Two Armenian children, whose mother was deported last year from Netherland, re-emerged from hiding on Monday evening, Dutch News reported. 

Supporters of children hope that Justice Minister Mark Harbers will apply the right of discretion in cases such as theirs. However, he has already said that he does not plan to use it because the children are not at risk in Armenia.

The Volkskrant has tracked down three other cases in which youngsters who had spent a large part of their lives were threatened with deportation.

The outcry over one of the cases led the next government to commit to an amnesty for child refugees who have lived in the Netherlands longer than five years.

However, Lily, and Howick, do not qualify for the amnesty, because their mother has not followed the deportation plans, which is one of the main preconditions for acceptance.

As reported earlier, two Armenian children, whose mother was deported last year from Netherlands, have gone into hiding as they face imminent deportation.

The children only have the right to asylum in the Netherlands if they fear they will be persecuted or endangered by the Armenian authorities and there is no question of this, the court ruled. In addition, help is available for the children when they return if their mother is unable to care for them, as has been claimed. ‘The children will not end up on the streets’, the court said.

Last year it was decided to deport Armina Hambartsjumian—the mother of Lily, 11, and Howick, 12—to Armenia from the migrant center, where they lived. The children were not at home when their mother was picked up and their whereabouts are unknown. She has also refused to say where they are. Armina was deported in August last year. Her children were found a week later.