Gay Iranian wins asylum reprieve

[tpsbmam]

Source: Times of London

A gay Iranian teenager is to be allowed to stay in Britain because his case is now so notorious that it would be dangerous to deport him to Tehran.

Jacqui Smith, the Home Secretary, granted Mehdi Kazemi a temporary reprieve yesterday when she announced that his case would be reconsidered when he returns from the Netherlands. In reality, the case of Mr Kazemi has now received so much publicity in Europe that if he were sent back to Iran there would be a real risk of him facing persecution.

Ms Smith intervened after receiving representations from MPs and peers alarmed that Mr Kazemi, 19, could face execution if returned to his homeland. In a statement Ms Smith said: “Following representations made on behalf of Mehdi Kazemi, and in the light of new circumstances since the original decision was made, I have decided that Mr Kazemi’s case should be reconsidered on his return to the UK from the Netherlands.”

Borg Palm, Mr Kazemi’s solicitor in the Netherlands, yesterday welcomed the intervention by Ms Smith but said that it would give his client a future only if he was granted asylum. “I am very happy, and I am sure that my client will also be very happy, once he comes to learn of this, but we will also be reluctant to start celebrating too quickly. He is very much afraid of being allowed to stay in Britain but without being granted official permission. That would then put him in a no man’s land. He would be very unhappy in the long term.” A relative of Mr Kazemi from London, who asked not to be named, told The Times that the teenager would be relieved by the decision. “It has been a long time coming and a very long struggle. What I do not understand is why the Government got itself into this mess in the first place. It should always have recognised that gay people are killed for being themselves in Iran.”

Read more: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/middle_east/article3549376.ece

[GreenPartyVoter]

1. Phew! So glad that he will be safe now.

[OhioChick]

2. Glad to Hear. n/t

[UndertheOcean]

3. Good

Give the young man some hope for the future

[Roon]

4. Sending him back would mean certain death eom

[UndertheOcean]

5. Recommended

[LaurenG]

6. Delighted to be the 5th rec

Excellent!

[LeftyMom]

7. He was already at risk for prosecution- his bf was already executed for sodomy.

Just once, could some gov't official somewhere admit they fucked up and are going to fix it?

[UndertheOcean]

11. Really , My God , Tragic...

Disgusting act of a fundie government

[Taverner]

8. Awesome

I was worried about that dude

[fightthegoodfightnow]

9. Bravo....... and

......... thank you Great Britain.

[Cronus Protagonist]

10. So what they're saying is, if he stayed "in the closet", they would send him back

Now that the world *knows* he's queer, the decision is now to let him stay. So they're saying to gay people from Iran that if you can pass as straight, and only a few people in Iran know you're queer, you have to go back and risk being killed, but if you're out and everyone knows you're queer, we'll let you stay here for asylum, as long as the curtain is drawn back, the government is under public pressure, and only if your case is in the media.

Fucking pedagogical bastards. The one thing I hate about Britain is the pedagogic government officials.

(Oh, and Marmite -- that stuff is nasty.)

[tpsbmam]

12. Note that this is a temporary reprieve......

though it sounds more promising than before. He hasn't been granted asylum yet. The widespread attention has certainly helped -- how sad that it had to get to that point. This was a clear asylum case IMO.

http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5j4WK-4ZjQTgyuJ152n6G_OAgdmfQ

A gay Iranian man who says he faces death if forced to return to his home country was granted a temporary reprieve from deportation Thursday by British authorities.
Home Secretary Jacqui Smith, said the case of Mehdi Kazemi, 19, would be re-considered after "new circumstances" came to light.
Kazemi is currently in the Netherlands, where authorities on Tuesday rejected his appeal for asylum, and he is likely to be sent to Britain, where he lived from 2005 until last year.
Smith said: "Following representations made on behalf of Mehdi Kazemi, and in the light of new circumstances since the original decision was made, I have decided that Mr Kazemi's case should be reconsidered on his return to the UK from the Netherlands."

[uppityperson]

18. k&r with hope the temporary becomes permanent.

[TechBear_Seattle]

13. Thank you for posting this

It is very good to hear that the British government has come to its senses.

[Ordr]

14. He'll be killed over there.

These lunatics always find a way.

[Divine Discontent]

17. I pray not!

I know what you mean, but let's keep hope alive that he'll live a normal life in GB.

I despise that Iranian religious government and the murders they commit on GLBT people, like these two poor souls getting ready to be hung in a town square -

[FVZA_Colonel]

25. It might just as easily be a death squad in the night as it would be after a "trial."

Sending him back would have been a death sentence, and it's good Britain is at least starting down the path of doing the right thing.

[LostinVA]

15. Thank God -- now he NEEDS full asylum

[swimmernsecretsea]

16. Good that he's safe now.

There are so many, but saving one...I am so grateful.

[mitchtv]

19. Good news

Next we can start taking in Jamaican Gays who fear for their lives. Every life saved is valuable. on edit
(only the ones who can't pass) :sarcasm:

[Forkboy]

20. What about the ones who don't have that attention?

I heard about this today on NPR and I'm so happy this individual is safe, for now. But what about the ones who don't make the news? :shrug:

[Kelvin Mace]

21. That's great news, but

what happened to Ms Emambakhsh?

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/now-iranian-lesbian-who-fled-to-britain-faces-deportation-792819.html

[Rhiannon12866]

22. K&R. Glad that somebody's finally waking up to the danger that these guys face.

It's truly terrifying...:-(

[hisownpetard]

23. It's about time. K&R.

[Behind the Aegis]

24. Good news!

Now, we wait for GREAT News and that would be him getting full asylum.

[David Zephyr]

26. What great news! I think it is terrible that this boy had to twist in the wind all this time.

I feel so sorry for him still, in spite of this very good news. It should have never gone on as long as it did.

[LeftishBrit]

27. I am so glad!

It was SHAMEFUL of our government even to dither about this. I hope he is allowed to settle here permanently.

[totodeinhere]

28. Thank God. I wish the boy well.