Ombudsman considers investigation into treatment of Palestinian boy in Iceland

The Parliamentary Ombudsman has yet to decide whether to launch an initiative investigation into the treatment of a Palestinian boy during his removal from the country last weekend. Yazan Tamimi, a twelve-year-old, is currently hospitalized at the Children’s Hospital of Hringsins after being transferred there following a seven-hour wait at Keflavik Airport early Monday morning. He was taken from a care facility, Rjóðrinu, by police shortly before midnight on Sunday.

There have been no recent documented cases of the police removing an asylum seeker, especially a child, from a healthcare institution as part of a deportation process with their family, following a decision by the Immigration Appeals Board. The Ombudsman criticized a previous incident in fall 2022 where a disabled asylum seeker in a wheelchair was forcibly removed from a hotel in Hafnarfjörður by the police and carried to a police vehicle unsuitable for wheelchairs. Following that incident, the Ombudsman called for a review of procedures and a commitment to a personalized assessment of the needs of individuals involved in similar situations.

Skúli Magnússon, who holds the position of Ombudsman until October 1, stated that no decision has been reached regarding an investigation into Yazan Tamimi’s case, and no complaints have been filed concerning him yet. Individuals seeking recourse for administrative matters may approach the Ombudsman if they have exhausted other avenues. In Yazan’s case, three different administrative systems are involved: immigration matters under the Ministry of Justice, asylum seeker matters under the Ministry of Social Affairs, and healthcare services under the Ministry of Health.

A renewed application for Yazan and his family’s case is currently under consideration by the Immigration Appeals Board, which had previously dismissed their repeated applications.