Date: Thursday, 27 November 2025
For the first time, the Directorate of Immigration (UDI) will take away the citizenship of Eritrean refugees, because the same so-called refugees actually support the regime they said they fled from. But "wanting" to take away citizenship is now one thing, the question is whether there will be means to put power behind the "desire".
group of five people at the UDI has been working for two years to investigate tips and information about a group of 135 Norwegian-Eritreans. The question has been: Why have they been granted asylum and become Norwegian citizens, and then actively, through associations or in other contexts, support the regime they say they fled from?
The UDI experts have traveled around the Oslo area and to Bergen to talk to sources. They have searched social media. They have also reviewed tips they have received from Eritreans in Norway who are in opposition to the Eritrean regime.
– This is the first time that regime friendliness is the main reason why Norwegian citizens receive notice of revocation of citizenship from the UDI.
This is according to Dag Bærvahr, head of control at the UDI.
He says that the UDI has worked on a total of 135 cases. These are Norwegian-Eritreans who have been granted asylum and later citizenship. This means that they have been in the country for at least seven years.
– So far, we have revoked the permits of just under 20 people. But we have more cases to process, about 30 more cases. It is therefore uncertain how many cases will end with a decision to revoke and possibly also expel, says Dag Bærvahr.
Revoking citizenship is a very intrusive measure, but it is authorized in the Immigration Act and the Citizenship Act. This states that a residence permit can be revoked if the foreigner has knowingly provided incorrect information about the grounds for asylum. Citizenship can alsobe revoked, on the same basis. These are the two paragraphs that the UDI has used in the decisions that have been sent to the just under 20 people.
The UDI has several times, including on the basis of cases in NRK, initiated projects to revoke residence permits for Norwegian-Eritreans. But this is – as far as NRK understands – the first time the UDI has revoked permits where the main reason is what the UDI itself calls regime friendliness. That is, cases where they actively support the regime they said they fled from.
The UDI explains that these revocations concern cases where asylum seekers stated that they fled military service in Eritrea. Therefore, they fear persecution in Eritrea if they return home. However, UDI's investigations show that they actively support the regime from Norway. Therefore, the UDI has reason to believe that the explanation of fleeing military service was not the correct explanation.
Part of the reason why the UDI started the work was the clashes in the streets of Bergen two years ago. This is according to the head of control at the UDI, Dag Bærvahr. Eritreans clashed in the streets, and the opposition to the regime in Norway claimed that the organizers of the meeting supported the regime. Something they denied.
– But in the aftermath of the street fighting, the police made several seizures, which enabled us and the police to move forward with investigations and investigations, says Bærvahr.
One of those who has now had his Norwegian citizenship revoked is – according to what NRK has learned – a Norwegian-Eritrean in Bergen who NRK has written about before . He applied for and was granted asylum in 2013, and is now a Norwegian citizen.
The case against the Norwegian-Eritrean was initially dropped due to capacity, but was resumed after NRK's case in 2024.
Now the man has reportedly received notice that his citizenship has been revoked.
The UDI does not want to confirm this.
The men have not responded to NRK's inquiry.
Most of those who have been notified that they must leave Norway have appealed the case to the Immigration Board, which will process the appeals in the new year.
For many years, Norwegian-Eritreans who fled the Eritrean dictatorship and are in opposition to the current regime have claimed that there are many "fake" refugees here in Norway. Now they feel heard. This is according to one of the central figures in the Blue Brigade, an opposition movement throughout the Western world that has now taken up the fight against the Eritrean dictator.
NRK knows the man's identity, but out of concern for his own safety and that of his family here in Norway, he does not wish to be named.
– This is not just about law, but about the safety of thousands of real refugees who have fled one of the world's most brutal and totalitarian regimes, he tells NRK.
– UDI's work is therefore about protecting Norway's asylum institute, ensuring justice for actual refugees and preventing totalitarian networks from operating freely here, he says.
– NRK's revelations, the police's seizures after the clashes in Bergen and the UDI's thorough investigations have been crucial in revealing how some people have abused the asylum system. When citizenship or residence permits are revoked in such cases, it is an important signal that abuse of protection is not accepted, he tells NRK.
And adds:
– Eritreans who have experienced torture, military coercion, imprisonment without trial and the absence of basic rights deserve security in Norway. The UDI's decision gives hope to those who actually fled the dictatorship – those who want a free life, security for their children and the opportunity to build a future without fear, the man tells NRK.
