Italy's is willing to offer political asylum to Iranian lesbian Pegah Imambakhsh, who in her native country could face death by stoning for publicly stating her sexuality, and 100 lashes because of her sexual orientation.

Italian equal opportunties minister Barbara Pollastrini has Italy's prime minister Romano Prodi's support over granting asylum to Imambakhsh, a ministry spokesman confirmed to Adnkronos International (AKI).

Britain, which is currently hosting Imambakhsh, is due on Tuesday to deport her to her native Iran.

In a letter to Italian NGO Annesdoor, the British Embassy in Rome wrote that the British authorities carefully evaluated the case of each asylum seeker and only repatriated individuals whose personal safety is not at risk in their home countries.

Imambakhsh's claim for asylum was rejected by the British authorities despite her appeals. She was arrested in the northern English city Sheffield earlier this month and is currently being held in a deportation centre outside London.

Protests in support of Imambakhsh organized by the Italian human rights group EveryOne will take place on Monday in front of the British Embassy in Rome.

Britain, which is currently hosting Imambakhsh

Looks like Alvaro isn’t the only gay refugee desperately trying to stay in Canada to avoid homophobia and violence. Leonardo Zuniga, a gay Mexican, is slated for deportation from Canada after exhausting all avenues for appeal.

Unlike Alvaro’s case, immigration officials don’t seem to doubt Leonardo’s gayness, but homosexuality isn’t illegal in Mexico making proof of immediate threat difficult. Nonetheless, it would be a shame if Leonardo is deported; Mexico has the second-highest anti-gay crime rate in the world, and we’d be losing an upstanding community member. While in Canada, Leonardo has won both the David Barker Maltby Award for photography and the Youth Line Award for Queer Youth Activism.

Leonardo’s last hope for citizenship relies on Immigration Minister Diane Finley officially blocking the deportation order. Considering her enthusiasm level for Alvaro’s case, I wouldn’t count on it.

If you’d like to get involved in the case, check out Leonardo’s website.

Alvaro’s too, while you’re at it.

(London) An Iranian lesbian facing deportation from Britain has been freed from detention and will be allowed to remain in the UK, ending an international campaign to prevent her from being sent back to a regime that could have imposed the death penalty on her.

[...]

A British LGBT group, the Friends of Pegah Campaign, formed to lobby for her release said Wednesday that Emambakhsh has been released from the Yarls Wood Detention Center and that a final decision on the case is expected in the next few weeks.

"This does not mean that Pegah is out of the woods but she is now in a much more hopeful position," the organization said in a statement.