Sweden tightens rules on Iraqi asylum seekers

Stockholm, Sweden

Sweden, which hosts more Iraqi refugees than any other country in Europe, has ruled that Iraqis seeking asylum must show they would be personally at risk in their homeland to avoid being sent back.

The ruling came after Sweden's migration board issued a statement on Friday, giving its decision on three separate cases...

The ruling clarifies the criteria for asylum-seekers in Sweden. Previously, the migration board considered applications on a case-by-case basis, a migration board official said.

A Swedish court also ruled earlier this year that the country does not consider Iraq to be an armed conflict, a status which can influence whether refugees are granted asylum.

Nearly half of all Iraqis that fled to Europe last year came to Sweden, a country known for its generous welfare benefits and more relaxed rules on asylum.

Read the rest at Reuters/Alternet

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