Member of Parliament Kati Piri (PvdA) has asked questions about the separation of the Pakistani gay couple in the asylum seeker center in Hoogeveen. RTV Drenthe reported about the Pakistani Ali and Radja, who met each other in the asylum seekers’ center. Because Ali’s homosexuality has not been proven plausible according to the IND, he is now in prison awaiting deportation.
Ali and Radja met each other in November 2019 at the asylum center in Hoogeveen, after they had both fled Pakistan separately. Homosexuality is a criminal offense there.
The couple has registered their partnership and that is now causing problems. The IND informed Ali that the homosexual orientation had not been made plausible and the judge agreed. Because, the judge reasoned, when registering a partnership, no investigation is carried out into the orientation of those involved. The result is that Ali’s asylum procedure has been stopped.
Reason for PvdA member Piri to ask for clarification. Because, she wants to know from State Secretary Eric van der Burg (VVD), among others, do marriages and registered partnerships have the same weight in the assessment of an asylum procedure?
Registered partnerships are also checked in advance to ensure that there is no sham registered partnership when entering into a partnership, says Piri. How is it possible that, according to the IND, Ali’s orientation has not been made plausible? And does the decision to separate the couple comply with the European Convention on Human Rights, the MP wonders.
State Secretary Van der Burg must respond to the questions within three weeks. Ali has started a new asylum procedure and an appeal is still pending.