TIRANA, Oct. 20 – The wave of Albanians seeking asylum in Western Europe to improve their lives has reached the continent’s furthest shores – the Atlantic nation of Iceland, where an Albanian family’s bid to stay under the claim that the father is persecuted as the head of the local communists has garnered much public attention.
Authorities denied the asylum claim, but about 10,000 Icelanders have signed a petition calling for the Albanian family to be allowed to stay in the country. (It is not a small feat considering there are only about 320,000 people in Iceland.)
The petition, “Let the Albanian Telati family settle in Iceland,” was started by journalist and writer Illugi Jà¶kulsson.
“We, the undersigned, cannot fathom why the five-person Telati family from Albania is not allowed to settle here,” the petition text reads. “We demand as urgently as possible that the Directorate of Immigration change the decision to deport the family.”
The Telatis received notice that their application for asylum in Iceland had been denied. As such, they face deportation back to Albania.
The father, Hasan Telati, says he was a leading figure in the Communist Party in Albania. This has made their lives miserable in post-communist Albania, where they are essentially outcasts in their own society, and have in fact had shots fired at their home, according to the petition. They were subsequently evicted, and their lives threatened, according to the petition.
The family can appeal for asylum, but this is a costly process, and they have to leave the country regardless, even while an appeal is still pending.
The communist claim is unusual. As there is no official political or religious discrimination in Albania.
Typically Albanian asylum seekers today rely on claims of blood feuds and sexual orientation in bids for asylum claims. Most of the claims are unfounded, according to immigration officials.
