The British Bangladeshi parents of a severely disabled five-year-old girl on Thursday won their legal battle in the UK High Court to fly her out to an Italian hospital for life-support treatment.
Tafida Raqeeb is brain-damaged and medical specialists caring for her at the Royal London Hospital in east London say that further treatment would be futile because the damage to the brain is permanent, is in a minimally conscious state and has no chance of recovery.

Her parents have been fighting to move her to Gaslini children's hospital in Genoa after organising funding. They argue that Tafida being from a Muslim family meant that Islamic law said only God could take the decision to end her life.


“We are thrilled with the judgement,” said father Mohammed Raqeeb, a construction consultant.

Tafida’s mother Shelina Begum is a solicitor and the family is based in Newham in east London and originally hail from Bangladesh.
Their barrister, David Lock, said the High Court ruling was an "enormous relief" to them.
Justice MacDonald analysed evidence at a recent trial and wished Tafida and her parents well and said that "where a child is not in pain and is not aware of his or her parlous situation, these cases can place the objective best interests test under some stress".
"Tests must be looked for in subjective or highly value laden ethical, moral or religious factors... which mean different things to different people in a diverse, multicultural, multi-faith society," he said.
Solicitor Paul Conrathe of Sinclairslaw, who represented Tafida's parents, said after the hearing: "Today the court ruled that Tafida should be allowed to be treated in Italy as her parents requested many months ago.
"Tafida is not in pain and could live for up to a further 20 years. This judgment recognised however that a child's best interests are not merely medical, but include broader social and religious values. It also recognised the legal right of parents to request life-prolonging treatment in another EU state so that their child can be treated under that system of care and ethics.
"It has been a very challenging and exhausting journey for Tafida's parents. They look forward to her receiving outstanding care at the Gaslini hospital in Genoa. They will also feel at peace knowing that Tafida will be cared for under the Italian ethical and legal system."