Young Woman with Rare Disease Arrives by Ambulance for Court Hearing on Caregiver's Status
A 25-year-old woman with Rett syndrome, Liri Louise Karant, arrived by special ambulance to a Jerusalem District Court hearing on Monday to fight for her caregiver's right to remain in Israel. Karant, who has been cared for by Kumari Budhathoki Adhikari since she was seven years old in 2008, relies on her caregiver for complex, round-the-clock medical and nursing support. The family is appealing a decision by the Population and Immigration Authority to deny Adhikari's humanitarian request to regularize her status, which has prevented the renewal of her work visa.
Adhikari's humanitarian application was under review for four years, during which her work visa was repeatedly renewed. However, in 2024, the family was informed verbally that the visa would not be renewed due to the pending humanitarian process. Subsequently, the humanitarian request was summarily rejected, and Adhikari was ordered to leave Israel within 14 days, creating a significant risk to Karant's continuous care.
Karant's mother, Orly Zigdon, described Adhikari as a "second mother" to her daughter, emphasizing the deep, non-verbal bond they share and the impossibility of finding another caregiver with the necessary skills and dedication. The family argues that the authority's delay in processing the humanitarian request led to the visa issue and that forcing Adhikari to leave would cause irreparable harm to Liri.
During the hearing, the court discussed the family's claim that the humanitarian request was not properly reviewed by the inter-ministerial committee, as required by Supreme Court precedent. The family also contends that they were pressured to abandon their humanitarian claim as a condition for continuing care.
At the conclusion of the hearing, it was agreed that the family's lawyers would resubmit a request for an extension of the caregiver's visa, and the authority would review it without prejudice to the humanitarian status application.
