Denmark begins forced deportation of Iraqis

Copenhagen_(dpa) _ Danish immigration authorities for the first time Thursday began forcibly deporting Iraqi nationals whose applications for asylum had been turned down.

The six people concerned were taken to Baghdad "without problem," a government spokesman said in Copenhagen.

The governments' deportation of altogether 244 Iraqis has been the point of fierce public outrage since the Danish and Iraqi governments agreed in May to repatriate Iraqi refugees whose asylum requests rejected.

Individuals and families who have been in Denmark for up to ten years were among those affected. Human rights organizations, the United Nations refugee agency UNHCR and numerous Danish civil society groups have asked the government to allow them to stay on a humanitarian basis, citing Iraq's precarious security situation.

Around 60 of those facing expulsion have taken refuge in a church in Copenhagen. dpa tb bve mga