Centenarian faces deportation from Sweden to Afghanistan

(4 Sep 2017) A 106-year-old Afghan woman who made a perilous journey to Europe is facing deportation from Sweden after her asylum application was rejected. The Associated Press first encountered Bibihal Uzbeki and her family in 2015, in a refugee camp in Croatia. The centenarian, from Kunduz, Afghanistan, had crossed from Serbia with a large group of refugees, including her son, grandson and other relatives. She told The AP she was 105 - though her age could not be independently verified as her documents were being processed by the Croatian police. Crossing mountains, deserts, seas and forests was dangerous and exhausting, even for people one-fifth her age. But after a month of travel, Uzbeki and her family finally reached their destination: Sweden. Nearly two years later, they are settled in the small, central town of Hova. But for the Uzbekis, there is still no happy ending. Her son and grandson and their families saw their asylum application denied in January. And this June, the now 106-year-old was equally rejected and could now face deportation back to Afghanistan. The family appealed the decisions, but say the stress was too much for the centenarian who had a stroke recently. One side of her body is now disabled, she can only eat soft food and can barely speak. At night, they say she struggles to sleep due to nightmares that someone is coming to kill her. Afghan asylum seekers face greater difficulties compared to Syrians as the Swedish Migration Agency argues that parts of Afghanistan are safe. "They (Swedish authorities) told us it's true that there is an ongoing war in Afghanistan and it's not safe, however that's not going to help you secure asylum, you should have a specific and clear enemy," sayss Uzbeki's grandson, 22-year-old Mohammed. In a written statement, the Migration Agency said that a decision had been made "regarding an expulsion in this case, but it has been appealed". It said it could not provide details about specific cases, but added that "generally speaking high age does not in itself provide grounds for asylum". Back in Hova, the Uzbekis hope that their appeals will be successful, and that Bibihal Uzbeki will be able to live out her days in the Scandinavian country. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...