“Norwegian of the year” deported to Russia

A young Russian woman who captured the hearts of many Norwegians with a book about her life as a paperless immigrant has been deported from the Scandinavian country. In her book “Illegally Norwegian” 25 year-old Maria Amelie, real name Madina Salamova, describes fleeing the Russian republic of North Ossetia as a child and going underground with her parents when their asylum application was rejected. The book endeared her to Norwegian people and media, and she was crowned “Norwegian of the year” by one weekly magazine. Her arrest and deportation has triggered nation-wide demonstrations agains Norway’s asylum laws and has shaken the centre-left coalition government. Listen to my report for BBC World Service and the Norwegian government response to the case here:

You can also read an online version of this piece on bbcnews.com here

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *