure and has high legitimacy is important, and the government follows the Swedish Migration Agency's work in this area.
Statistics Sweden has, on behalf of the government, analyzed to what extent Migrationsverket's assessments in asylum cases are uniform and legally secure. The government will follow up on the recommendations provided in Statistics Sweden's report to ensure that there are conditions for long-term work for high legal quality and uniform review in the asylum process.
Carina Ödebrink (S)
Mr. Speaker! I would like to begin by thanking the Minister for the answer.
I am pleased, and it is valuable, that there is a consensus between the government and the Social Democrats in the view on Belarus and the very worrying development that has occurred since the last illegitimate presidential election in 2020. Both previous and current governments have shown great commitment to supporting the democracy movement in Belarus but also by introducing sanctions together with the EU.
Belarus under Aleksandr Lukasjenko is often described as the last dictatorship in Europe, and the country is highly involved in Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The 2020 presidential election meant a victory for the opposition, and people took to the streets with hopes of change, something that pushed back the fear that has characterized people and the country for a long time. But despite this, Lukasjenko retained power.
Repression has increased since then. Political parties have been banned, and many leaders of the democratic movement have been forced into exile or are in prison. In the current situation, approximately 1,500 people are imprisoned, and many are sentenced to long prison terms. Approximately 500,000 are estimated to have left the country. Many of them have sought asylum in neighboring countries, some of which are in Sweden.
I am well aware that the Minister cannot comment on individual cases, but the Minister and the Government have a responsibility and an obligation to monitor the Swedish Migration Agency's work in this area to ensure a legally secure asylum process. This is also addressed in the response to the interpellation.
My interpellation concerns a fact that can be substantiated with statistics and reports. Persons who seek asylum in Sweden are denied this and are deported back to Belarus despite risking long prison sentences, persecution, and torture. This is in conflict with the commitments and obligations that Sweden has regarding the right to asylum.
The Swedish Migration Agency has systematically deported Belarusians in recent years, which has been criticized by Sveriges Belarusier, a majority of trade union organizations, the Eastern Group for Democracy and Human Rights, and other civil society organizations. In 2022, 130 Belarusians applied for asylum. 98 percent were denied their application. In 2023, 111 Belarusians applied for asylum in Sweden, and of those, 95 percent were denied.
Sweden has been one of the strongest voices within the EU to support the democracy movement in Belarus and introduce sanctions. How does that square with deporting people who have fled from that same oppression? Such a policy risks undermining Sweden's credibility on the international arena.
Statsrådet Johan Forssell (M)
Mr. Speaker! Listeners! The situation in Belarus is very serious. As a government, we have been very clear in our criticism of the regime but also in our support for the Belarusian people and its struggle for freedom and its pursuit of democracy and freedoms that we, who live in such a fine country as Sweden, can easily take for granted. Many people in the world cannot take these things for granted.
I was myself in Belarus quite some time ago and met representatives of the opposition movement. It was hoped then, barely 20 years ago, that the regime would be heading towards a near end. That has not happened.
But our criticism and our support remain firm. In my role as Minister, I have met with representatives of the opposition in Belarus to jointly discuss what more we can do to help them.
We have, as we have said, been proactive both in the EU work for sharp sanctions and through, for example, Swedish aid. We provide support to opposition members for their work for freedom, something that we have had confirmed from the opposition in Belarus that is highly valued.
As Carina Ödebrink is well aware, every asylum application is tested individually by Migrationsverket in a legally secure process. We previously had an arrangement where it was politicians who made this type of decision. It did not turn out well. It became legally insecure. Now we have a legally secure system where one can appeal their case to a court that makes the decision. We follow the international conventions that exist. Migrationsverket also performs updated reviews of this type of case.
As a government minister, I cannot comment on individual cases or influence the assessment in individual matters. What I can say, however, is that the Swedish Migration Agency during the autumn has conducted a review of asylum cases from Belarus. I think that perhaps one should wait for the result of that before expressing oneself too certainly. I believe that it will be published shortly. Then we will also see what the Swedish Migration Agency itself says regarding whether there is reason to make changed assessments or if the assessments that have been made remain. Ultimately, this is a matter for the Swedish Migration Agency. That is the order we have in Swedish migration policy. I assume that the Social Democrats continue to stand behind it.
Legal certainty in the migration process is a priority issue for the government in our work. We have therefore, in accordance with the Tidö Agreement, given a mandate to Statskontoret to conduct a review of the entire asylum process in order to strengthen the quality, uniformity, and legal certainty in the asylum work. Statskontoret has submitted a number of recommendations to Migrationsverket. We are working to ensure that the agency's work with these recommendations is carefully followed up.
Carina Ödebrink (S)
Mr. Speaker! Of course, we must have an asylum process that is legally secure and follows the international commitments that Sweden has.
The security and geopolitical situation in the world has changed dramatically in just a few years. We live in a new era where walls are being built instead of being torn down and where more and more people on our planet, seven out of ten, live in countries that are not fully considered democratic.
As a member of the Swedish delegation to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, OSCE, and rapporteur for the committee responsible for democracy and human rights, I have a special responsibility to monitor and describe the committee's area but also to propose measures. It is more important than ever to stand up for the values and commitments that the OSCE's 57 member states today have agreed upon: peace, security, and free and fair elections. But it is also more important than ever that Sweden does what is required of us here at home. Fine words from the podium are not enough. It is our actions that count.
In response to my interpellation, the Minister states that Statskontoret, on behalf of the government, has analyzed to what extent the Swedish Migration Agency's assessments in asylum cases are uniform and legally secure. Statskontoret's collective analysis shows that there are clear signs that the Swedish Migration Agency has difficulty maintaining uniformity and legal security in the asylum review. The legal quality is weak across all types of cases, but within the asylum review, the follow-up has clear deficiencies. The government is recommended to instruct the Swedish Migration Agency to rectify the deficiencies.
When it comes to asylum cases with links to Belarus, there is a serious problem. In February 2024, the Swedish Migration Agency revised the country information regarding Belarus. Previously, it had not taken into account the changed and worsened situation with increased repression and increased oppression of the population, which had led to decisions being made on incorrect grounds. The change of the country information has, however, taken time to implement. Cases that were decided before the country information was changed and which have since been sent to the migration courts have continued to be handled based on the previous incorrect information. The criticism of the authority regarding the handling led to a commitment that during the autumn, a review of the cases from Belarus would be conducted.
The Minister explains that the process is underway. My question is whether it has resulted in a report and what measures the government intends to take in that case. Now I understand from the Minister's answer that this is not yet finished. But does the Minister think it is reasonable and decent - even if we as elected representatives are not to involve ourselves in individual cases - that persons who obviously risk torture, imprisonment, and persecution are deported to Belarus? There, the government can still take measures on a general level.
Statsrådet Johan Forssell (M)
Mr. Speaker! After two years with the Tidö Agreement, the work has begun to implement a paradigm shift in Swedish migration policy. We are tackling a number of major problems that have existed in migration policy. It simply has not been managed in a good way. Not least, it is about the fact that Sweden's commitments in migration policy have not been met by our ability to manage the integration of people. Very difficult problems have sometimes been swept under the rug with simple solutions. There have been major problems regarding legal certainty, not least linked to something I receive many questions about today, namely different upper secondary school laws. These have been condemned in a very reasonable way, because the issue was handled so poorly.
The responsibility for that, however, cannot be placed on me or on the government. Others must take it - previous governments. I would naturally have wished that the situation at our inauguration two years ago had been different than it was. But I cannot influence that either, and other governments must take responsibility for it.
What I can, however, take responsibility for is the work we do as a government. That is why it was so important that we already in the Tidö Agreement specified that we would conduct a proper review of the rule of law in the asylum process. We are not just supporters of a strict migration policy. We are also supporters of a migration policy with rule of law, order, quality, and efficiency. It would naturally have been commendable if that work had been done earlier, but that was not the case. Now we are tackling this.
As I said in my response to the interpellation, we are working on following up on the Swedish National Audit Office's recommendations. I would, however, like to point out to the interpellator that the Swedish National Audit Office's assessment is that the asylum process in Sweden is legally secure. We can be proud of our system. There are many countries where it does not work as it does in Sweden, with independent agencies and independent courts making decisions.
Carina Ödebrink wants me to nevertheless get involved and at least begin to triage individual cases. I do not intend to do that, because it is not my role as Minister. I have confidence in the authorities' decision-making.
I also want to point out that the Swedish Migration Agency has published around 60 reports on Belarus since January 2021. It is not only during our government's time, but also during the Social Democratic government, that these types of reports have been produced. During the autumn, work has been done on a new review. I do not intend to anticipate that work. I have not seen it yet, but it will naturally become interesting. If there are deficiencies, these naturally need to be addressed, but we have not yet received the material. I do not intend to stand here at the rostrum and engage in various speculations about one thing or the other, but I prefer to act on facts. But we will, of course, follow up on this if there is reason to do so.
Additionally, I just want to repeat what I have said about our extensive work in support of people in Belarus. I have personally met with representatives of the opposition. We also use Swedish aid to help. We have also been very clear in our criticism of the regime in Belarus and proactive in the EU context to specifically introduce, maintain, and tighten the international sanctions that exist so that people in Belarus get what they deserve, namely freedom and democracy.
Carina Ödebrink (S)
Mr. Speaker! Now it is time. I think it is important to say it, Mr. Speaker. Now the government has sat for over two years with the support of the Sweden Democrats. We know what they have for a view on migration policy.
It is now the responsibility of the government not only to answer me and the Social Democrats but also to give an answer to the people who are incredibly worried across the country regarding the asylum process.
It is not about encroaching on an area that one should not be in. It is about the government being able to act proactively through the management of the Swedish Migration Agency and by clearly showing what ambitions it has in this area. Then, of course, the usual process should function.
Belarus is heading towards a presidential election in January. The European Parliament's delegation for relations with Belarus has stated in a declaration that it is incredibly important that countries now stand up for Belarus's sovereignty and independence and that we do what we can to support the country in connection with the election.
It is also about what we can do here at home. What will the new election mean regarding the situation in Belarus and beyond? We do not know that yet.
I really want to urge the government to take action and to ensure that those people who need asylum and seek protection in Sweden can also receive it.
Statsrådet Johan Forssell (M)
Mr. Speaker! What are the government's intentions regarding migration policy? asks Carina Ödebrink. I can only refer to the Tidö Agreement, of which almost a third concerns precisely migration policy.
I would say that we are very clear about the paradigm shift that we are now implementing. We are addressing a large number of problems that have existed in the migration policy which have not been handled in a good way previously.
We see major deficiencies in our ability to manage the integration of people who have come to Sweden. It has previously sounded as if there is almost no limit to the number of people that Sweden can manage the integration of.
It is also linked to problems with efficiency and legal certainty. That is exactly why the government has tasked Statskontoret with conducting a review of the situation. It is we in this government who are doing this.
We might have been in a different situation if previous governments had acted differently, but I cannot take responsibility for that. Now we see to it that we do this. We have received the report, and we are following up on the recommendations. They are important recommendations.
I want to point out one thing. We have a migration policy in Sweden that is legally secure. I often receive criticism from Miljöpartiet, Vänsterpartiet, and Centerpartiet that it is not.
Until now, I have understood that the Social Democrats have shared our view that we should safeguard that model. But sometimes I question whether that consensus still exists. It is important that it does. Otherwise, we will not be able to manage to maintain a strict migration policy over time. That would be very bad for Sweden.
The Swedish Migration Agency is currently working on conducting another necessary review of the cases from Belarus. We have not received that work yet. When we receive it, we will, of course, look at it very carefully.
Is it the case that there are deficiencies in the work, I am the first to say that they must be corrected. But we still have not received that material. I believe it will arrive in the near future. Thank you very much for the interpellation, Carina Ödebrink!
Source: The Swedish Parliament. The speeches come from the open data of the Riksdag, translated into English by AI, which may contain errors.