The United Nations Human Rights Committee has ruled that Sweden violated the right to life of a child with severe disabilities after deporting him twice to Albania without ensuring access to essential medical care.
The case concerns E.B., now 21, an Albanian national diagnosed with multiple complex conditions, including autism, cerebral palsy, epilepsy and other serious health challenges. He arrived in Sweden with his family in 2012 seeking protection and treatment, but after several failed asylum applications, the family was deported in 2016 when he was 10 years old.
According to the committee’s findings, the family later returned to Sweden without legal status to continue his treatment, but their subsequent applications for residency were rejected. They were deported again in 2019 when he was 14.
In its decision, dated March 30, the committee stated that authorities must carry out a thorough, individualised assessment before removing individuals with serious medical conditions, ensuring that necessary treatment is both accessible and available in the receiving country. It found that Swedish authorities failed to verify whether E.B. would have access to essential medication and care in Albania, exposing him to a “real risk of irreparable harm.”
The ruling concluded that this failure breached his right to life and protections against inhuman or degrading treatment under international law. The committee has called on Stockholm to review E.B.’s case, reconsider his applications for asylum or residency, and provide appropriate compensation.
While the committee does not have enforcement powers, its decisions carry significant international weight and are used to assess countries’ compliance with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
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