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'Saddam's body guard' to be deported from Sweden

TT/David Landes
TT/David Landes - [email protected]
'Saddam's body guard' to be deported from Sweden

An Iraqi man who claimed to have worked as a bodyguard for Saddam Hussein is to be deported from Sweden despite findings by the Swedish Migration Board (Migrationsverket) that his life is at risk if he returns to Iraq.

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The government decided to deport the 45-year-old man because the Swedish security service Säpo judges the man to be a security risk, according to Sveriges Radio (SR).

The man came to Sweden in 2003, and his wife and sons have all been granted permanent residency.

The man explained in his asylum application that he had worked as a bodyguard for the family of the deposed Iraqi leader, as well as in a secret court where prisoners were tortured.

In a 2006 decision, the Migration Board wrote that it would be dangerous for the 45-year-old to return to Iraq.

“It can’t be ruled out that the man may be recognized and as a result subject to extrajudicial measures directed at his person or his life,” wrote the Migration Board.

But the man is nevertheless set to be deported from Sweden because of Säpo’s assessment.

The justification for Säpo’s decision to classify the man as a security risk remains classified.

The government weighed in on the question and has decided that the deportation should be carried out.

According to lawyer Birgitta Elfström, who works with human rights issues, the government is making the wrong decision.

She claims it is against the law to deport someone whose life is at risk, even if that person is a security risk.

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