German court rejects Yazidi family's asylum appeal
On Tuesday, a German administrative court in Potsdam rejected the asylum appeal of a Yazidi family recently deported to Iraq, despite the presence of four underage children among its members.
The case stems from a 2023 lawsuit filed by the family after Germany's Federal Office for Migration and Refugees denied their asylum application. The court adjusted the grounds for rejection from 'apparently unfounded' to simply 'unfounded,' without clarifying how this affected the family's legal position.
The family had lived in the town of Lychen for several years before being deported last week, even after filing an emergency motion to stop the removal. Although a court later annulled the deportation order, the ruling was issued while the family was already aboard a flight to Baghdad, making intervention impossible.
A court spokesperson explained that the rejection was based on the lack of an individual threat—such as direct persecution by ISIS or widespread violence against Yazidis—thus weakening the justification for international protection.
A subsequent urgent motion to block the deportation was also denied, making the removal legally binding, according to DW. The family's lawyer now has 30 days to appeal the decision before the Higher Administrative Court of Berlin–Brandenburg.
Brandenburg's Interior Minister Michael Stübgen stated he would facilitate the family's return in coordination with the federal government if the court eventually rules in their favor.
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