A Syrian refugee has won her appeal against the Danish government’s decision to cancel her residency and its attempt to send her back to her war-torn country.
Aya Abu Daher is one of several hundred Syrian refugees in Denmark who were told they must return to Syria after the Danish Immigration Ministry said the Damascus area was safe.
Ms Daher’s case drew public attention when the 19-year-old student, who speaks fluent Danish, appeared on national television and moved viewers when, holding back tears, she asked what she had "done wrong".
The Scandinavian nation was the first in Europe to tell refugees from Syria it was safe to return, prompting widespread condemnation from international rights groups and protests in Denmark.
Human rights advocacy group the Syria Campaign says Denmark cancelled the residency status of at least 380 Syrian refugees. The government is expected to continue with its anti-immigration policy in a bid to appease the increasingly influential far-right Danish political parties.
Last summer the cases of about 500 Syrians from Damascus and the surrounding area were re-examined, when Danish immigration authorities concluded that "the current situation in Damascus is no longer such as to justify a residence permit or the extension of a residence permit" in Denmark.
'Temporary residents' were placed in a detention centre pending their deportation. but due to a lack of diplomatic ties between the two countries, Syrians can either return voluntarily or remain in detention indefinitely.
More on animal trafficking
New UK refugee system
- A new “core protection” for refugees moving from permanent to a more basic, temporary protection
- Shortened leave to remain - refugees will receive 30 months instead of five years
- A longer path to settlement with no indefinite settled status until a refugee has spent 20 years in Britain
- To encourage refugees to integrate the government will encourage them to out of the core protection route wherever possible.
- Under core protection there will be no automatic right to family reunion
- Refugees will have a reduced right to public funds
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
How has net migration to UK changed?
The figure was broadly flat immediately before the Covid-19 pandemic, standing at 216,000 in the year to June 2018 and 224,000 in the year to June 2019.
It then dropped to an estimated 111,000 in the year to June 2020 when restrictions introduced during the pandemic limited travel and movement.
The total rose to 254,000 in the year to June 2021, followed by steep jumps to 634,000 in the year to June 2022 and 906,000 in the year to June 2023.
The latest available figure of 728,000 for the 12 months to June 2024 suggests levels are starting to decrease.
