A young Armenian woman and her four family members have moved into a church in Katwijk in a bid to avoid being deported back to their home country.

An Armenian family moved into a church in Katwijk, the Netherlands, in a bid to avoid being deported back to their home country.

The family live in a refugee centre in Katwijk. Hayarpi, who studies econometrics at Tilburg University, her sister, brother and parents have been in the Netherlands for nine years but are set to be sent back to Armenia, Dutch News reported.

According to Hayarpi, they were granted refugee status at three separate court hearings but the Dutch state went to appeal each time.

The family hope that junior justice minister Mark Harbers will use his powers of discretion to let them stay, as he eventually did in the case of the Armenian children Lily and Howick.

Hayarpi is an active member of ChristenUnie – a political party which campaigned changes in the child amnesty rules before becoming part of the coalition government.