ECtHR orders Switzerland not to deport Iranian asylum seeker

The case

The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) has ruled that Switzerland must not deport an Iranian asylum seeker to Italy, where he fears persecution.

The man, identified only as A.A., fled Iran in 2019 after being arrested and tortured by the Iranian authorities.

He arrived in Switzerland in 2020 and applied for asylum, but his request was rejected.

The ECtHR's ruling

In its ruling, the ECtHR found that there was a real risk that A.A. would be tortured or ill-treated if he were returned to Iran.

The court also found that Switzerland had not taken into account A.A.'s individual circumstances when making its decision to deport him.

The ECtHR ordered Switzerland to suspend A.A.'s deportation and to re-examine his asylum application.

The significance of the ruling

The ECtHR's ruling is significant because it sends a clear message to states that they must not deport people to countries where they risk persecution.

The ruling also highlights the importance of taking into account individual circumstances when making decisions about asylum applications.

The next steps

It is not yet clear what the Swiss government will do in light of the ECtHR's ruling.

The government could appeal the ruling to the Grand Chamber of the ECtHR, but this is unlikely to be successful.

The government could also choose to ignore the ruling, but this would put Switzerland in breach of its obligations under the European Convention on Human Rights.