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Gay Teenager "Faces Death" In Iran
When one considers all the dangerous nutters and even hijackers the British have allowed to stay in the country, it's difficult to believe that one of the first apparently deserving asylum claimants the media has discussed in some time might be sent back to a nation where he could be executed for his sexuality.
19 year old Mehdi Kazemi had his asylum claim in Britain rejected last year. He fled to the Netherlands, where his case was heard again and rejected (EU law means asylum seekers are generally granted asylum only where they first applied for it). Now, he could be returned to Britain where - unless the Home Office changes its tune - he could be sent back to Iran.
Kazemi came to Britain in 2004 to study. He later learned that his former boyfriend was executed for sodomy. During his interrogation, he gave a list of his lovers, including Mr Kazemi. Kazemi applied for asylum, but his case was turned down last year.
The Foreign Office's line is that while Iran regularly hangs homosexuals, it does not "systematically persecute" them. Mr Kazemi's uncle, who lives in Britain, claims that a warrant for Kazemi's arrest has already been issued.
He could be returned to Iran within weeks. A Home Office spokesman admitted that Mr Kazemi had exhausted all his avenues of appeal and could be detained until the date for his deportation is set.
Newspapers have published protests from public figures on the Kazemi case: It's difficult to see how the government will be able to send the young man back to a grim fate in Iran. However, this government - which is reasonably "gay friendly" - has been quiet on the issue, for once. Is there something related to the case that it isn't explaining, or has chosen to hide from the public?
Judges have abused the Human Rights Act, allowing numerous often violent criminals to remain in the country, in the face of public protests and common sense. Moreover, the authorities have such a laid-back attitude to some illegal immigrants that they allowed nine illegal Afghans to travel unsupervised on a train to a detention centre. Of course, they jumped at the first opportunity and have gone to ground.
So why single out Kazemi for deportation, when the government plainly doesn't give a damn who comes into Britain and what they do when they get here?
