Sweden to Deport 106-Year-Old Afghan Refugee

[brooklynite]

Source: Voice of America

A 106-year-old woman thought to be the world's oldest refugee is set to be deported after being denied asylum in Sweden.

Bibihal Uzbeki's son and grandson carried her on their backs as they fled from Kunduz in northeastern Afghanistan via Iran and Turkey in the hopes of finding haven in Europe.

Their journey made headlines in 2015, when they were part of a huge influx of people who came to Europe from Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq and other countries. They traveled by foot and on trains through the Balkans before reaching Sweden.

...snip...

Her family says Uzbeki has suffered a stroke since her application was rejected. They say traveling back to Afghanistan is out of the question for the bed-bound centenarian who is unable to see, speak or walk.

Read more: https://www.voanews.com/a/sweden-deport-elderly-afghan-refugee/4014949.html

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You can't be too careful...

[dhill926]

1. an honorable country would take her in....

[Not Ruth]

2. An honorable country would not deport her

[Honeycombe8]

3. Well, she's dying. There might be a legal reason to deny her asylum at this point.

Maybe her relatives would have a legal basis to come to Sweden? Doesn't seem like she'll live even thru the appeals process. They won't be moving her anywhere, looks like.

[Binkie The Clown]

4. Wasn't Sweden supposedly one of those countries where government actually works?

Or maybe not.

[dalton99a]

5. Detail from the Guardian:

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/sep/04/sweden-rejects-asylum-claim-by-106-year-old-afghan-woman-bibihal-uzbeki

Before their journey to Sweden, the family had been living illegally in Iran for eight years. They left Afghanistan because of an ongoing war and insecurity, but Mohammed Uzbeki said it’s difficult to prove that the family faces a specific enemy if they return.

[SunSeeker]

6. Looks like Sweden also ordered her 11 family members deported.

The applications of other family members are in various stages of appeal.

She will now appeal as well, which the article notes is a long, time-consuming process. I imagine she will die on Swedish soil. Her relatives, on the other hand, probably won't.

[ansible]

7. There's a very apt european saying about this

"Strong with the weak ones, weak with the strong ones"

[DK504]

8. And we wonder why they hate us so much.