Aug 16, 2007News: Iranian Lesbian About to Be Deported From UK
By vanrozenheim
(UK) - The Iranan Queer Organization reports that Pegah Emambakhsh is an Iranian national who sought asylum in the UK in 2005. Her claim failed despite appeals and she was arrested in Sheffield on Monday 13th August and is being taken to Yarlswood detention centre from where she will be deported tomorrow, Thursday 16th August. If returned to Iran she faces certain imprisonment and possibly stoning to death. Her crime in Iran is her sexual orientation – she was in a same-sex relationship. Ms Emambakhsh escaped from Iran, claiming asylum, after her lover was arrested, tortured and subsequently sentenced to death by stoning.
Her father was also arrested and interrogated about her whereabouts. He was eventually released but not before he had been tortured himself. Ms Emambakhsh has a more than well founded fear of persecution if she is returned to Iran. She belongs to a group of people – Gays – who, it is well known, are severely persecuted in Iran.
According to Iranian Human Rights Campaigners, over 4,000 lesbians and gay men have been executed since the Ayatollahs came to power in 1979. In 2006 a German court ruled that an Iranian lesbian could not be deported as she risked death because of her sexuality. According to her solicitors representative “her case has come to an end and he can do no more.”
The Border and Immigration Agency (BIA) have chosen not to believe that she is in such danger if returned to Iran even though the UK government are well aware of the terrible situation that gay people face there. The local MP, Richard Caborn, has first refused to intercede. The BIA will be committing a serious miscarriage of justice and human rights violation if they insist on Ms Emambhaksh’s deportation.
According to the latest reports from IRQO, Pegah Emambakhsh was taken to Heathrow this afternoon for deportation to Iran. Just before being put on the flight (presumably the IranAir flight at 17:00 from Heathrow), she was given a "stay" on her deportation. It appears that the Border and Immigration Agency had received a request from Richard Caborn MP's office for a delay in the deportation. This was granted so that the MP can make representations to the BIA. The "stay" in deportation is until August 27.
