Danish MPs denied visas to visit Nauru detention centre

Danish foreign minister attempting to resolve dispute with Nauruan and Australian authorities

The government of Nauru has refused to grant visas to Danish politicians critical of Australia’s offshore detention system, thus triggering a diplomatic row.

A Danish parliamentary group of six politicians have been in Australia since Saturday as part of a visit to examine Australia’s offshore detention system.

They met with Australian immigration officials and had planned to go to Nauru on Tuesday.

It was only when the group arrived at Canberra Airport to travel there that they discovered three members of the delegation had been refused visas.

Critics banned
Johanne Schmidt-Nielsen from Enhedslisten and SF MP Jacob Mark have both been critical of Australia’s detention system, and they were both denied visas. Konservative MP Naser Khader was also denied a visa, even though he has not spoken publicly one way or the other about the detention centre.

Schmidt-Nielsen posted on Facebook: “The Danish delegation as a whole then cancelled their visit to Nauru. The government of another country should not be able to pick out members of a Danish parliamentary delegation.”

Schmidt-Nielsen said it was “very telling of the situation on Nauru that critics are denied access”.

Greenland awaits?
The Danish foreign minister, Kristian Jensen, tweeted on Tuesday he was working to resolve the matter.

Members of far-right Danish parties like Dansk Folkeparti have suggested that Denmark should adopt a system similar to that on Nauru, suggesting that asylum-seekers be sent to Greenland.

READ MORE: Number of asylum seekers charged with crimes rising

The Australian government has faced heavy international criticism over its management of the Nauru detention centre, including the veil of secrecy that surrounds the camp.




  • Becoming a stranger in your own country

    Becoming a stranger in your own country

    Many stories are heard about internationals moving to Denmark for the first time. They face hardships when finding a job, a place to live, or a sense of belonging. But what about Danes coming back home? Holding Danish citizenship doesn’t mean your path home will be smoother. To shed light on what returning Danes are facing, Michael Bach Petersen, Secretary General of Danes Worldwide, unpacks the reality behind moving back

  • EU Foreign Ministers meet in Denmark to strategize a forced Russia-Ukraine peace deal

    EU Foreign Ministers meet in Denmark to strategize a forced Russia-Ukraine peace deal

    Foreign ministers from 11 European countries convened on the Danish island of Bornholm on April 28-29 to discuss Nordic-Baltic security, enhanced Russian sanctions, and a way forward for the fraught peace talks between Kyiv and Moscow

  • How small cubes spark great green opportunities: a Chinese engineer’s entrepreneurial journey in Denmark

    How small cubes spark great green opportunities: a Chinese engineer’s entrepreneurial journey in Denmark

    Hao Yin, CEO of a high-tech start-up TEGnology, shares how he transformed a niche patent into marketable products as an engineer-turned-businessman, after navigating early setbacks. “We can’t just wait for ‘groundbreaking innovations’ and risk missing the market window,” he says. “The key is maximising the potential of existing technologies in the right contexts.”

  • Gangs of Copenhagen

    Gangs of Copenhagen

    While Copenhagen is rated one of the safest cities in the world year after year, it is no stranger to organized crime, which often springs from highly professional syndicates operating from the shadows of the capital. These are the most important criminal groups active in the city

  • “The Danish underworld is now more tied to Scandinavia”

    “The Danish underworld is now more tied to Scandinavia”

    Carsten Norton is the author of several books about crime and gangs in Denmark, a journalist, and a crime specialist for Danish media such as TV 2 and Ekstra Bladet.

  • Right wing parties want nuclear power in Denmark

    Right wing parties want nuclear power in Denmark

    For 40 years, there has been a ban on nuclear power in Denmark. This may change after all right-wing parties in the Danish Parliament have expressed a desire to remove the ban.

Connect Club is your gateway to a vibrant programme of events and an international community in Denmark.