Maria Amelie

Madina Salamova,[1][2][3] better known by the pseudonym Maria Amelie, is a Russian-born writer and blogger who lived as an illegal immigrant in Norway between 2002 and 2011. She was deported from Norway to Russia on 24 January 2011.[4][5]

Maria Amelie
Born (1985-05-30) 30 May 1985
Vladikavkaz, North Ossetia
NationalityRussian
Other namesMadina Salamova, Maria Bidzikoeva
Alma materNorwegian University of Science and Technology
OccupationWriter
Notable work
Ulovlig norsk ("Illegally Norwegian")

She arrived in Finland together with her family in 2000 as asylum seekers. After being turned down for asylum there, they travelled to Norway and filed an application for asylum there in 2002. The application was turned down by Norwegian immigration authorities, and the appeal was turned down by the Norwegian Immigration Appeals Board in 2003. She and her family then filed a lawsuit, but the Oslo District Court found in favor of the decision of March 2004. After the verdict Maria Amelie and her family went into hiding.[6][7]

After writing the controversial book Ulovlig norsk (Illegally Norwegian) she was in 2010 named "Norwegian of the year" by the Norwegian news magazine Ny Tid, because of her contributions to the public debate on the political and social rights of undocumented immigrants in Norway.[8][9] In 2011, she became the center of a political controversy when she was arrested outside the Nansen Academy after a speaking engagement, and denied asylum or residency on humanitarian grounds in Norway.[10] The Oslo District Court originally remanded her into custody until her deportation, but she was released after appealing to Borgarting Appeals Court. The police appealed further to Supreme Court, but the Court rejected the appeal.[11]

The interest from the media after her arrest was extensive. In the first five days after she was arrested, more than 550 articles [12] were written about her in print newspapers, and her name has been frequently mentioned in Norwegian television news broadcasts. Her Facebook support page has gained more than 88,000 supporters and the Norwegian Amnesty International has its own signature campaign for Maria Amelie that by 23 January 2011 had over 28,000 signatures.[13][14][15][16]

On 24 January 2011, Maria Amelie was deported from Norway to Russia.[17]

Two Icelandic politicians submitted a proposal to Alþingi to give her Icelandic citizenship because of Norway's 'inhumane treatment' of her, an offer she has expressed great thankfulness for and which she has describes as a "miracle" and an act which "warms her heart".[18]

On 16 April 2011, Maria Amelie returned to Norway after having been granted a work permit.[19]

References
  1. "Maria Amelie lager fullt asylopprør i regjeringen". Dagbladet. Archived from the original on 16 January 2011. Retrieved 14 January 2011.
  2. "Maria Amelie vil gå til sak mot UNE". ABC Nyheter (NTB). Archived from the original on 16 January 2011. Retrieved 13 January 2011.
  3. "Vil ikke gifte seg for å få bli". NRK (NTB). Archived from the original on 24 July 2011. Retrieved 14 January 2011. Navnet «Maria Amelie» er et pseudonym. Heter egentlig Madina Salamova. I Norge har hun selv brukt navnet Maria Bidzikoeva. (translated: The name "Maria Amelie" is a pseudonym. Her real name is Madina Salamova. In Norway, she has herself used the name Maria Bidzikoeva.)
  4. Lars Bevanger, "Why Norway deported its 'Norwegian of the year'", BBC 29 January 2011
  5. "Maria Amelie har landet i Moskva". aftenposten.no. 24 January 2011. Archived from the original on 26 January 2011. Retrieved 24 January 2011.
  6. Norway. "UPDATED: Norwegian police to deport acclaimed immigrant as soon as possible". Theforeigner.no. Archived from the original on 11 November 2017. Retrieved 21 January 2011.
  7. "Illegal alien: Norwegian of the Year facing deportation", Russia Today 20 January 2011, updated 23 January 2011.
  8. "Her er Årets Nordmann 2010 : Ny Tid". Nytid.no. Archived from the original on 24 January 2011. Retrieved 21 January 2011.
  9. "Maria Amélie årets nordmann - Klipp". NRK.no. 13 January 2011. Retrieved 21 January 2011.
  10. "Citizen of the year faces expulsion from Norway". Demotix. Archived from the original on 17 January 2011. Retrieved 17 January 2011. Maria Amelie, who was named Norwegian citizen of the year in 2010, was arrested on Wednesday. She now faces expulsion from Norway as an illegal alien.
  11. Olga Stokke, Sine Barstad and Helle Skjervold, "Maria Amelie slipper varetekt: Men Høyesterett slakter lagmannsrettens politi-kritikk" Archived 22 January 2011 at the Wayback Machine, Aftenposten 19 January 2011
  12. "Mikrofonstativ for Maria Amelie - Kultur-og-underholdning - NRK". Nrk.no. Retrieved 21 January 2011.
  13. "Thousands more 'illegals' in Norway : Views and News from Norway". Newsinenglish.no. 14 January 2011. Retrieved 21 January 2011.
  14. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 January 2011. Retrieved 25 January 2011.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  15. Avvibeke Buan  Hans O. Torgersen. "Vil returnere Maria Amelie til Russland - Nyheter - Innenriks". Aftenposten.no. Retrieved 21 January 2011.
  16. Publisert: 13, januar NTB. ""Årets nordmann" – ut av Norge". vl.no. Archived from the original on 18 September 2012. Retrieved 21 January 2011.
  17. "'Maria Amelie' deported", The Foreigner 24 January 2011.
  18. Maria Amelie. "Island". mariamelie.blogspot.com. Retrieved 5 February 2011.
  19. http://www.icenews.is/index.php/2011/04/29/maria-amelie-returns-to-norway/
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