Church holds month-long service to shield refugee family from deportation
Immigration officials cannot legally enter Netherlands’ Bethel Church during ceremony

A church in the Netherlands has been holding non-stop sermons around the clock for five weeks in order to prevent the deportation of a refugee family.
Under Dutch law, authorities are not allowed to enter a church if religious ceremonies are in progress. With that in mind, the Bethel International Church, in the city of The Hague, has kept a service running around the clock since 26 October in order to prevent the arrest of the Tamrazyan family, who fled Armenia in 2009, The National reports.
Some 450 volunteer pastors – including Roman Catholics and lay preachers – have flocked to the church to take part, adds The Daily Telegraph.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The Tamrazyans - parents Sasun and Anousche and their children Hayarpi, Warduhi and Seyran, aged between 15 and 21 - have lived in the Netherlands for nine years, after fleeing Armenia when Sasun received death threats because of his political activism, CNN reports.
However, their asylum bid was rejected this year, and a deportation order was signed off in September, even though the family say their lives may be at risk if they return to Armenia.
They then appealed the decision under the so-called “children’s pardon”, which gives residency to refugee children and their families who have been in the country for more than five years. This also failed.
Theo Hettema, chairman of the General Council of Protestant Ministers in the Netherlands, told CNN the service will continue “as long as it’s necessary”.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
“We want to love God and our neighbour. And we thought that this was a clear opportunity to put the love for our neighbour into reality,” he said.
“The purpose of the ‘Asylum Church’ is to create [a place of] safety for the family,” the church said in a statement. “We invite politicians to discuss with us the family’s fate.”
The Dutch immigration service said it does not comment on individual cases.
-
Nepal chooses toddler as its new ‘living goddess’
Under the Radar Girls between two and four are typically chosen to live inside the temple as the Kumari – until puberty strikes
-
October 5 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Sunday's political cartoons include half-truth hucksters, Capitol lockdown, and more
-
Jaguar Land Rover’s cyber bailout
Talking Point Should the government do more to protect business from the ‘cyber shockwave’?
-
Russia is ‘helping China’ prepare for an invasion of Taiwan
In the Spotlight Russia is reportedly allowing China access to military training
-
Interpol arrests hundreds in Africa-wide sextortion crackdown
IN THE SPOTLIGHT A series of stings disrupts major cybercrime operations as law enforcement estimates millions in losses from schemes designed to prey on lonely users
-
China is silently expanding its influence in American cities
Under the Radar New York City and San Francisco, among others, have reportedly been targeted
-
How China uses 'dark fleets' to circumvent trade sanctions
The Explainer The fleets are used to smuggle goods like oil and fish
-
One year after mass protests, why are Kenyans taking to the streets again?
today's big question More than 60 protesters died during demonstrations in 2024
-
Dutch government falls over immigration policy
speed read The government collapsed after anti-immigration politician Geert Wilders quit the right-wing coalition
-
What happens if tensions between India and Pakistan boil over?
TODAY'S BIG QUESTION As the two nuclear-armed neighbors rattle their sabers in the wake of a terrorist attack on the contested Kashmir region, experts worry that the worst might be yet to come
-
Why Russia removed the Taliban's terrorist designation
The Explainer Russia had designated the Taliban as a terrorist group over 20 years ago