TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A group of Taiwanese in Norway will appeal to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) after their nationality rectification case was turned down by the Norwegian Supreme Court earlier last month.

Starting in 2010, Taiwanese living in Norway began seeing their nationality on residence permits being listed as "China." Despite repeated protests against the mislabeling, the Norwegian government has failed to respond, prompting local Taiwanese to seek the legal route.

They lost the first lawsuit, which was filed in August of 2019 against local authorities. They lost a similar case in May, when a district court in Oslo ruled that the Norwegian government adheres to the "one China" policy and does not diplomatically recognize Taiwan.

After filing an appeal against the May ruling, the Taiwanese on Nov. 9 saw their case again rejected by the Norwegian Supreme Court on the grounds that the nationality labeling does "no substantial damage" to their well-being.

Identifying himself as Joseph, the initiator of the "Taiwan: My Name, My Right" student campaign said Monday (Nov. 30) that he was disappointed by the Supreme Court's decision. He said the Norwegian government has distanced itself from Taiwan out of fear of angering China since the Norwegian Nobel Committee awarded Chinese human rights activist Liu Xiaobo (劉曉波) the Nobel Peace Prize in 2010.

Joseph said the members of the campaign have decided to appeal the case in the ECHR, of which Norway is a signatory. He said they are planning to hire lawyers in other European countries and make the appeal sometime during the first half of 2021, according to CNA.

On Tuesday (Dec. 1), Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) voiced its support for Taiwanese in the Scandinavian country and said the Norwegian government has violated human rights by incorrectly labeling Taiwanese nationals as "Chinese." It emphasized that Taiwan is not part of China and that it will assist the affected Taiwanese in the legal battle.

According to MOFA Spokeswoman Joanne Ou (歐江安), Taiwanese Foreign Minister Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) mentioned the instance to Aftenposten, Norway's largest newspaper, during an interview on Nov. 19. He said the Norwegian government has violated Article 15 of the UN's Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which states that "Everyone has the right to a nationality, and no one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his nationality," and Article 6 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which guarantees the "right to a fair hearing."