Bibikhal Uzbek, 106, is thought to be the world’s oldest asylum seeker after her son and grandsons navigated mountain paths through Iran and Turkey, from Kunduz in afghanistan in 2015, seeking European asylum.

Fast forward almost two years and the migration department in Sweden has rejected her plea for asylum, ordering her to return home to Afghanistan. Shortly before her 107th birthday, officials decided her family home of Kunduz is safe for them all to head home, despite the fact that heavy clashes occur regularly there between the Taliban and Afghan security forces.

Difficult journey of some 3,000 miles from Afghanistan

As reported by Newsweek, the family traveled some 3,000 miles from Afghanistan to Sweden. When not traveling by train, her 67-year-old son and 19-year-old grandson reportedly carried the elderly woman on their backs over the mountains in the hope of finding a safe place for her. They applied for asylum in Skaraborg in western Sweden. Uzbek was one of 17 family members who made the harrowing journey, traveling through Germany, where she was provided with a wheelchair.

To make matters worse for the elderly refugee, on hearing her plea for asylum had been rejected in June this year, Uzbek suffered a stroke, which has left her blind, bound to her bed and unable to walk and she can barely communicate.

Uzbek’s grandson, Mohammad Uzbek, 19, tells Al Jazeera in the video above that their grandmother would not physically be able to survive a trip back to Afghanistan and has filed an appeal with the Swedish government for her to live out her final days in the country. Mohammad said he doesn’t understand why they have rejected her application, as she is 106 years of age, can’t see, speak or walk.

He stressed that she is very ill and he doesn’t understand why they have turned her down.

Taliban and ISIS in Afghanistan

Saying that many people have died in Afghanistan this year, he went on to say there is a war going on there with both the Taliban and now also ISIS. Reportedly other members of the family are currently at different stages relating to their asylum requests.

However, according to the migration agency in Sweden, advanced age does not, in itself, offer grounds for asylum and protection. The Local quotes the department as saying they keep track of the security situation in Afghanistan and that not all areas of the country are dangerous for residents.

The Asylum Agency in Sweden has drawn criticism recently over Christian asylum seekers, by testing their knowledge of the religion, including the differences between Protestant and Orthodox Churches, details of the New Testament and other religious aspects.

The Independent quotes Serpil Güngör, a Swedish immigration lawyer, as saying he often interrupts the interrogation of asylum seekers, where they ask complex questions which he believes are not relevant. He deemed the questions “terrible,” and admitted he recommends his clients study the bible prior to their asylum interviews.
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