Dutch deport Armenian woman whose children are missing

PanARMENIAN.Net - Dutch authorities deported an Armenian asylum seeker on Monday, August 14, despite the fact that her two 11- and 12-year-old children have been missing since last week after fleeing a refugee center in Utrecht, La Vanguardia reports.

The children, Lily, 11, and Hovik, 12, had been living with their mother, Armine Hambardzumyan, in the Netherlands for nine years, hoping to receive permanent residence permit in the country.

"Never before have we come across a case when a mother is deported while the children remain in the Netherlands, "said activist Martin Vegter from a Dutch organization called Defense of Children.

In a statement, the group said the mother has already been sent to Paris, from where a second flight will take her to Armenia's capital, Yerevan.