For the past year Assyrian journalist Nuri Kino has fought for the right of Assyrian refugees to stay in Sweden and for protection for Assyrians in Iraq. He has twice testified before the Swedish Parliament on the refugee issue. The following report is from Nuri Kino in Stockholm.

It may be easier to stay in Sweden for Christians and other religious minorities at risk from Iraq. The question is currently before the legal council of the Immigration Service. This may mean that the majority of Iraqis who have fled persecution in their country had won the right to stay in Sweden. The Swedish Migration Board discussed the question to protect Christians and other minorities from Iraq in the Legal council today.

Legal systems in the current situation requires strong individual reasons to get a residence permit, but a previous legal position taken by the Council gave homosexuals and bisexuals from Iraq the right to stay in Sweden on other criteria since they are seen as a vulnerable minorities. Now the same decision can be given for Christian Assyrians and other religious and ethnic minorities.

The Director of Legal Affairs at the Swedish Migration Board, Mikael Ribbenvik, says the decision the Council will take will be send to all the departments in January. Ribbenvik at first did not want to say anything about the result but went as far as to say this means that they will not find it difficult to stay in Sweden.

"I do not want to predict the decision but I can say that while Iraq is getting less violant the situation for its minorities is just getting worse, therefore we are trying not to make it more difficult."

Guidelines to be issued in January may also mean that thousands of Iraqis who are hiding in Sweden after being rejected can have their cases reconsidered.

"If there are people who feel that their cases were not addressed properly they will of course have the opportunity to appeal," said Ribbenvik.

The news section in the Swedish radio earlier this year had spoken of the thousands of Iraqis who belong to religious and ethnic minorities that have been expelled from Sweden. We followed 25 Assyrians after they were deported and all but one have fled Iraq (AINA 8-28-2009, 8-10-2009).

We called two refugees that have fled from Iraq again to Syria; they said they are happy for those that are hiding in Sweden but they are also upset that they can not get a second chance.

Thousands of Assyrians and Iraqis from other minorities are hiding in Sweden after being rejected, one of them is Maha. We followed her moving from one hiding place to another with her three children in October this year. She says that the news is giving her some hope back. "The children and I are very tired, we are still moving from one place to another, returning to Iraq is no option for us. It is getting worse for Assyrians. If the Council decides that we can open our case again then I will get hope back and maybe me and the children can get a peaceful Christmas after all."

By Nuri Kino
Swedish Radio News

Translated by Ze Com.