Justice minister backs immediate deportation of foreign prisoners

Justice Minister Þorbjörg Sigríður Gunnlaugsdóttir says it is a matter of public interest that foreign prisoners who have been ordered deported do not return to Icelandic society. She made the comments in a Facebook post, reported by mbl.is, discussing the deportation of Mohamad Kourani.

“Last week, a known criminal was deported with a 30-year re-entry ban to Iceland and, in fact, to all 29 Schengen countries,” Þorbjörg wrote.

A temporary provision in Icelandic law now allows foreign prisoners to be deported after serving one-third of their sentences. Previously, they would generally serve half of their sentences, with some of that time spent in programmes such as Vernd or under electronic monitoring.

Þorbjörg said the number of foreign prisoners had increased in recent years while prison capacity remained limited. Conditions were difficult, she said, and prisons currently did not fully meet their purpose of providing rehabilitation.

“This temporary legal provision shortens the waiting lists for Iceland’s prisons. It is a temporary measure, but in my view both right and necessary. We are breaking the deadlock in prison affairs,” she wrote, adding that the issue would require both short-term and long-term measures.

“As for the dozens of foreign prisoners who have been ordered deported, it is appropriate that this happen as soon as their sentences end, rather than allowing them to return to society. That is simply a matter of public interest,” Þorbjörg said.