Overview
- The Potsdam Administrative Court on July 29 ruled the family’s asylum claim unfounded and dismissed their legal challenge, confirming the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees’ 2023 rejection.
- The family of two parents and four minor children remains in northern Iraq, living with relatives in Sinjar where the children have no access to education.
- Brandenburg’s Interior Minister René Wilke has pledged in coordination with federal authorities to use state discretion and expedite visa issuance if the court’s decision stands.
- The Brandenburg Refugee Council has urged Wilke to apply state-level powers immediately to secure the family’s return without waiting for federal action.
- The family’s lawyers have filed appeals within the 30-day window, keeping open the possibility of overturning the ruling at the Berlin-Brandenburg Higher Administrative Court.