US grants asylum to Togo woman

WASHINGTON - In a decision which sets an important precedent, the US has granted political asylum to a woman from Togo who said…

WASHINGTON - In a decision which sets an important precedent, the US has granted political asylum to a woman from Togo who said she fled her country for fear of being subjected to genital mutilation.

The ruling by the Board of Immigration Appeals in favour Ms Fauziya Kazinga (19) is the first in which fear of mutilation, as opposed to the direct threat of it, has been held as sufficient reason for granting asylum.

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