Inger Støjberg Inger Støjberg (born 16 March 1973) is a Danish politician, businesswoman and former reporter who served as a government minister in the Danish Parliament. Støjberg served as the minister for gender equality from 2009 to 2010, as minister for ...

, between 2015 and 2019 the Danish Minister for Immigration and Integration, was impeached by the

Folketing The Folketing ( da, Folketinget, ; ), also known as the Parliament of Denmark or the Danish Parliament in English, is the unicameral national legislature (parliament) of the Kingdom of Denmark—Denmark proper together with the Faroe Islands ...

on 2 February 2021 with 141 votes for and 30 against. Støjberg was accused of, in her capacity as Minister, having instructed the

Danish Immigration Service The Danish Immigration Service ( da, Udlændingestyrelsen or ''Udlændingeservice'') is a directorate within the Danish Ministry of Refugees, Immigration and Integration Affairs. The service administrates the Danish Aliens Act ( da, Udlændingelov ...

to separate asylum-seeking partners where one partner was under the age of 18, which – according to the

ombudsman An ombudsman (, also ,), ombud, ombuds, ombudswoman, ombudsperson or public advocate is an official who is usually appointed by the government or by parliament (usually with a significant degree of independence) to investigate complaints and at ...

of the Folketing, an examination by a commission, and an assessment by two impartial lawyers – was not allowed. It was deemed against the

European Convention on Human Rights The European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR; formally the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms) is an international convention to protect human rights and political freedoms in Europe. Drafted in 1950 by t ...

, and there will be an individual evaluation of each couple's separation. The impeachment's 141 votes came from The Red–Green Alliance, The Socialist People's Party, The Social Democratic Party, The Social Liberal Party, Liberal Alliance, The Conservative People's Party and The Alternative, as well as a majority of members from Venstre. On the other side, The New Right, The Danish People's Party and nine members of Venstre, including former

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...

Lars Løkke Rasmussen Lars Løkke Rasmussen (; born 15 May 1964) is a Danish politician who has served as Minister of Foreign Affairs since 2022. He previously served as the 25th Prime Minister of Denmark from 2009 to 2011 and again from 2015 to 2019. He was the lead ...

, voted against it, the latter saying it could make her a political martyr. Støjberg was

tried In law, a trial is a coming together of parties to a dispute, to present information (in the form of evidence) in a tribunal, a formal setting with the authority to adjudicate claims or disputes. One form of tribunal is a court. The tribunal, w ...

before the Court of Impeachment, which consists of 30 members: 15

Supreme Court A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts in most legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, apex court, and high (or final) court of appeal. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

judges and 15 members chosen by the Folketing. On 13 December 2021, Støjberg was convicted and sentenced to 60 days of unconditional imprisonment, when 25 out of 26 judges considered her guilty.

References

February 2021 events in Denmark Trials in Denmark Impeachment in Denmark {{Denmark-poli-stub Political scandals in Denmark