Birmingham: Teenage Afghan Who Feared UK Would Deport Him Killed Himself

Birmingham: A teenage asylum seeker who feared he would be deported to Afghanistan killed himself this year in Birmingham, a coroner has concluded. The Guardian is not naming the 19-year-old at the request of family members in Afghanistan who say that doing so could put them at risk. The inquest in Birmingham heard the teenager had arrived in the UK as an unaccompanied 13-year-old after fleeing persecution in Afghanistan and claimed asylum. He was granted temporary leave to remain in the UK until the age of 18 but was then at risk of deportation and had to make a further asylum application to the Home Office. He was anxious about whether he would be allowed to stay in the UK. The Home Office has sent thousands of refused asylum seekers back to Afghanistan, including those who arrived as unaccompanied children once they turned 18.

Read more: Diane Taylor, Guardian, https://is.gd/CvV96k