Austria rejects Kosovo girl's plea to stay

A teenager who went into hiding for days to avoid expulsion to Kosovo will not be allowed to stay in Austria. The Kosovo Albanian will be allowed to finish out the school year in Austria, but cannot stay longer, the Interior Ministry said Friday. Austria rejects Kosovo girl's plea to stay Arigona Zogaj went underground in September, when her father and four siblings were forced to return to Kosovo, and released a letter and video in which she threatened to kill herself if her family was not reunited in Austria. She re-emerged in early October, at the side of a priest in the hamlet of Ungenach. Interior Minister Guenther Platter said in a statement that Arigona, who was 15 when she went into hiding, could stay in Austria until the end of the school year next summer, but that her family did not meet Austria's criteria for residency on humanitarian grounds. "I don't want to stand in the way of the young woman's education," Platter said. By next summer, Arigona will have completed the minimum number of school years required in Austria. The ministry said the Zogaj family entered Austria with the help of human traffickers in September 2002 — "at a point in time where it was already clear that there was no chance for asylum" because the father's initial application for asylum had been denied. The ministry also said the family had "strong ties" to Kosovo, and that "economic reasons" for leaving their homeland were no criteria for continuing their lives in Austria. "Since their day of entry five years ago, the family knew there were no real chances for asylum," the ministry said, adding they also disregarded a one-year grace period to leave Austria on their own accord. It was unclear if Arigona's mother, who was allowed to remain in Austria after her daughter disappeared, would also be able to stay through the end of the school year. Austria's Constitutional Court had said earlier Friday that it was up to Platter to decide whether to grant the family the right to stay on humanitarian grounds. Arigona appeared at a news conference with priest Josef Friedl in Ungenach on Friday afternoon but remained silent. In an interview with the Austrian daily Kurier conducted Thursday and published on the newspaper's Web site Friday afternoon, Arigona said she would rather die than be deported. "I'm not going back to Kosovo alive," Kurier quoted has as saying. Friedl, in an interview with Austrian television, said Arigona and her mother were doing "very badly" and pledged to stand by them. "They're staying silent and crying," he told broadcaster ORF. Helmut Blum, Arigona's lawyer, said he planned to challenge a decision by authorities not to grant the family a residency permit at the country's Administrative Court. Earlier Friday, the Constitutional Court said that decision did not violate the country's constitution. "For us, the proceedings aren't over," Blum said.

Austria rejects Kosovo girl's plea to stay

Arigona Zogaj went underground in September, when her father and four siblings were forced to return to Kosovo, and released a letter and video in which she threatened to kill herself if her family was not reunited in Austria.

She re-emerged in early October, at the side of a priest in the hamlet of Ungenach.

Interior Minister Guenther Platter said in a statement that Arigona, who was 15 when she went into hiding, could stay in Austria until the end of the school year next summer, but that her family did not meet Austria's criteria for residency on humanitarian grounds.

"I don't want to stand in the way of the young woman's education," Platter said. By next summer, Arigona will have completed the minimum number of school years required in Austria.

The ministry said the Zogaj family entered Austria with the help of human traffickers in September 2002 — "at a point in time where it was already clear that there was no chance for asylum" because the father's initial application for asylum had been denied.

The ministry also said the family had "strong ties" to Kosovo, and that "economic reasons" for leaving their homeland were no criteria for continuing their lives in Austria.

"Since their day of entry five years ago, the family knew there were no real chances for asylum," the ministry said, adding they also disregarded a one-year grace period to leave Austria on their own accord.

It was unclear if Arigona's mother, who was allowed to remain in Austria after her daughter disappeared, would also be able to stay through the end of the school year.

Austria's Constitutional Court had said earlier Friday that it was up to Platter to decide whether to grant the family the right to stay on humanitarian grounds.

Arigona appeared at a news conference with priest Josef Friedl in Ungenach on Friday afternoon but remained silent.

In an interview with the Austrian daily Kurier conducted Thursday and published on the newspaper's Web site Friday afternoon, Arigona said she would rather die than be deported.

"I'm not going back to Kosovo alive," Kurier quoted has as saying.

Friedl, in an interview with Austrian television, said Arigona and her mother were doing "very badly" and pledged to stand by them.

"They're staying silent and crying," he told broadcaster ORF.

Helmut Blum, Arigona's lawyer, said he planned to challenge a decision by authorities not to grant the family a residency permit at the country's Administrative Court. Earlier Friday, the Constitutional Court said that decision did not violate the country's constitution.

"For us, the proceedings aren't over," Blum said.