For the first time, the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration or Utlendingsdirektoratet (UDI) will take away citizenship from refugees, because they actually support the regime they said they fled from.
Source: NRK
A group of five people at the UDI has been working for two years investigating tips and information about a group of 135 Norwegian-Eritreans. The question has been: Why have they been granted asylum and become Norwegian citizens, and then actively, through associations or in other contexts, support the regime they say they fled from?
The UDI experts traveled around the Oslo and Bergen to talk to sources. They have searched social media. They have also reviewed tips they have received from Eritreans in Norway who are in opposition to the Eritrean regime.
“This is the first time that support for a regime is the main reason why Norwegian citizens receive notice of revocation of citizenship from the UDI.” This is according to Dag Bærvahr, head of control at the UDI.
Eritrea and human rights
Eritrea has been described as one of the most repressive countries in the world. President Isaias Afwerki has ruled the country since its independence in 1991, and no political opposition is allowed. The 1997 constitution has not been implemented and the elected parliament has not met for 18 years.
There is no free press, no independent civil society, and religious minorities are banned and imprisoned for their beliefs.
No one knows how many political prisoners there are in the country, but estimates range from 10,000 to 25,000. People are imprisoned without trial, and there have been reports of widespread use of torture and sexual abuse in prison, as well as extrajudicial executions.
According to the law, national service in Eritrea consists of both civilian and military duties. The aim of the service, beyond national defense, is to contribute to the reconstruction of the country and the development of a common Eritrean identity across ethnic and religious lines. The service, which in principle should last 18 months, has in practice proven to last for several years. According to the authorities, this is due to the border conflict with neighboring Ethiopia and more recently threats from Ethiopia to seize port access by force. Women from their mid-twenties are probably exempted or discharged from service as a result of marriage, childbirth or on religious grounds. Warsay Yikealo is an extension of national service, and it has contributed to many serving for a number of years. Eritreans who evade national service probably risk extrajudicial punishment from local military superiors, but the experience we have is limited, and it is therefore difficult to draw solid conclusions. But many of the examples point to the punishment being in line with the provisions of the law, i.e. between three months and three years of detention.
Source: Kjetil Tronvoll/Landinfo
Losing citizenship
He says that the UDI has worked on a total of 135 cases. These are Norwegian-Eritreans who have been granted asylum and later citizenship. This means that they have been in the country for at least seven years.
– So far, we have revoked the permits of just under 20 people. But we have more cases to process, about 30 more cases. It is therefore uncertain how many cases will end with a decision to revoke and possibly also expel, says Dag Bærvahr.
Revoking citizenship is a very intrusive measure, but it is authorized in the Immigration Act and the Citizenship Act. This states that a residence permit can be revoked if the foreigner has knowingly provided incorrect information about the grounds for asylum. Citizenship can alsobe revoked, on the same basis. These are the two paragraphs that the UDI has used in the decisions that have been sent to the just under 20 people.
Supporting the regime they said they fled from
The UDI has several times, including on the basis of cases in NRK, initiated projects to revoke residence permits for Norwegian-Eritreans. But this is – as far as NRK understands – the first time the UDI has revoked permits where the main reason is what the UDI itself calls regime friendliness. That is, cases where they actively support the regime they said they fled from.
The UDI explains that these revocations concern cases where asylum seekers stated that they fled military service in Eritrea. Therefore, they fear persecution in Eritrea if they return home. However, UDI’s investigations show that they actively support the regime from Norway. Therefore, the UDI has reason to believe that the explanation of fleeing military service was not the correct explanation.
Eritreans flee national service
National service is a compulsory service for all citizens in either the military or civilian positions. It is supposed to last 18 months, but for many it lasts for years in practice. It also applies to women.
This compulsory service is the main reason why many Eritreans have fled the country. Experts estimate that up to 25 percent of the population has fled the country since 2001, Eritrea expert Kjetil Tronvoll tells NRK. He emphasizes that there is great uncertainty surrounding these estimates.
Street fights in Bergen
Part of the reason why the UDI started the work was the clashes in the streets of Bergen two years ago. This is according to the head of control at the UDI, Dag Bærvahr. Eritreans clashed in the streets, and the opposition to the regime in Norway claimed that the organizers of the meeting supported the regime. Something they denied.
– But in the aftermath of the street fighting, the police made several seizures, which enabled us and the police to move forward with investigations and investigations, says Bærvahr.
One of those who has now had his Norwegian citizenship revoked is – according to what NRK has learned – a Norwegian-Eritrean in Bergen who NRK has written about before . He applied for and was granted asylum in 2013, and is now a Norwegian citizen. NRK reported two years ago that he was the chairman of one of the YPFDJ’s organizations in Norway.
YPFDJs is the youth movement of the one-party state of Eritrea, one of the world’s worst regimes in terms of human rights violations. NRK also reported that this department has donated 35,000 Norwegian kroner to the Eritrean regime.
The case against the Norwegian-Eritrean was initially dropped due to capacity, but was resumed after NRK’s case in 2024.
Now the man has reportedly received notice that his citizenship has been revoked.
The UDI does not want to confirm this.
The men have not responded to NRK’s inquiry.
Most of those who have been notified that they must leave Norway have appealed the case to the Immigration Board, which will process the appeals in the new year.
– UDI’s decision gives hope
For many years, Norwegian-Eritreans who fled the Eritrean dictatorship and are in opposition to the current regime have claimed that there are many “fake” refugees here in Norway. Now they feel heard. This is according to one of the central figures in the Blue Brigade, an opposition movement throughout the Western world that has now taken up the fight against the Eritrean dictator.
NRK knows the man’s identity, but out of concern for his own safety and that of his family here in Norway, he does not wish to be named.
– This is not just about law, but about the safety of thousands of real refugees who have fled one of the world’s most brutal and totalitarian regimes, he tells NRK.
When people who claim to have fled national service and persecution later establish militant structures and openly support the regime, it weakens the entire asylum system, he says.
About the Third Front in Eritrea
What does the opposition source mean by the term military structures?
He refers to what is called the 4th front in Eritrea. Eritrea expert Kjetil Tronvoll says that Eritrea’s military defense is divided into three “fronts” or military contingents that control Eritrea’s territories.
After the opposition in Western countries began to confront the regime’s representatives in the West in 2023, Eritrea established a “4th front” in Western countries to fight back and combat regime critics, Tronvoll explains.
– The 4th Front organizes men who are willing to confront demonstrators critical of the regime with violence. In some countries, 4th Front units are trained in close combat and “paramilitary” organization. We do not know if this is done in Norway, says Tronvoll.
He says the Eritrean dictator has urged all Eritreans in Western countries to contribute to the “fight” against regime critics.
– Eritrea’s military defense is divided into three “fronts” (northern, central, and southern fronts), i.e. military contingents that control Eritrea’s territory. After the diaspora began to confront the regime’s representatives abroad, the regime established a “4th front” in the diaspora, to fight back and combat regime critics. The 4th front then organizes men and some women who are willing to confront regime-critical demonstrators with violence. In some countries, 4th front units are trained in close combat and “paramilitary” organization. I do not know if this is done in Norway. President Isiaias Afwerki has recently called on all Eritreans in the diaspora to contribute to the “fight” against the regime critics.
– The recently organized regime-critical diaspora (“Blue Revolution” as a collective term) is seen by the regime as a real threat to their control not only in the diaspora but also in their homeland. They fear that the resistance could spread in Eritrea, and that the youth will start protest movements at home. That is why they are hitting back so quickly and brutally with 4G and other measures. I believe that we are at a crossroads that can be interpreted as the beginning of Eritrea’s “second revolution” which could eventually lead to regime change in Eritrea.
Dutch professor and Eritrea expert Mirjam van Reisen says that the 4th front created in 2023 is about the regime’s attempts to control the opposition in Western countries, and to suppress resistance among those in opposition.
– UDI’s work is therefore about protecting Norway’s asylum institute, ensuring justice for actual refugees and preventing totalitarian networks from operating freely here, he says.
– NRK’s revelations, the police’s seizures after the clashes in Bergen and the UDI’s thorough investigations have been crucial in revealing how some people have abused the asylum system. When citizenship or residence permits are revoked in such cases, it is an important signal that abuse of protection is not accepted, he tells NRK.
And adds:
– Eritreans who have experienced torture, military coercion, imprisonment without trial and the absence of basic rights deserve security in Norway. The UDI’s decision gives hope to those who actually fled the dictatorship – those who want a free life, security for their children and the opportunity to build a future without fear, the man tells NRK.