Save the life of Kiana Firouz

[Treguard of Dunshelm]

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/middle_east/article7131310.ece

A young Iranian actress named Kiana Firouz will attend the London premiere tonight of a film in which she plays a lesbian seeking asylum in Britain because the Iranian authorities are pursuing her. The Home Office rejects her application and sends her back to the Islamic republic, where homosexuality is a crime punishable by death.

Unfortunately for Kiana Firouz the film is not make-believe. It is based on her life. The Home Office has denied her asylum and she now faces the prospect of deportation to Iran followed by flogging, execution or both.

"Definitely she will be killed," says Ramin Goudarzi Nejad, the London-based director of Cul-de-Sac.

"She would be arrested ... She would be tortured. She could face execution not for being a lesbian but for embarrassing the regime," said Paul Canning, editor of the website LGBT Asylum News.

"She will be in incredible danger, not only because she's clearly gay but because the film does not show the Iranian authorities in a good light. They will probably seek to make an example of her," said one of her legal representatives.

...

Firouz, 27, came to Britain two years ago as a student, but while she was here the Iranian intelligence services discovered footage of a documentary that she had been making secretly about homosexuals in Tehran. The Home Office rejected her asylum appeal on the ground that she could conceal her homosexuality if she went home, and that ruling was been upheld by two appeals tribunals this year.

"My application was ... ignored by the Home Office despite the serious threat to my life that I'll face if they deport me to Iran," she told Radio Free Europe. "I'm shattered and emotionally devastated that they have dealt with my application so irresponsibly."

She has lodged one final application, arguing that the sexually explicit publicity for Cul-de-sac means that her homosexuality is now common knowledge but there are no guarantees that she will not end up like her celluloid alter ago — on a plane back to Tehran.

...

For gay rights activists Kiana Firouz's case is a test of the sincerity of Britain's new Government. The Conservative Party promised in its equalities manifesto to "change the rules so that gay people fleeing persecution were granted asylum". At present, the document said, "gay asylum-seekers are often returned to countries with homophobic regimes and told to keep their sexuality a secret".

There is a precedent for granting her asylum. In 2006 a homosexual student named Mehdi Kazemi applied for asylum in Britain after his partner was executed in Iran. When his application was rejected, he fled to the Netherlands, where he was again refused because asylum seekers can apply in only one EU country.

He returned to Britain, and in 2008 Jacqui Smith, then Home Secretary, succumbed to pressure and let him stay.

Outrageous, especially that she's been told she's alright because she can keep her sexuality a secret - which'd be fucked up bullshit at the best of times, but since she's a high profile lesbian, utterly impossible.

As the article notes, the authorities have given in to pressure before in a similar case, so I urge you all to sign the petition here and join the facebook group in support of her here.

Thanks.

[Hank_Kingsley]

I've signed, Iran is a fucking backward ass country which needs its shit sorted out.

[Cerys]

I've signed - this is a fucking backward ass system which needs its information sorted out.

[The Widow of Brid]

They've spelt lesbian wrong throughout, haven't they? I've not stopped being able to read or something?

[Cerys]

I think you may have stopped being able to read.  Unless I have as well.

[Twibbie]

[David Cameron] says: "If you are fleeing persecution and that fear is well-founded, then you should be able to stay. As I understand it, the 1951 Convention [on the rights of refugees] doesn't mention sexuality but because it mentions membership of a social group, that phrase is being use by the courts, rightly, to say that if someone has a realistic fear of persecution they should be allowed to stay."

At the moment, gay refugees are often told – under a Labour government – to go back home and hide their sexuality from police forces who would imprison, torture or kill them for it. I ask him if that is wrong – and he says unequivocally: "I think it is. If you have a legitimate fear of persecution, that it seems to me that is a perfectly legitimate reason to stay."

And [Nick Clegg] defended the least popular and most vulnerable group of gay people – the refugees who reach our shores because they would be murdered at home for being gay. Today, they are often deported and told to "hide" their sexuality back home. When I asked if they had a right to remain, he said: "Of course! And, by the way, it's not just me that says this, it's international law that says it."

You'd hope with the pair of them in they could start sorting this bullshit out.

[The Widow of Brid]

Ah no, it's just the banner heading that says "Stop Deporting Kiana Firouz, the Iranian Lesbain". 

I still signed, obviously. It's just distracting.

[Glebe]

Duly signed, FB group joined and 38 Degrees email sent to home secretary.

[MALCOLM]

Is she the one in Lesbian Bukkake 14?

[confettiinmyhair]

This woman seems set to give her a run for her money in the 'controversy' stakes
http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=140559

[Tokyo Sexwhale]

They've spelt lesbian wrong throughout, haven't they? I've not stopped being able to read or something?

She's actually Lebanese...


...sorry

[Braintree]

She's actually Lebanese...


...sorry

Sorry off-topic but that is an amazing avatar. Are you rescuing someone, Tokyo?

I've joined the facebook group. I'm not sure how she can hide her sexuality now, she shouldn't have to in the first place, but now she's gone "Hey I'm a lesbian, you guys!" it is a bit late for her to go "Oh no, sorry I'm not"

Unless she is Jackie Clune or Anne Hech...

[Santa's Boyfriend]

I don't think there's a lot of logic involved in decisions like this.  I don't think they really take the time to look at a case beyond the initial case notes and then make an arbitrary decision.  I don't see how they could possibly have come to this conclusion otherwise - especially considering the IRANIAN SECRET MOTHERFUCKING SERVICE have unveiled evidence of her making a film on homosexuality.  Besides, if you seek asylum in another country and are then deported, don't your original country generally ask you why you sought asylum?  Also how watertight does the burden of proof of homosexuality have to be in these cases?  Not very, I suspect.

[Ambient Sheep]

As the article notes, the authorities have given in to pressure before in a similar case, so I urge you all to sign the petition here and join the facebook group in support of her here.

Done.

Can't she marry Sandi Toksvig?

Apart from being somewhat amusing, it occurs to me, would that actually work?  In other words, does the same immunity against deportation apply for civil partnerships as it does for marriage?  And if not, then that's one more bit of equality law that needs sorting out.

[SetToStun]

Apart from being somewhat amusing, it occurs to me, would that actually work?  In other words, does the same immunity against deportation apply for civil partnerships as it does for marriage?  And if not, then that's one more bit of equality law that needs sorting out.

According to a mate of mine who entered into his civil partnership just before Christmas, the whole immunity thing does apply equally, although that may be as much due to tightening up of the rules for marriages as to the equalization for civils. Where a visa is required for the partner to enter the country (as in my mate's case) there are just as many hoops to jump through as in a normal marriage visa but he didn't detect any obvious ramping up of the scrutiny just because of the homosexual nature of the partnership. Mind you, he is a barrister, both his parents were high court judges and he is a personal friend of one of the home office ministers at the time. Make of that what you will, but he insists that although he would have been more than happy to pull a few strings, he didn't have to.

[Ambient Sheep]

According to a mate of mine who entered into his civil partnership just before Christmas, the whole immunity thing does apply equally...

Glad to hear it, and thanks for the info.

...Where a visa is required for the partner to enter the country (as in my mate's case) there are just as many hoops to jump through as in a normal marriage visa...

Tell me about it - a mate of mine married a girl from Venezuela and the lengths they had to go to were utterly ridiculous.  It was an absolutely genuine romance (they met as she was over here studying as a mature student and was lodging with a female friend of his) and over ten years later they're still together, happily married with children, but they were put through the wringer every step of the way.  Even at the fucking wedding itself (I was there), because her English still wasn't brilliant and she didn't quite understand how to fill in the register properly, the registrar's assistant started barking rude and offensive questions at her (e.g. "Do you know what your name is?", "Do you know what this is all about?") as she was trying to sign it, talk about ruining the poor girl's big day.  If she had any suspicions, the time to do that would have been before the ceremony, not afterwards.  Having said that, the registrar himself was wonderful: that was my first experience of seeing a registry office wedding and I was very much surprised at the effort he put in, beat most vicars hands down.

... but he didn't detect any obvious ramping up of the scrutiny just because of the homosexual nature of the partnership.

That's so good to hear.  Bet it doesn't happen all the time though.  :-(

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

You can bamlem the now departed Jacqui Smith whose 'I must appear macho to the press' approach to humanitarian law set all sorts of fuckawful precedents, allowing the home secretaries that followed to pursue this outrageous policy.

They're scared of course that this will become the method people use of coming over here, and it is of course reasonably simple to pretend you're gay.

[Jack Shaftoe]

Having said that, the registrar himself was wonderful: that was my first experience of seeing a registry office wedding and I was very much surprised at the effort he put in, beat most vicars hands down.

Aww, my wife and I got married at a registry last year, and it was lovely. Rings from my best mate who works in a gallery so got us a discount, then we all had pasties on the beach afterwards, least stressful event imaginable.

Signed petition and that.

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

I doubt it's going to do Kiana Firouz much good but one of the positive immigration moves the coalition has made is to end child detention which was another New Labour convenient hypocrisy. It's worth mentioning at least, while we're on the subject. Moves like that do help add momentum to other causes. The Liberals are very strong on humanitarian causes and gay rights these days, even if their immigration policies are rather more populist (the amnesty aside). Maybe Clegg can make a difference for these men and women.

Having watched a recent news report about Uganda's proposed death penalty for homosexuality, this may become a major migrational issue, more so that it is already.

[Santa's Boyfriend]

It's the problem with being perceived as a country of fairness and equality (which is what people in Africa and elsewhere were taught in the days of empire and many still believe to this day).  People are going to come here, and frankly we shouldn't be making it so hard.  "Pretend you're not gay?"  Would they have deported Jews back to Nazi Germany and tell them to pretend they're not Jewish?  Because that's what they're fucking doing.

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

Plus the principle of the receiving country of an asylum seeker ordering by court judgement a person to deceive their own country's government is just wrong. Unfortunately asylum judgements are ridiculously subjective. I've read judgements where it seems like the sitting judge has simply taken a dislike to the claimant. Also I've read judgements which are incredibly personal and sympathetic. It's quite possible the same two people have similarly strong/weak cases but due to the wa the system works, they are at the mercy of individuals.

[Treguard of Dunshelm]

Just a quick bump to let everyone interested know that the Home Office granted Kiana Firouz leave to remain in the UK last month. Thanks to all who signed.

[Cerys]

Fantastic news.

[Santa's Boyfriend]

Yay, thanks for letting us know!

[Ambient Sheep]

:-D

Thanks for the update.

[weekender]

and it is of course reasonably simple to pretend you're gay.

I want to know about all the times you've pretended to be gay.

[rudi]

There's the time he got me pregnant to begin with...

[Danger Man]

Is she the one in Lesbian Bukkake 14?

Lesbian Burqua-ke 14 to be exact. Not as exciting as it sounds.