UN Committee: Sweden Violated the Rights of a Child with a Disability by Deporting Him to Albania

April 27, 2026 Human Rights

They published their conclusion on Monday after considering a complaint on behalf of an Albanian boy who appears in a public document under the initials E.B. He was diagnosed with several disorders and diseases, including autism, intellectual disability, cerebral palsy, hydrocephalus, and epilepsy.

The boy’s family came to Sweden in 2012 seeking protection and medical assistance, but after several years of unsuccessful attempts to obtain asylum and appeals, they were deported to Albania in 2016 when he was 10 years old, and then again in 2019 when he was 14 years old.

“Before deporting a child with a severe and complex form of disability and life-threatening diseases, governments must conduct a thorough individual assessment and ensure that necessary treatment and medicines will be available in the receiving country,” said Vafaa Bassim, deputy chairman of the Committee.

Experts remind that states should not deport or expel asylum seekers if there are valid grounds to believe that there is a real threat of irreparable harm to them in the country to which they are being sent. They emphasized that people with disabilities have the right to special protective measures and that all decisions must be made taking into account the interests of the child.

Committee members noted that the Swedish immigration authorities did not conduct a proper review of the medical certificates presented by the boy’s family. These certificates attested that his life depends on regular monitoring by specialists. The boy also constantly requires a shunt. In Albania, he could not receive the necessary medical assistance.

After the family’s deportation in 2016, the hospital in Tirana refused to treat the boy because his needs were considered “too complex.” After the second deportation in 2019, he had to rely on epilepsy medication that was sent to him from Sweden through a non-governmental organization.

“In such a serious case as E.B.’s case, states must do more than just conduct standard checks,” Bassim said. Before deportation, he noted, authorities must try to understand whether the person will have access to the necessary medical care and medicines.

Since the Swedish authorities were not convinced of this, they violated the boy’s right to life, as well as his right not to be subjected to cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment.

Since a deportation order was again issued against E.B., the Committee appealed to Sweden with a request to reconsider the family’s asylum or residence permit application, taking into account the obligations underInternational Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.