Greek court halts deportation of Kenyan asylum seeker

A court in Athens has temporarily stopped Greek authorities from expelling a Kenyan woman from the country because it deemed that she was in danger of suffering female genital mutilation if she returned to her homeland.

In a first for the Greek justice system, according to the Athens-Macedonian News Agency, the court recognised her application for international protection under the Geneva Convention even though asylum service had earlier rejected her request.

The woman, a member of the Kikuyu tribe, first arrived in Greece with her three children in 2002. The Administrative Appeals Court found that her children are also in danger of suffering abuse if they return to Kenya.

Judges ordered authorities to recognize the woman as an asylum seeker and to afford her this status until the court delivers a final verdict.