A refugee carried to Europe on her son’s back is asking authorities to let her see her grandchildren again. Laila Saleh, 111, is believed to be the world’s oldest refugee.
She fled Syria in October 2017, and arrived in Greece where her asylum claim was fast-tracked because of her age. Usually the process of documenting and examining refugees’ applications for asylum can take up to a year. In Laila’s case the process was sped up, but it did not occur the same for the rest of her family in Greece with her so they cannot travel until their status is formalised.
As a result, she has been ‘stuck’ there, as her old age does not allow her to travel on her own. Her two granddaughters, Nesrin and Brivan, have been granted asylum in Germany and have their own family there.
Laila has been staying in an apartment in Athens since December 2017, with her family, her son Ahmad Ahmad, 66, his wife Amsha Ali, 59, their son Khalil Ahmad, 31, his wife Sawsan Ahmad, 26 and their twin boys of four years old, Ari and Azar.
In spite of her age, she is physically healthy, and aid workers say she seems to be remembering things from her past. Speaking through an interpreter, Laila said: ‘We had a good, quiet, normal life in Syria for many years.
‘I was happy living in the country with my family – I had five kids. ‘People had their jobs and they cared about their homes. ‘Children were playing in the street, there was not any danger anywhere.
‘The war destroyed everything’. She was born in Kobani, Syria in 1907 – but in fear for her life, she fled her homeland with her family. Her son literally carried her on his back as the family got on a boat in order to get to Greece.
No comments:
Post a Comment