From 1 August 2023 to 29 January 2024 a total of 1,271 persons sought asylum at the Finnish-Russian border. Well over 90% of the refugees are from Muslim countries like Syria (491), Somalia (360), Yemen (120), and Iraq (57). The total amount does not include some 200 Russians in legal limbo awaiting an interview by the Finnish Migration Service (Migri).
On 24 November, all border checkpoints were closed for the first time. Citing classified information, Interior Minister Mari Rantanen claims that people seeking asylum are “a threat to national security.” This is an odd statement because over 6 million Ukrainians who have fled to Europe since the outbreak of the war. None of them are considered “a threat to national security.”
Migrant Tales had the opportunity to interview some of these asylum seekers. While we cannot independently confirm it, pushbacks at the border appear to begun in December, according to the asylum seekers. Some Finnish border guards even used physical force on some and threatened at the border to “kick” some of them back to Russia.
Source: The Contrapuntual
One asylum seeker who entered Finland in November said he did not consider himself to be a threat to national security as the Finnish government claims. “If you think of it, Russia is our enemy because it has bombed cities and killed our people in places like Aleppo,” said Amir who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was applying for asylum. “For us, Russia was only a transit point to enter Finland.”
All of those interviewed by me had a long a difficult road to Finland. Some had gone first to Belarus and tried to cross the border without luck to Poland, Lithuania, and Latvia.
“It was very hard to be in the forest in the autumn cold in Belarus,” continued Amir. “The border guards in Latvia were the worst of the worst. They even used electric prods to turn us back.”
Thanks to social media, some found out that there was an opportunity to cross the border to Finland. Their greatest fear was that they’d be pushed back at the Finnish border to Russia.
“For a Syrian, this would mean almost certain death,” said another asylum seeker called Khaled, who also spoke on condition of anonymity. “It would mean deportation back to Syria, where you would face certain imprisonment and death.”
Amir said he had stayed in Russia at a hotel in Vyborg and was told to leave at 7 am to the border. At noon, he was taken to another checkpoint about 8 km from the Finnish border, where he was interviewed, registered, fingerprinted and passport stamped.
“The guards asked us if there was anyone smuggling people and who was going to seek asylum but everyone remained silent,” said Khalid. “We all bought bikes. Mine cost 300 euros.”
The money for the bike included a ride to the border. “When we got out of the car, the Russian guards told us to ride ahead and not look back. We did what they said.”
Khalid does not remember the name of the border crossing, possibly Vaalimaa, but he does remember the Finnish border guard who first told him to go back to Russia. “He said that he’d kick me back to Russia,” he continued. “I insisted and he finally accepted my plea for asylum.”
Amir mentioned that in December matters had become more difficult at the border for asylum seekers. “I know of one Syrian mother who tried to cross with her daughter and son,” he said. “The mother and the daughter were allowed to seek asylum but her son, who was over twenty years old, was pushed back to Russia even if he sought asylum. The mother pleaded and cried with the border guard but it was to no avail.”
Amir said that there is no news about the fate of the mother’s son. He had also heard of some 20 Syrians who were pushed back at the border to Russia in December.
Amir said that he saw one asylum seeker who attempted to climb over the fence but was taken down by the border guards by force. They punched him and attempted to handcuff him but noticed that his hand was broken.
Khalid also remembers another asylum seeker who wanted to make a run for it on his bike to Finland but was chased and taken down physically by a border guard. “They kicked and handcuffed him,” he said.
Despite these outbursts, Amir and Khalid said that in general the Finnish border guards treated them well.
Legal limbo
One complaint by the Syrian asylum seekers I interviewed is that the Finnish Immigration Service (Migri) which has not not yet interviewed them.
“Our lives are pretty empty in Finland,” said Amir. “We cannot work and we have to get by with some 300 euros a month, which is very little.”
“What am I supposed to do?” he added. “Just wait without knowing whether I will get asylum or not?”
Even if some of the asylum seekers would want to move away to a country like Germany, where they think they will have a better chance of getting a residence permit and work faster, it is a nerve-racking waiting game.