Dutch church shields refugee family despite jail threats
Al Jazeera · Just In
Al Jazeera
Just In
For the last 257 days, a family from Uzbekistan have been taking refuge in a church in the Netherlands to prevent them from being deported. Under a new Dutch law, people without permission to remain in the country could face jail and those who help them could also be punished.
Breakdown
- A refugee family has lived in a Dutch church for over 250 days to avoid deportation.
- The church holds continuous services, as Dutch law prevents police from interrupting religious ceremonies. 16s
- The Dutch parliament passed a law to criminalize helping undocumented migrants, with possible prison sentences. 1m 11s
- The church community continues to support the family, despite the risk of prosecution. 1m 39s
- The government has asked the Council of State for advice on the new law's legality before it moves forward. 2m 37s