An Afghan migrant whose deportation from Sweden was delayed by a student activist has been revealed to have served a prison sentence for assault. The 52-year-old man, whose asylum application had been rejected, was the subject of a protest by Elin Ersson, a 22-year-old student at Gothenburg University, earlier this month.
Swedish police confirmed that the man had been convicted and served time for assault, but stated that his denied asylum application was unrelated to his criminal record. The man will now be repatriated to Afghanistan at a later date, authorities said.
Ersson gained worldwide attention after she refused to sit down on a Turkish Airlines flight from Gothenburg to Istanbul, streaming the protest live on Facebook. She insisted she would comply with crew instructions only if the man was removed from the plane. Eventually, the man, along with security personnel and Ersson, left the aircraft.
Swedish authorities have indicated that Ersson could face up to six months in prison for refusing to obey police orders. The protest has sparked widespread debate, with many praising her actions while others criticise the disruption caused.
Sweden has tightened its asylum policy following the 2015 migrant crisis, which saw 163,000 people seek asylum in the country. The far-right Sweden Democrats are polling at around 20% ahead of September's general election, with some mainstream parties advocating for tougher deportation measures.
