Former Danish Minister of Foreign Affairs and Immigration sentenced to 60 days in prison for breaking up a Syrian couple
A Danish special court has sentenced the former Danish Minister of Foreign Affairs and Immigration Inger Stogberg, who is known for her hardline policy towards foreigners, to 60 days in prison.
The ruling was issued against the Danish minister against the background of instructions she had issued in 2016.
In the details of the news reported by the German “Der Spiegel”, “Stogberg” was sentenced to two months in prison for “illegal measures”, as the minister was convicted by an overwhelming majority in the court created specifically for this case.
The court ruled that the minister acted deliberately in the case of the separation of an asylum-seeking couple from Syria, and the judgment was issued definitively, and the minister cannot appeal it.
According to Der Spiegel, Stogberg held the position of Minister of Foreign Affairs and Immigration from 2015 to 2019 under the then Prime Minister (Lars Lok Rasmussen), during her tenure as minister, known for her toughness in her dealings with foreigners and asylum seekers.
The Der Spiegel adds that the Danish politician is accused of illegally ordering the separation of a Syrian asylum-seeking couple, because the woman was a minor, and quoted the court as addressing the minister by saying, “Your ministry announced in February 2016 that all spouses who obtained asylum without exception will be housed in a way.
Separated if one of the partners is a minor, according to the court, these were illegal instructions”.
The Der Spiegel reports that Stogberg wrote in February 2016 on her Facebook page: “It is completely unacceptable that minors are accommodated with their husbands in Danish asylum centers,” adding, “This must be stopped and I’ll inform the Danish immigration authorities immediately”.
According to these instructions, 23 couples were separated from each other, in many cases, the spouses were placed in different reception centers.
No consideration is given to children or pregnant women, nor was any case considered individually.
“I’m very surprised, I have to say,” she said after the verdict was announced.
The public prosecutor had asked for four months in prison, while the defense demanded her innocence.
