Social media has been buzzing in recent hours with news of the death of the Iraqi extremist Salwan Momaika. However, Swedish media have denied the news, confirming that Momaika is alive and is dealing with his residency situation between Norway and Sweden. In his first comment after leaving Sweden, Momaika stated in an interview with the Echo News section of Swedish Radio that he does not believe Norway will return him to a country that, in his words, poses a danger to his life.
It is known that Norway has the option to accept his asylum application, but since Sweden was the first EU country to receive Salwan Momaika, Norway must return him to Sweden, despite his deportation order from the Swedish Migration Agency (Migrationsverket). The reason behind this is the so-called Dublin Regulation, which governs cooperation between EU and Schengen countries regarding asylum issues.
Since the Swedish Migration Court ruled that there are obstacles to executing Momaika's deportation related to the threats he faces in his home country of Iraq, Salwan Momaika has the right to remain in Sweden, as stated by "Korn Valin" from the Swedish Migration Agency. "Based on the Dublin Convention, the situation is the same before leaving Sweden, as it is after returning," she said.
Regarding the decision to ban Salwan Momaika from returning to Sweden for five years, the effectiveness of this decision will only commence once he leaves all EU countries and Norway, which is a signatory to the Dublin Agreement, stating that the first EU country a refugee reaches is responsible for examining their asylum application.
