Stop the deportation of Laziz Sharifov!

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Lina Rigney Thörnblom, Stockholm

Eighteen year old Laziz Sharifov has lived in Sweden for almost six years. He is a few months from leaving high school and he is predicted a bright future in boxing. But Laziz and his family are threatened with deportation to Kazakhstan.

Recently Laziz was taken by police and put in a detention centre in Flen. The police declared there was no space for him in Märsta, in Stockholm, so now he is detained in a place several hours drive from his friends, his mother and his brothers.

Many are committed to Laziz’s case. His classmates, teachers and many others at his high school in Haninge, Stockholm, started a petition, created a Facebook group and contacted the media. A demonstration in his support will take place on Wednesday.

Laziz is also a boxer. He has won national championships in the junior class and a silver medal in the senior one. Sweden’s boxing community reacted strongly in support of Laziz and his family.

The Swedish Boxing Federation wrote in a letter – a “citizens’ request” – stating that Laziz is a good candidate to represent Sweden in the 2016 Olympics. But this requires that he becomes a Swedish citizen.

Laziz and his family are from Kazakhstan and are a part of the minority Uzbek population, who make up 2% of the population. Uzbeks are often subjected to harassment, threats and violence, including from the police. Laziz and one of his brothers were both beaten. He has friends and neighbours who have been killed. If Laziz is deported, he runs the risk of being beaten (or worse).

Laziz and his family need to get a residence permit immediately.
Campaigns can stop this deportation and others. The struggle for Laziz and all refugees and their right to asylum continues.