Concerning I.A.A. vs Denmark for violation of articles 7 of CCPR.

The author sold tea at the Parkara market, in the government-controlled area of Mogadishu. She was threatened by members of Al-Shabaab, who accused her of being a spy for the Government and demanded that she stop selling tea as women should not work in public places. After the author fled Somalia, Al-Shabaab looked for her and threatened her parents to give information about her current whereabouts.

The author fled to Rome where she was granted residence permit but she was also informed that she could no longer stay in the shelter she was living at. At this point, the author had a daughter and was expecting another baby. Living in Italy as a single, pregnant woman, with only occasional work, while caring for a small daughter and without access to food, was extremely difficult. Thus the author fled to Denmark and applied for asylum. The Danish authorities rejected the author’s application for asylum as they found that the author lacked credibility. Thus a complaint was sent CCPR.

The Committee observes that her claim before the refugee appeals board was that “she feared being killed by Al-Shabaab in the event that she was returned to Somalia because she had run away from them”. The author, however, brought the case before the Committee, raising allegations with respect to living conditions in Italy, which were never formally brought as an asylum ground per se before the Danish authorities. Accordingly, the Committee finds that the author has failed to exhaust domestic remedies and thus the committee declares this case to be inadmissible.