A protest was held outside the Ministry of Justice today in support of 17-year-old Oscar Anders Florez Bocanegra. He faces deportation to Colombia this month.
Activists from No Borders and Réttur barna á flótta delivered a formal appeal to Deputy Secretary-General Bryndís Helgadóttir alongside Icelandic couple Svavar Jóhannsson and Sonja Magnúsdóttir.
As reported by Iceland’s national broadcaster, RÚV, the couple have offered to foster Oscar and are urging authorities to let him remain in Iceland.
Sympathetic to Oscar’s cause, supporters are citing Article 42 of Iceland’s Immigration Act in the hope of shielding the teen from deportation. Article 42 prohibits individuals to be deported to areas where individuals face persecution or inhuman treatment.
A statement of solidarity, signed by 40 priests from the National Church, also accompanied the appeal, emphasising that Oscar is an unaccompanied minor at risk of harm if returned to Colombia.
For context, Oscar was previously deported with his father, who has reportedly subjected him to abuse. Upon arrival back in Columbia, his father is said to have abandoned him at the airport.
