Saxony's Interior Minister halts deportation to Serbia of Roma for now.
**Robert A., born in the Netherlands while on the run from the Yugoslavia War, is a stateless person living in Germany for over 30 years. He is to be deported. Sachsen's Interior Minister Armin Schuster of the CDU has suspended the planned deportation of a long-term resident of the Roma minority to Serbia following protests. "I have ordered a review of the case by the Landesdirektion", Schuster stated in Dresden. The situation will be examined in consultation with the Foreigners' Office of the city of Chemnitz.
According to the Left faction in the Saxon parliament, Robert A. was taken to the detention center in Dresden on a Friday. The Saxon Refugee Council launched a petition calling for a deportation stop following his arrest. Over 250 people demonstrated in Chemnitz over the weekend for Robert A.'s right to stay. More than ten thousand people have signed the petition.
"His life story is one long torture"
A. was born during his parents' flight to the Netherlands and has no citizenship. A.'s parents had fled Yugoslavia in 1993 to escape the war. Neither Serbia, A.'s parents' homeland, nor the Netherlands or Germany have recognized him as a citizen of their respective countries.
"His life story is one long torture, as he has never had security regarding his stay. For decades, he has had to pay for his parents' mistakes, and the responsible authorities have shown no humanity in his case - no matter how much Robert A. has endeavored over the years", writes Dave Schmidtke from the Saxon Refugee Council.
Greens demand "respect for human rights"
A.'s supporters emphasize that he is well integrated in Germany. He has completed an education and speaks only German - yet he has not been allowed to work, explains Saxony's Left faction.
Chemnitzer Green politician Coretta Storz is shocked by the statement from the Saxon Refugee Council: "It can't be that we expel people whose lives have always been centered in Germany! Robert would - without a work ban - be perfectly capable of earning his living on his own. He doesn't need integration assistance; he needs the protection of his human rights. Robert is a Chemnitzer - period"
The Meissen SPD Landtag deputy also writes in a statement: "Robert is a Chemnitzer. He belongs to us." He finds the deportation "incomprehensible". "The Hate Crimes Commission should immediately take up his case. His deportation must be stopped!", writes Richter further.
According to information from the "Leipziger Volkszeitung", Robert has had run-ins with the law in the past. In 2019, he allegedly sold narcotics illegally and carried a dangerous substance or weapon with him. For this, he was reportedly sentenced to two years probation in 2021. The "Leipziger Volkszeitung" reports that there is currently an investigation against Robert for a theft.
- Despite the Interior Minister of Saxony, Armin Schuster, suspending the deportation of a long-term Roma resident in Dresden to Serbia due to protests, the planned deportation of Robert A., a stateless person living in Germany for over 30 years, is still a topic of controversy in politics.
- TheGreens in Saxony, such as Chemnitzer Green politician Coretta Storz, demand "respect for human rights" for Robert A., who was born during his parents' flight from Yugoslavia and has lived in Germany for decades, despite having no citizenship from any country.
- Protests against the planned deportation of Robert A. to Serbia have taken place in Chemnitz, with over 250 people demonstrating over the weekend for his right to stay, and more than ten thousand people having signed a petition calling for a deportation stop.
- The situation in Saxony with regards to the deportation of Robert A. has attracted attention from various political figures, with even the Meissen SPD Landtag deputy expressing his shock at the planned deportation and calling for an investigation by the Hate Crimes Commission.
