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The European Court of Human Rights has formally asked the Government not to deport a Nigerian woman and her two young daughters to Nigeria until it has considered her arguments against the deportation orders, including that her two daughters face a real risk of female genital mutilation (FGM) if returned.

The letter of request from the ECHR was issued today shortly after a High Court judge’s rejection of Pamela Izevbekhai’s application for an injunction restraining her family’s deportation until the Irish courts have determined her judicial review challenge to the Minister for Justice’s refusal last March to consider her claim for “subsidiary protection” here.