An attempt at human trafficking was discovered under the control of Corona – Dagsavisen

An attempt at human trafficking was discovered under the control of Corona - Dagsavisen

On October 28, 2020, the government will introduce new national austerity measures to deal with the Corona pandemic, which is about to reach new heights in Norway.

We are facing the most serious infection reversal situation since March. If we take action now, there is a much greater chance that we can celebrate Christmas normally with the extended family, said then-Prime Minister Erna Solberg during a press conference two days ago.

Among the measures are changes in labor migration rules due to increased import contagion.

On the same day the new restrictions are imposed, a man from Sweden drives towards the old Svinesund Bridge. A woman with a forged passport is also in the car.

Human traffickers get paid

The man lives in Ostfold and has been in Norway for several years. The passenger, like the man, is originally from a country in the Middle East. A man believes that it is dangerous for a woman to stay in this country because of his own background. Two years ago they got married. The only problem is that the marriage is not considered valid by the Norwegian authorities. Thus, they cannot apply for family immigration.

Instead, the woman’s family pays some of the human traffickers who help her enter the European Union via Turkey. In Greece, she is provided with a fake Danish passport.

After the guy picked them up in Denmark or Sweden, they together headed to Norway.

They claimed they were on a shopping trip – they’ve been gone for 12 days

At the border, they are met by the police, which they control due to entry restrictions. The man explains that the couple went to Sweden only for shopping. The police do not believe this interpretation. At the same time, they found it suspicious that the woman’s passport did not appear in the Danish passport registry.

During the search of the car, they found foreign money and a lot of clothes, indicating that they did not pass through the border only for shopping. They also find a passport from the woman’s homeland, which does not contain any stamps indicating that it was used to enter the Schengen area.

The Customs Service then checks the man’s car and sees it has left Norway 12 days ago. In other words, Harry’s extraordinarily long journey, if that was really the purpose.

He did not say that women should apply for asylum

The case is now being heard in Søndre Østfold County Court, where the man has been charged with human trafficking.

The court had to consider, among other things, whether the man had assisted a refugee who was in danger of being persecuted in his home country. In this case, the smuggling would be impunity, but only if they immediately appeared before the authorities and made it clear that the woman would apply for asylum.

they did not. During border control in Svensund, it was not mentioned that the woman should seek asylum in Norway, nor on direct questions from the police. The man later explained that he wanted to take his wife home and keep her there for a few days, before she was later transferred to the National Access Center in Rhode.

Thus the Saunders District Court of Ostfold concluded that the entry was not lawful.

He can escape from prison

The prosecution demanded that the man be imprisoned for 60 days, half of which was suspended. Instead, the District Court held that there were several circumstances that moderated the sentence. Among other things, the man’s perception of the actual circumstances and the length of time the case was held.

The case was heard in Søndre Østfold County Court on December 9, 2021, after being postponed due to illness.

On December 16, the sentence fell. The district court concluded that 45 days of probation was sufficient. This means that a man does not have to serve a prison sentence as long as he does not break the law within the next two years. He chose not to appeal the ruling.

Hannah Sophie Aronsen, the man’s advocate, did not want to comment on the case.

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By Bond Robertson

"Organizer. Social media geek. General communicator. Bacon scholar. Proud pop culture trailblazer."