Non-stop service protects refugees
For more than a month, a rotating roster of preachers has been leading a non-stop, aroundthe-clock service at a small Protestant chapel in The Hague in an attempt to shield a family of Armenian asylum seekers from deportation.
Under a centuries-old tradition, authorities in the Netherlands don’t enter a church while a service is under way. This means that for now, the Tamrazyan family – parents, their two daughters and a son – are safe from Dutch immigration authorities who want to send them back to Armenia.
‘‘There was only one thing you could do, and that was starting a church service to save the life of this family, but also to call attention for the fate of so many children in similar circumstances,’’ said Theo Hettema, chair of the General Council of the Protestant Church of The Hague.
‘‘It’s heartbreaking. We had compassion and we had good reasons, and we thought it was the mission of our church to act like this.’’
Visits to the Bethel Church by supporters underscore a continuing groundswell of sympathy for asylum seekers in parts of a Dutch society that once was known for its welcoming attitude but has drifted to the right in recent years.
The Tamrazyan family have been living in the Netherlands for nearly nine years, as their asylum application and various appeals proceeded slowly through the courts. Now the Council of State, the country’s highest administrative court, has ruled that they must return to their home country, which is considered safe by the Dutch Government.
‘‘The father was politically active and fled to the Netherlands because of threats,’’ Hettema said.
Over the years, sisters Hayarpi, 21, and Warduhi, 19, and their 15-year-old brother Seyran have laid down roots, attended school and made friends.
While the around-the-clock service continues, the family members sometimes listen to the sermon, cook or receive visits from friends.
The Dutch Government introduced a rule in 2013, known by many as a ‘‘children’s pardon’’, that under special circumstances grants asylum to children who have been in the country for more than five years while their asylum application is processed, but lawyers say appeals for such a pardon are rarely honoured.
‘‘It was the mission of our church.’’ Theo Hettema, Protestant Church of The Hague