– We perceive this as a person who is in a very difficult situation. The church will rarely or never reject people who are in a difficult situation, says church warden in Herøy church, Olaus Jon Kopperstad, to news. Contacted the church Suel Kassembo came to Norway as a teenager and has since fought to stay. This is the case Suel Hussein Kassembo came to Norway in 2005 and asked for asylum. He claims he comes from the village of Buyenzi in Burundi and that both his parents and sisters were killed just before he left. Kassembo stated that he was 16 years old and had no living relatives in his home country. If he had been believed in this, he would probably have been granted a stay in Norway. He was refused asylum in January 2007, and was deported in 2010. He was later also refused a work permit. Several complaints have not changed this. The governing authorities do not trust his story. They think he is older than he says and comes from neighboring Tanzania, not Burundi. He has been staying illegally in the country since he was refused, mostly in Søre Sunnmøre. The authorities also claim that he has bid on a hidden address. He recently presented paper which he believes documents both his age and the country he comes from. The governing authorities do not trust that the document is genuine, but nevertheless state that they will send him back to Burundi. In August 2023, he was arrested by the police to be sent out of the country. Just hours before the flight left, he received approval for the court to consider his case. It happened in Oslo District Court in November. Supporters have collected money for the lawsuit. Over 10,000 people have signed a petition for Kassembo to be allowed to stay in Norway. Now the Oslo District Court has ruled that the Immigration Board’s decision is correct and that Kassembo must leave the country. In November, his case came up before the Oslo district court. There, Kassembo and his supporters lost. The court ruled that the decisions of the Immigration Board are valid and that Kassembo must leave the country. Kassembo and the supporters immediately announced that they would appeal. Suel Kassembo has always had many supporters in Herøy. They have organized a support concert, walked in a torchlight procession, collected money and supported him through the legal system. Now they also want to help him in a church asylum, they state in a press release. – The support group Justice for Suel finds it very unreasonable that he should not be allowed to take part in his own trial. Because in the judgment from the district court it became clear that Kassembo does not have the opportunity to stay legally in Norway pending the appeal case. The support group therefore contacted the church in Herøy and made an agreement that Kassembo was given access to church asylum. – He must be allowed to prepare his own appeal case, and then it will be difficult if he is not in the country, says Nils Roar Hareide, in the support group. Nils-Roar Hareide is one of many who are fighting for Suel Kassembo to stay in Norway. Photo: Pål Kristian Lindseth / news – I feel a little safer here Suel Kassembo tells news that the reason he chose to go to a refugee asylum is that he did not feel safe at home. – The police could have come and picked me up at any time, he says. He is therefore now prepared to stay in the church until they get an answer to the appeal case. Kassembo has also appealed the decision that he cannot reside legally in Norway until there is a final judgment. Suel Kassembo in the district court in Oslo during the trial in November. Photo: Bård Nafstad / news – So I hope I can go back to my own home while I wait for the appeal case, he says. If it does not go through, he is prepared to stay in the church. – I have been very well received in the church, says Kassembo. – Can’t say no It was Aftenposten that mentioned the case first. The parish priest in Herøy, Solfrid Leinebø Seljås, tells the newspaper that she does not take a position on the matter. – We have accepted him as a fellow human being with the hope that he will receive fair treatment, through the appeal that has been submitted. In line with old tradition of respect for the special position of the church room, we cannot say no, she repeats to news. The government wants to prevent new cases of church asylum The government stated in April that it wants to prevent new cases of church asylum. – In future, there will no longer be separate guidelines for the future transport of people who have taken up residence in churches. This means that if new cases of church asylum should arise, the cases must be resolved in line with the police’s normal routines. That is to say, in as gentle a way as possible, it says on the government’s website. They further state that they encourage dialogue, information and cooperation with the church in order to achieve voluntary solutions and avoid the use of force. – In the extreme, the police will be able to use force, but this must be avoided as far as possible, it continues. This means that Kassembo can be removed from church asylum. The support group hopes that will not happen, says Nils Roar Hareide. – We cannot accept that he is taken by force, and I don’t think the congregation in Herøy will accept that either, says Hareide.
ttn-69
Suel Kassembo has applied for church asylum in Herøy church – news Møre og Romsdal – Local news, TV and radio
