Cities of Refuge 1
in residence. If an artist fears persecution in t
heir home country and applies for asylum, their case is considered in the same way as any other asylum application. Asylum should be applied for immediately on arrival in Sweden if the person believes they are in need of political or religious asylum. Otherwise, the person is not normally considered as needing protection. Any asylum application will be examined in accordance with the regulations in chapter 4 of the Aliens Act. If the application is rejected and enters into force, and no other grounds for receiving a permit are found, the artist in residence must leave the country. There is, however, a rule called sur place, which translates to “on the spot”, and can be applied in the case of an artist in residence. Sur place activity is something that has happened or that the asylum seeker has done after leaving their country that has created new reasons for asylum. An example might be getting involved in political manifestations in Sweden that could put the artist in danger should they return to their home country. All reasons for asylum are assessed individually, and an asylum seeker should state that they have a solid basis for fearing persecution due to their race, nationality, religious or political opinions, gender, sexual orientation or belonging to a certain social group. The asylum seeker can also make a credible claim that there is reason to believe that, if they were to return home, they would be at risk of being punished by death or subjected to corporal punishment, torture or other inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. See the Swedish Migration Board’s website for more information about the grounds and rights that apply for receiving protection: www.migrationsverket.se Organisations that work with asylum seekers and provide them with support and advice: Amnesty International, Sweden (refugee department): www.amnesty.se Sweref, the clinic for asylum seekers and refugees: info@sweref.org www.sweref.org 35/49