Collective Expulsion of Slovak Romani Asylum Seekers from Finland

29 July 2004

On April 6, 2004, Ms Kristina Stenman, an asylum lawyer from Finland, informed the ERRC that the Finnish government deported one hundred and thirty Slovak Roma to Slovakia during the first week of April. According to the Danish newspaper Helsingin Sanomat of March 9, 2004, since the beginning of 2004, there had been an increase in the number of asylum seekers in Finland from Slovakia. On March 26, 2004, approximately one hundred Finnish Roma and non-Roma pro-tested in the centre of Helsinki against the deportation of Roma to Slovakia, expressing concern about the unsafe situation Roma in Slovakia face. (ERRC)