Croatian asylum decision a first
21/11/2006
A 27-year-old Sudanese woman is the first person to be granted asylum in Croatia -- a move that the UN hopes will spur a trend in the region.
By Natasa Radic for Southeast European Times in Zagreb -- 21/11/06
 Croatian Assistant Interior Minister Zarko Katic (centre) announced the asylum decision. [UNHCR] |
Croatian authorities announced last week that they were granting asylum to a Christian woman from Sudan. The 27-year-old Roman Catholic said she had suffered persecution for her beliefs and had been threatened with genital mutilation if she returned to her country of origin. To protect her privacy, authorities have not disclosed her name.
At a press conference Wednesday (November 15th), the interior ministry confirmed that the woman is the first person to be granted asylum in Croatia. According to Interior Assistant Minister Zarko Katic, she arrived in Croatia in June and filed her application for asylum in September. She entered Croatia with valid visa and passport documents.
By obtaining asylum in Croatia, she will receive social security and health protection, and is entitled to work. In five years' time, she can get Croatian citizenship.
The UNHCR has praised Croatia's move, expressing hope that it will spur other EU aspirants in the region to do the same.
"With the first-ever recognition of a refugee, Croatia has made an important step towards a fully functioning asylum system, in line with the 1951 Refugee Convention and European standards and practices," said the UNHCR representative in Croatia, Jean-Claude Concolato.
Liberalising the asylum regime is one of the criteria countries must meet to harmonise with EU standards.
Since 2004, when the Croatian asylum law was implemented, 382 people have asked for asylum, but all were rejected. Among the 186 applications filed last year, the main countries of origin were Bangladesh, the former state union of Serbia-Montenegro, India, Macedonia and Moldova.
At the beginning of the year, local media reported on a possible high-ranking asylum seeker from Iraq. According to lawyer Giovanni di Stefano, Saddam Hussein's foreign minister, Tariq Aziz, wanted to apply for asylum in Croatia. However, when the government received a request to consider his application, it was rejected.
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