Afghanistan Times
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Bibihal Uzbeki, who is disabled and can barely speak, has been told she will not be able to claim asylum in Sweden, despite her age and the perilous journey she went through to get to the country.
The refugee’s 67-year-old son and 19-year-old grandson helped their elderly relative cross mountains, deserts and forests – often carrying her on their backs – to escape their war-torn home country.
However now the Swedish Migration Agency has said age doesn’t provide grounds for asylum, and that she wouldn’t be able to stay in the Scandinavian country.
When her family received the message, which arrived during Ramadan, they decided not to tell her at once.
However Mrs Uzbeki soon figured out the bad news after seeing her granddaughters crying. Not long after finding out about her request being denied her health deteriorated and she suffered a stroke.
The family are appealing against the decision, which they say highlights how Afghan asylum seekers are being ignored by Swedish authorities.
Sanna Vestin, the head of the Swedish Network of Refugee Support Groups, said: ‘The reasoning from the migration agency is that it’s not unsafe enough in Afghanistan. (Metro)
