A young Russian asylum seeker, Madina Salamova, who was crowned Norway's "Citizen of the Year" after writing about her life as an illegal immigrant, was expelled from Norway today.
The deportation, which she had been told to prepare for, took place without incident.
Salamova boarded an afternoon Aeroflot flight to Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport.
The 25-year-old Salamova had been living illegally in Norway since 2004 when her family's final asylum request was denied.
Under the pseudonym Maria Amelie, she wrote a successful book titled "Illegal Norwegian" and has been considered an integration success story.
She was awarded the title "2010 Citizen of the Year" last month by a Norwegian magazine. Thousands have been urging authorities to allow her to stay.
compiled from agency reports
The deportation, which she had been told to prepare for, took place without incident.
Salamova boarded an afternoon Aeroflot flight to Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport.
The 25-year-old Salamova had been living illegally in Norway since 2004 when her family's final asylum request was denied.
Under the pseudonym Maria Amelie, she wrote a successful book titled "Illegal Norwegian" and has been considered an integration success story.
She was awarded the title "2010 Citizen of the Year" last month by a Norwegian magazine. Thousands have been urging authorities to allow her to stay.
compiled from agency reports