– This is what we have been waiting for for several years. I don’t have enough words to describe how good it is to come home. That’s what Ahmad Charafeddine says after landing at Leknes Airport on Thursday evening. There he was met by friends and family who welcomed him. – My heart was beating very fast. It’s been so long since I’ve seen dad. I’ve been happy all day, I couldn’t sleep yesterday, says eldest daughter Selma Amin (17). This is the first time Charafeddine is in Lofoten since he was deported from Norway in April 2019. He was deported with a five-year entry ban for concealing his identity when he applied for asylum. By then he had lived in Norway for 22 years and worked as a teacher in Lofoten. Selma Amin and her sisters met up with lots of family friends when dad Ahmad landed at Leknes Airport. Photo: Vilde Bratland Erikstad / news It was hard on his wife and four daughters. Eldest daughter Selma in particular has been clear about how difficult it has been not to have her father present. – We have not had both of our parents, which we are entitled to. They are taking our childhood away from us, she has told news earlier. But at the end of October the news finally came that he was able to lift the entry ban earlier than planned. – We have been waiting for this day here for four years and eight months, says Selma. Lift the ban earlier than planned UDI lift the entry ban six months earlier than planned due to the best interests of the child. – The background for the decision to lift the entry ban is new circumstances that have arisen since the decision on deportation. UDI has emphasized new circumstances connected to Ahmad Charafeddine’s family, UDI wrote in an e-mail to news earlier. This theme has been central to the case in the past. Because Charafeddine has not been able to see his daughters physically for almost five years, this may be a violation of the human rights convention. The Norwegian Organization for Asylum Seekers (NOAS) has previously told news that. Here is Ahmed Charafeddine with his four daughters at Leknes in Lofoten before he was sent out of the country. Photo: Privat In 2022 there was also a report that looked at how deportation cases happen to children. The report suggested, among other things, that as a general rule parents should not be deported if there is no real possibility for the family to maintain family life in another country. The battle is not over – It is impossible to explain how happy I was when I found out that I was allowed to come home. We are very happy to be together as a family. It has cost us a lot, says Charafeddine. But even if the entry ban has been lifted, the battle is not over for Charafeddine yet, because he is here on a visitor’s visa, and is therefore only allowed to be in Norway for 90 days. The plan and hope is now to get family reunification approved. Ahmad Charafeddine was met by family and friends when he landed in Lofoten. Photo: Vilde Bratland Erikstad / news – The burden this has placed on the family is indescribable. Therefore, I wish that no one should end up in such a situation.
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– I’ve been enjoying myself all day – news Nordland
