The former Danish immigration minister Inger Støjberg, who was a high-profile government figure during Europe’s 2015 migration crisis, was sentenced on Monday to 60 days in jail after an order she issued in 2016 to separate asylum seeker couples was ruled illegal.
On top of that, the former Cabinet minister was slapped with a belated impeachment and the Danish parliament is to decide whether to disqualify her from being a member of parliament. It is only the second impeachment case in Denmark’s modern history.
Although Støjberg could be permitted to serve a short period by using an electronic tag, the prison sentence is unconditional and cannot be appealed, meaning she will fully serve it.
In the course of the protracted trial that lasted 30 sessions over several months in late 2021, and which culminated with the damning verdict, Støjberg argued she was only trying to protect “child brides” who may have been forced into marriage against their will before coming to Denmark.
In line with her ruling, if a member of a married couple seeking asylum in Denmark was found to be under 18 years old, which is the legal age for marriage in Denmark, the couple was separated and housed in separate asylum centers, effectively separating some two dozen couples.
But the court found her decision to be “unlawful”, claiming Støjberg acted against the law when she intentionally ordered that couples be separated without an individual assessment of each case to confirm if either of the partners (usually the wife) was below the age of 18.
Nevertheless, both the case and especially the verdict, which is seen as exceptionally harsh, raised the eyebrows of legal professionals and stunned Støjberg, who subsequently composed herself and lamented the loss of the “Danish values” and stressing she had no regrets whatsoever for trying to protect girls from the disgusting phenomenon that child marriage is.
Though highly popular, Støjberg has long been a divisive figure in Danish politics, especially due to her hardline immigration policies under the previous liberal-conservative Venstre government.
After she was expelled from her party over the trial, Støjberg has been tipped as one of the candidates to lead the national-conservative Danish People’s Party although she was considered a political savage.
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