Sweden rejects asylum claim by 106-year-old Afghan woman

LONDON - 5 September 2017: A 106-year-old Afghan woman who made a perilous journey to Europe, carried by her son and grandson through mountains, deserts and forests, is facing deportation from Sweden after her asylum application was rejected, The Guardian reported Monday.

Bibihal Uzbeki is severely disabled and can barely speak. Her family has appealed against the rejection, and she is allowed up to three appeals, a process that could take a long time. The applications of other family members are in various stages of appeal.

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 finally reaching Sweden.

The Swedish Migration Agency confirmed it has made a decision on the case and said age doesn’t by itself provide grounds for asylum.

Uzbeki arrived at the Opatovac refugee camp in Croatia in October 2015 after what she said had been a 20-day journey with her 17 family members to reach Europe, with her 67-year-old son and a 19-year-old grandson often carrying her on their backs.

The family said that soon after she understood her request was denied, her health started deteriorating and she suffered a debilitating stroke.