Gay Iranian refugee flees Tehran for uncertain fate in Brazil

Image by mbp via Flickr

“Can you at least tell us what's going on? Why are you taking my son's belongings? What has he done?” These are a mother's saying whose son had left home on September 25th, whom she has never seen again after this date. She called her son and explained everything to him; she asked him not to come home until they could find a way out of there for him.

At first, Adison, 29, was guilty because of participating in a peaceful demonstration after the presidential election in Iran, but after being overheard while conversing with his boyfriend in Canada, he was considered guilty for having same sex relations as well.

After a number of days living in absolute solidarity combined with anxiety and fear, the family was able to bribe a man in Tehran’s international airport to allow him to escape Iran to Havana, Cuba, in hopes of going to Canada to start a new life with his boyfriend, a country in which he hopefully would not be treated like a criminal for asking for his primary right of freedom, and not be sentenced to death because of loving a same-sex individual.

From Havana to Mexico, form Mexico to Sao Paulo… He was left alone along the way even by the people smugglers and was arrested in Sao Paulo airport with a fake Canadian passport. He tried to explain the situation for the police officer, but he was captured there and imprisoned in the Transit Terminal of Sao Paulo airport.

According to the interview that we had with his boyfriend, Milad, 25, in Canada, after explaining the situation for us, he asserted that he is really concerned about his boyfriend's mental and physical conditions. He also mentioned that his boyfriend is not eating any foods as a sign of protest. After contacting the federal police of Brazil, we were told that it is not possible for him to be accepted as a refugee in Brazil, and that he would be sent back the exact same way he got here, that is first to Mexico and so on. As a result, he would likely be sent back to Iran eventually and would share a similar fate as those that were persecuted.

Their immigration lawyer in Toronto, Canada has told them that if he could be accepted as a refugee in one of these countries with help from certain human rights organizations, they would be able to help him not be sent back to Iran. So far, we have much tried to be in touch with some of these organizations, but unfortunately there has been no protection for him.

We ask all international organizations such as United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and other local and international organization to help us support Adison and stop his deportation. Also we need lawyers and immigration experts’ advice especially in Brazil and Mexico in order to find a legal solution to help him.

Please contact us at info@irqr.net or 416-548-4171