A former immigration minister has been found guilty by the Danish Supreme Court of acting illegally when she ordered that young couples who came to the country seeking asylum be separated.
Inger Stoejberg, who served as Denmark’s immigration minister from 2015 to 2019, said she was very surprised by the verdict as the policy was designed to combat child marriage.
The former minister gasped in shock as the verdict was read out, Danish reports said. Judges ruled that her decision to separate couples was illegal and jailed her for 60 days. She will not be allowed to appeal.
Ms Stoejberg has resigned as deputy leader of the conservative-liberal Venstre party after MPs voted to impeach her. The jail sentence came as a result of impeachment, the first prosecution of its kind in three decades.
“It’s not just me who has lost but Danish values have lost too,” the former immigration minister said, adding that she had no regrets but would accept her punishment.
Ms Stoejberg introduced restrictions on immigration which proved popular with voters concerned with rising levels of people seeking asylum and residency in Denmark. However, the court said that an order in February 2016 that married refugees under 18 years old should not be accommodated with their spouse was illegal.
The former minister is currently an Independent MP – and some commentators believe her jailing might boost support for her cause and her stance in politics.