Mar 11, 2008 5:11 PM GMT
Gay Iranian teenager faces deportation from England to Tehran and likely execution
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Mar 11, 2008 5:11 PM GMT -
Mar 12, 2008 2:55 AM GMTthis is horrible but he is taking the case to the European parliament I hope to god and believe someone will intervene on his behalf. -
Mar 12, 2008 10:13 AM GMTsomeone spirit him away quick! -
Mar 12, 2008 10:47 AM GMTKazemi's case highlights the reluctance of European states to accept persons who seek asylum against persecution against their lesbian, gay, or bisexual identities. It also highlights a willful ignorance on the part of the state apparatuses against acknowledging the violent persecution against such persons.
LGB persons are not the only victims of this informal malignity. Women fleeing socially accepted abusive relationships are also affected, denied and disbelieved by systems intended to magnaminously protect them.
I wonder whether the European states (primarily west of Poland) will eventually recognize these discrepancies and crimes with more than rhetoric. Most likely, they'll have to be forced to do so by their constituents.
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Has anyone else received the advertisement for Iranian Dating on this forum thread? Oh, targeted ads, how you bring merriment to any discussion. -
Mar 12, 2008 10:50 AM GMTWill be interesting to see if this decision by the IPS in the UK will be reviewed.... if only to prevent embarrassment before the ECtHR in Strasbourg. -
Mar 12, 2008 12:01 PM GMTTsk! Sometimes it's embarassing how the UK immigration system works, and how we send quite worthy cases packing.
Having recently seen a very good documentary on Transexuals in Iran. I certainly wouldn't want to be Gay or Lesbian in that regime and would hope that British authorities would review their criteria for deportation sooner rather than later.
Loz -
Mar 12, 2008 12:09 PM GMTHere's some more info on this subject.
In case you haven't heard, Mehdi Kazemi is a gay Iranian national who studied abroad in the UK.
Previously, while he was at his home in Iran, he and another boy began having a relationship. They kept in contact while Mehdi studied abroad in the UK. However, Mehdi's boyfriend was caught with another man by the Iranian government.
Homosexuality is a capital offense in Iran. This is the same country that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said had no homosexuals. Mehdi's boyfriend told the Iranian government Mehdi's name under torture, and was then executed for being gay.
The Iranian government is currently looking for Mehdi Kazemi, who's student visa recently expired. He applied for asylum in the UK and was denied. He then fled, fearing for his life, to Germany and then the Netherlands. He applied for asylum there, but a European Union law called the Dublin Treaty prevents people from applying for asylum in more than one EU country.
The United Kingdom has a history of deporting gay Iranian youths back to their home countries, where they are tortured and executed. WE CANNOT ALLOW THIS TO HAPPEN AGAIN! But it will happen if the UK deports him.
The following website is the official petition to prevent Mehdi from being deported. It is sponsored by the IRQO (Iranian Queer Organization)
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/UKMADHI/
(Even though the webside takes you to a donation page after you sign the petition, you do NOT have to give them money for your signature to count.)
Last, but not least, invite your friends as well! Doing all this should take you less than a minute of your life.
Maybe...just maybe, we can make a difference.
Lozx
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Mar 12, 2008 1:21 PM GMTWTF they should give him the asylum_if that is not a good reason then what reason do you need??
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Mar 12, 2008 1:22 PM GMTCaslon saidhttp://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/world/2008/03/11/vanmarsh.uk.iranian.fate.cnn
Oh Caslon i could not load that page but if it true i am amazed that My UK Govt does not deport terrorists but Gay Iranians|? What is this world coming to? -
Mar 15, 2008 4:27 AM GMTIf Iran is run by such animals, then why are you opposed to a war with them? I suggest you research muhammed al mahdi, the 12th Imam and what must be done in preparation for the arrival of this shia messiah.
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Jul 28, 2010 2:54 AM GMTSend him to Canada, we take all. -
Jul 28, 2010 2:55 AM GMTgio80 saidWTF they should give him the asylum_if that is not a good reason then what reason do you need??
One would think so, wouldn't one?
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Jul 28, 2010 2:58 AM GMTLaurence saidTsk! Sometimes it's embarassing how the UK immigration system works, and how we send quite worthy cases packing.
Having recently seen a very good documentary on Transexuals in Iran. I certainly wouldn't want to be Gay or Lesbian in that regime and would hope that British authorities would review their criteria for deportation sooner rather than later.
Loz
Oh.. Jolly good show.. righto and pip pip. Please show a bit more outrage! -
Jul 28, 2010 3:00 AM GMT
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Jul 28, 2010 3:02 AM GMTJB82 said
These kids were 18 and 19 years old. This picture makes me so upset every time I see it. -
Jul 28, 2010 3:30 AM GMTThis post was started in 2008. Just this month (July 7, 2010) the UK Supreme Court ruled:
Lord Hope, who read out the judgment, said: "To compel a homosexual person to pretend that his sexuality does not exist or suppress the behaviour by which to manifest itself is to deny his fundamental right to be who he is.
"Homosexuals are as much entitled to freedom of association with others who are of the same sexual orientation as people who are straight."
The home secretary, Theresa May, said: "I welcome the ruling of the supreme court, which vindicates the position of the coalition government.
"We have already promised to stop the removal of asylum seekers who have had to leave particular countries because their sexual orientation or gender identification puts them at proven risk of imprisonment, torture or execution.
"I do not believe it is acceptable to send people home and expect them to hide their sexuality to avoid persecution.
"From today, asylum decisions will be considered under the new rules and the judgment gives an immediate legal basis for us to reframe our guidance for assessing claims based on sexuality, taking into account relevant country guidance and the merits of each individual case.
"We will, of course, take any decisions on a case-by-case basis, looking at the situation in the country of origin and the merits of individual cases in line with our commitment."
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2010/jul/07/gay-men-granted-uk-asylum
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Jul 28, 2010 11:18 PM GMTIt is time to put intense pressure on Iran to end these inhumane executions or face harsher consequences from the international community. -
Jul 28, 2010 11:46 PM GMTI am an Iranian-American homosexual. But we don't exist, though, so I sometimes question my existence. -
Jul 28, 2010 11:49 PM GMToh, i'm so glad they didn't send him back!! -
Jul 31, 2010 2:35 PM GMTThe government in Iran is an outstanding example of primitive minded, religious fundamentalists being permitted to take over and rule with a brutal, iron fist. -
Jul 31, 2010 3:08 PM GMT -
Jul 31, 2010 3:35 PM GMTroadbikeRob saidThe government in Iran is an outstanding example of primitive minded, religious fundamentalists being permitted to take over and rule with a brutal, iron fist.
Let this be a lesson for the U.S., with its Christian fundamentalists who would be no different. -
Aug 01, 2010 7:42 PM GMTI think a gay teenager should just get the fuck out of Iran! -
Aug 01, 2010 8:04 PM GMTbpguru saidI think a gay teenager should just get the fuck out of Iran!
With what money and since the whole world thinks of Iran as a terrorist state, to where exactly that they can get a visa to? -
Aug 01, 2010 8:08 PM GMTviveutvivas said
roadbikeRob saidThe government in Iran is an outstanding example of primitive minded, religious fundamentalists being permitted to take over and rule with a brutal, iron fist.
Let this be a lesson for the U.S., with its Christian fundamentalists who would be no different.
I agree. This is what they and Republicans have planned for us. They say it publicly all the time, and we don't pay attention?
