Sweden Denies Visas to Eight Ethiopians on their Way to Conference Because they were "Too Poor"

Swedish government denies visas to eight Ethiopians on way to agricultural practices conference because they are "too poor."

Sweden denied visas to eight Ethiopians who were on their way to attend the Indigenous Terra Madre conference in Jokkmokk to discuss sustainable agricultural practices because they were "lacking resources." In other words, they were too poor.

The Embassy of Sweden in Addis Ababa claimed that, despite guarantees issued by conference organizers, the "risk of flight was too high" and that the "individuals were assessed as unestablished in their country and are largely lacking resources."

In a statement, the conference organizers accused Sweden of violating the United Nation’s Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, which states that indigenous peoples, especially those who are divided by international borders, have the right to maintain and develop contacts, relations and cooperations, and that member nations shall facilitate the exercise of this right. Source

So, let me get this straight -- even though the organizers were acting as guarantors for these eight Ethiopians, the Swedish government still denied them a visa? Crazy.