Asylum bid fails for rescued Ukrainian family
A Ukrainian family of six who were rescued while illegally trying to cross the Alps into Switzerland have had their asylum application rejected.
Switzerland’s Federal Court announced on Wednesday it had upheld a decision to that effect by the Federal Migration Office.
The court said it was now reasonable for the family to return to Ukraine, which it described as a safe country.
It also took into consideration that the family had relatives in Ukraine who had previously supported them financially. The family no longer had anything to fear from the father, who had previously been violent towards the children, the court added.
The Ukrainian mother and her five children, aged between ten and 22, applied for asylum after being rescued near Monte Lema in the Italian-speaking southern canton of Ticino in January. Some of the group had been barefoot and suffered severe frostbite.
Their request was first rejected by the Federal Migration Office in June and went to appeal. The appeals process has now been exhausted.
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