Dutch judge rejects refugee bid

Taida Pasic and her family fled war-torn Kosovo in 1999

An 18-year-old Kosovan refugee who gained support from the Dutch public for her bid to stay in the country has lost her final court battle.

Taida Pasic arrived in the Netherlands with her family after the war in Kosovo in 1999 but her parents accepted a payment to return home.

Dutch immigration minister Rita Verdonk branded her a fraud when she returned on a French tourist visa to study.

Ms Pasic was removed from school in the town on Winterswijk and briefly jailed.

Criticism

A judge has now rejected Ms Pasic's appeal and gave her until Friday to leave the country.

"Pasic wasn't allowed to come to the Netherlands to submit her application for a visa, but should have asked for it in her land of origin and waited there for the decision," according to a summary of the judge's ruling.

But the judge also criticised Ms Verdonk who "incurred the appearance of bias by her public statements".

More than 75,000 people are reported to have signed petitions after Ms Verdonk's comments last year.

The judge also questioned the "carefulness" of the immigration police in Winterswijk.

The Associated Press reports that Ms Pasic's Dutch school is considering allowing her to take her exams when she returns to her parents in the Bosnian capital of Sarajevo.