Decommissioning Human Rights in Cayman

Image via Wikipedia

Source: Cayman Islands News - January 26

By Danielle Coleman

The Human Rights Commission (which replaces the former Human Rights Committee) was established under section 116 of the new Constitution with a mandate of “promoting understanding and observance of human rights in the Cayman Islands.” However, the reputation of the Commission has been brought into question with the recent appointment of members who have a poor track record in the promotion and protection of equal rights for all.

While the new Commission continues to include members who have an unquestionable commitment to human rights, one (and arguably two) recently appointed member(s), Reverend Sykes, has on several occasions and over a period of many years acted and preached towards the exclusion of certain minority groups. By way of example, in 2001 when Cayman laws banning homosexuality were finally abolished, Reverend Sykes complained that this was ‘totally unacceptable’ and stated that such a move would lead to the mandatory inclusion of detailed acts of homosexuality in schools. The fact that this hasn’t happened has done nothing to dampen Reverend Syke’s crusade.

Reverend Sykes’ claims to defend a fundamental moral and biblical stance is little more than a matter of his own personal opinion. Many Christians argue that marriage rights for same-sex couples strengthens the institution of marriage and provides legal protection for partners as well as children of this family unit. The Archbishop of Canterbury has stated that “active homosexual relationships are comparable to marriage" in the eyes of God. South Africa’s Archbishop Desmond Tutu has said that homophobia is a "crime against humanity" and "every bit as unjust" as apartheid.

Same-sex marriages are, according to many Christians, supportive of religions’ commitment to the equality and dignity of all persons.

But while religion’s stance on homosexuality may be a matter for interpretation, human rights law is without ambiguity. The universal declaration of human rights is founded on the principle that all human beings are equal in dignity and rights. The abolition of Cayman’s anti-gay laws was based on the fact that they were a violation of international human rights law.

This issue goes beyond the Cayman Islands. Caymanians on the whole enjoy the highest standard of living in the Caribbean, and has considerable influence in the region. A message of intolerance here, particularly by members of the Human Rights Commission, can be translated into much worse in neighbouring countries. In Jamaica, Amnesty International has documented many cases of gay men and lesbian women being beaten, burned, raped and shot because of their sexuality. Sadly, we have increasingly seen signs of this in Cayman also. Reverend Sykes might not endorse such violence, but his public view that homosexuals do not have equal rights does little to help.

Reverend Sykes’ lack of tolerance of minorities may be viewed as inconsistent with his role as a religious leader; however I would argue that it is utterly and undeniably incompatible with his role on the Human Rights Commission whose primary responsibility is to promote understanding and observance of human rights in Cayman.

The Human Rights Commission is essential to upholding the basic freedoms that human rights provide: the equal treatment of all human beings regardless of the colour of their skin, their age, their socio-economic background, their sexual orientation or other forms of discrimination. To ensure that this important work continues, the Government which appoints members of the Commission should insist that Reverend Sykes publicly renounces his previous convictions, or replace him with someone whose views are not in conflict with the basic principles the Commission is established to uphold. Human rights are, before all else, an affirmation of our shared humanity. Any threats to the basic freedoms that flow from this principle are not a concern for minority groups alone. They affect all of us.

Danielle Coleman served as a member of the former Human Rights Committee from 2006-2009.

Protests over Honduran homophobic violence in Berlin, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Washington DC

Berlin



Zweiter Redebeitrag bei der Demo Putsch und Friedrich Naumann Stiftung / FDP



Redebeitrag „Homo- und transphobe Gewalt

 

More photos of Berlin demo

Source: Chicago Rose

Queer demonstration for human rights and LGBTI *- in Honduras.
4 pm In front of the Foreign Office, Werderscher 1 then to FDP party headquarters
(following the rally of the Honduras Cordination at 3pm)

Kidnapping, arrest and the murder of human rights activists increased since the military coup in Honduras.  Among them was Walter Tróchez, who was shot from a vehicle and later died in the hospital on December 13 2009. Tróchez was a victim of harassment and death threats prior to his murder.  One such case occurred on July 20th 2009, which he was beaten up by police while in custody, and insulted about his sexual orientation after he attended a human rights rally against the military coup.  Tróchez lead the fight for legal protection for gays, lesbians, bisexuals, trans and intersex as well dedicated himself for education about HIV and AIDS.

He took a stand against the killing of many transgender people and gay men since the military coup.  Although the situation for LGBTI in Honduras was dire, it became life-threatening after the coup.  Everyday life became brutal through increased military presence and increased power for right-wing political groups and religious fundamentalist.  The crimes committed since the military coup, some sanctioned by national institutions through the police and military will go unpenalized and receive amnesty.  The perpetrator will go free.

The de facto government will go into office on January 27th with their “President” Porfirio Lobo.  We fear the recognition of Lobos by the German federal government.  We carry the torch of Walter Tróchez and hope that our actions will help our LGBTI friends in Honduras.

~~~~

San Francisco

Source: Petrelis Files

Today was inauguration day in Honduras, and Porfirio Lobo was sworn in as the country's new President. To mark the occasion, gay and democracy advocates took to the street in solidarity with Hondurans. For two-hours this morning, 14 activists staged two vigils at the Honduran consulate in San Francisco's historic Flood Building on Market Street.

The first vigil took place first, when five gay and HIV/AIDS activists went to the consulate's office, only to find it closed for the special day. We spent half an hour in the hallway, talking with people from other offices on the 8th floor. We snapped a few pics and thought to leave a message for the workers, when they return tomorrow.

Our signs with Walter Trochez's visage were taped to the consulate's door, and a few were slipped under it. A small way to express our concern for the gay citizens of Honduras, especially those who've been murdered, and for the full protections of human rights protocols for all Hondurans.

The remainder of the morning was spent engaged in a vigil and flyer-distribution in front of the office building housing the consulate. Members of the Bay Area Latin American Solidarity Coalition, BALASC, including several seniors born in Honduras whose families have suffered harms by rightwing forces over the years. Click here to learn more about the orgs that comprise BALASC, and its multi-faceted political agenda.

This Saturday, January 30, starting at 4 pm, BALASC is holding a town hall meeting with Jose Luis Baquedano, an Honduran labor and political leader active in anti-coup efforts. That meeting is at the Center for Political Education, located at 522 Valencia Street, between 16th and 17th Streets. Stop by to learn more about pro-gay and pro-democracy forces in Honduras.

And big thanks to all the wonderful folks who came out today, on just two-days' notice, to stand in solidarity with gay people in Honduras, and that nation's democracy.

~~~~

Washington DC

Source: Quortha

The first set of shots, courtesy of Lou Ann Prosack, were taken early on in the afternoon protest. More from the 8-9am protest soon to come. Also, there are tons more pics from the incredible Berlin rally. If I have time to process them all soon I will. I really need to set up a photosharing account...

These photos courtesy of Elijah Edelman (thanks to Elijah & the DCTC for their awesome organizing)

Are Gay Iranians Being Deported from European Countries on ‘Erroneous Information’?

Source: UK Gay News commentary

Published earlier this month, a new report on information used by the UK Border Agency to make decisions on asylum cases found that reports on the situation for gays in Iran are “sub-standard or erroneous”.

And in the case of deporting gays back to Iran, and a few other countries, any mistake could well be lethal.

The report deals with the situation in the United Kingdom. But one wonders if there is a similar flaw in the Norwegian system where 40-years-old gay Iranian Asghar Hedayati could well be on the brink of deportation following his application for asylum six-and-a-half years ago.

From what he claims, he has had a number of appeals to the immigration department turned down. But he has not, he says, had his day in a court of law. Certainly, he has no access to a specialist immigration/asylum lawyer, he reports.

There is no way of checking on this as the Norwegian authorities are like the UK Border Agency inasmuch as individual cases are never discussed.

On their Website, LLH (Norwegian LGBT Association) wrote last November that “gay asylum seekers need protection”. The article, in Norwegian, which can be read HERE (in English through Google translator), addresses gay Iraqis and the problems they face with asylum applications in Norway.

But if there are major difficulties for Iraqis, it is fair to assume that it is the same for gay Iranians.

It could well be that gays seeking refuge in Norway from tyranny in their home country are in much the same position as those in the United Kingdom – they are playing a game of refugee roulette.

And “Refugee Roulette” is the title of a report produced by the UK Immigration Advisory Service (IAS) which found that recommendations from a previous review on improvements to use of Country of Origin Information (COI) had not been followed up.

COI is, of course, an important part of the refugee status determination process.

The IAS report noted that in the Iran COI report there is a paragraph that talks about “a park in Tehran where homosexuals can meet”. This paragraph is regularly relied upon to refuse a claim for protection on the basis that gays can exist ‘discretely’ in Iran.

This is something that does not quite tally with gay Iranians in Terhan who were filmed by a Canadian Broadcasting Corporation television news crew three years ago is this particular park. (The video report is no longer available on the CBC’s Website, but it is now on YouTube – links are at the end of this commentary).

Meeting other gays in this park is dangerous, CBC was told. One gay Iranian said on camera it was “suicidal”

Perhaps a copy of this video should be part of the COI folder on Iran?

In UK appeal cases, the paragraph on the park is often used – and has shown to be wrong, as has the translation of the Iranian law on homosexuality, which provides for the death penalty for ‘lavat’ (sodomy).

IAS says in its report that “this point still has not been rectified and exists in the Iran COI report of August 2009”.

In December the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC), the Iranian Queer Organization (IRQO), and COC of the Netherlands launched an appeal for twelve youths under sentence of death for ‘lavat’. Their statement noted that in Iran “rather than paying attention to evidence, the judge often sentences defendants to death based on his speculations”.

With the support of Pride London, an Iranian gay man recently won asylum in UK. Just a few days earlier he spoke of his plight and what it was like to be gay in Iran to a Pride London meeting.

However, his ‘victory’ was on appeal as the Home Office said he should be returned to Iran as he only needed to keep his head down, be “discrete and not show that he was gay”.

Spain recently accepted its first gay Iranian for asylum. He had been arrested and tortured for a week by Iranian police who shouted “fags, the next day we will kill you” at him.

Now Norway is preparing to deport Iranian gay man, Asghar Hedayati, on the same “be discrete” basis which forms the apparent Home Office/UK Border Agency policy.

The ‘discrete’ theory does seem to be an amazing thing for a government to say – and UK Gay News has been in two Home Office appeals tribunals and actuall heard the “judge” (not a real judge but a chairman, apparently appointed by the Home Office) say the very same thing.

The IRS Report says that the Home Office policy documents, which have country specific guidance on particular asylum seeking groups for decision makers, are “not monitored by an independent monitoring body and arguably selected on the basis of policy considerations”.

And it is not only gay men who are treated this way by the UK government. Gay women are, as well. Remember Pegah Emanbakhsh?

“[Refugee Roulette] underlines what case workers, lawyers and campaigners have been saying for years – the system is riddled with homophobia,” says Paul Canning of LGBT Asylum News.

“Both Phil Woolas and, previously, Jacqui Smith have said that it is safe to send gays back to Tehran so long as they are “discrete”. Now we have the evidence showing that the advice they based this on was thoroughly flawed.

“Given the situation in Iran, it is high time Ministers intervened and shook up the system.

“It is sheer hypocrisy for the government to trumpet the Foreign Office’s pro-LGBT human rights strategy at the same time as we are sending gay people back to death zones like Iran, “ he suggested.

As one former UK Home Secretary famously said, the Home Office is “not fit for purpose”. And rarely does a senior politician actually tell the truth.

The bottom line to the entire situation in the UK is that, when it comes to the way gay men and women who are seeking refuge from violent persecution – even incarceration for life or death – in their own country, the government is practicing a form of ‘mental torture’ on some applicants.

• Canandian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC): Out in Iran: Inside Iran's Secret Gay World. A 20-minute report, filmed mainly in Tehran, broadcast in the Sunday Night programme on February 18, 2007. From YouTube:  Part 1, Part 2, Part 3.
• “Now I Have Lost Hope” – Gay Iranian Who Faces Deportation from Norway in Hours. A forty-years-old gay Iranian is today facing deportation from Norway – and it could be in less than 48 hours. (UK Gay News, January 24, 2010)

Poem: Asylum hell

By Babi Badalov

zero if i was Mamadou from Tomboutu Mali
zero If i was Boubakar from Dakar Senegal Mavritani
zero If i was vos from any ozer postcolonial kantri musik
zen zero so many kommunity african in Paris
zen mean i was look more sexy even 50 years old
zen min i was in ze sentr point on way to Frederik Mitteran
zen jusqua Nicolas Sarcozy Karlo Brundi might speak about my keys
zero unfortunetely i am from postsoviet kantri music
zet min i am sound not sexy music for ardhis militants aussi
zet mean i have to suffer year by year to be granted as homosexual
zey say gay artist gay musican excepted all over world
zero may be in Iran also but only if you are merried
zey also say in Azerbaijan lifted bann on homosexuality
zero its like in France and UK all over Europe
zey giv asylum to russians armenians no problem
zero Russia is so small kantri for gays
zero so many cities and long distances
zero so many gay bars gay clabs gay sauna gay sex clubs
zey xev very famouse forbidden Moscow gay pride
zero my contry also very big 8.5 million population
zero there only one big city Baku capital of Azerbaijan
zen and after collapse USSR
zen my country belong to family Aliev's dynasty
zen day by day growing religios society from any ozer postcolonial kantri musik
zen zero so many kommunity african in Paris
zen mean i was look more sexy even 50 years old
zen min i was in ze sentr point on way to Frederik Mitteran
zen jusqua Nicolas Sarcozy Karlo Brundi might speak about my keys
zero unfortunetely i am from postsoviet kantri music
zet min i am sound not sexy music for ardhis militants aussi
zet mean i have to suffer year by year to be granted as homosexual
zey say gay artist gay musican excepted all over world
zero may be in Iran also but only if you are merried
zey also say in Azerbaijan lifted bann on homosexuality
zero its like in France and UK all over Europe
zey giv asylum to russians armenians no problem
zero Russia is so small kantri for gays
zero so many cities and long distances
zero so many gay bars gay clabs gay sauna gay sex clubs
zey  xev very  famouse forbidden Moscow gay pride
zero my contry also very big 8.5 million population
zero there only one big city Baku capital of Azerbaijan
zen and after collapse USSR
zen my country belong to family Aliev's dynasty
zen day by day growing religios society

Background On Babi from 'The coming UK election and LGBT asylum'.

The case of the deported gay Azerbaijani asylum seeker Babi Badalov.

As often happens, Badalov was called in to a meeting, seized and quickly put on a plane. He couldn't even pack a bag so was left on arrival in the Azerbaijani capital Baku with just the clothes he was wearing. Once there he was forced into hiding with fellow artists (he has been exhibited in several countries) due to 'honour' threats of death from family members. His sister had warned him over the phone never to come to the country again.

He said:

I can’t tell you how horrible it is. If I die and there’s a funeral, nobody will come: the mullah won’t come, nobody will read the Koran. [The body of a gay man] is a dirty, foul body. It cannot be touched; it cannot be washed. It must be thrown into a pit, because it’s so shameful. This attitude still exists there.

When he was being put onto the plane Badalov reported being told by a Border Agent, "you make us sick, you're going back where you belong.” He is now in Paris after fleeing first to St Petersberg.

ILGA-Europe launches asylum mailing list

Source: ILGA-Europe

New mailing list dedicated to asylum matters in the EU and in other European countries

This mailing list is getting settled as the Beginning of 2010. The first participants are the attendees of the workshop organised on asylum topics during the 2009 ILGA-Europe conference in Malta. Other participants may be included as our exchanges develop.
 
1.  Exchange of information on the implementation of the EU legislation

The EU legislation provides a common ground for all national legislations on  asylum. The national laws can be more generous than the European one, but however the latter provides minimum standards of protection for asylum seekers and of obligations for the Member States. Denmark is the only EU country that opted out. We all know that, in a lot of EU Member States, even this minimal level of protection is not correctly ensured. It is more than essential for European NGOs to  be  able  to  communicate  on  the  ground  of  existing  examples,  since  the European institutions have the mission to ensure a correct implementation of EU law. ILGA-Europe, thanks to its presence in Brussels, and as a member of the NGO platform on migration and asylum, is in a position to contribute to that job, provided we sum up information coming from our national members.

An issue at stake in 2010 is the review of the EU legislation. All the relevant directives and regulations are currently going into a review process. This process started in 2007, and is going on quite slowly due to the highly controversial debates between Member States. Another new element is the settlement of a new European Asylum Support Office (EASO) in the coming month, as well as the introduction of a yearly debate on migration and asylum at EU level. ILGA-Europe will follow up on these questions, and also use tools such as our EU network  to  share  information.  This  mailing  list  will  be  an  important  way  to
communicate.
 
2.  Exchange of information on individual cases

The purpose of the exchange on individual cases is to help building a common knowledge of the way the European legislation is implemented. Hopefully, it will help us to better articulate our political positions as regards the different existing directives and regulations. As such, the exchange on individual cases will be complementary to the exchange of information mentioned in paragraph 1.
 
Another reason for collecting information on individual stories is that such stories can sometimes be reported to our contacts in the European institutions. On that ground, members of the European Parliament may develop an input on the on-going recast of the EU legislation. On that ground too, it will be easier to call on the European  Commission  to take action (infringement  procedure) against Member States, wherever the legislation is not properly implemented.

In case of emergency, and should ILGA-Europe’s intervention be of some use (for example to organise  political  initiatives to avoid the deportation of  a homosexual or transgender asylum seeker), you can contact me directly using joel@ilga-europe.com my address at ILGA-Europe’s office.

3.  Some rules to facilitate the list’s functioning

The mailing list is a moderated mailing list. In other words, whenever a message is sent, the moderator has to accept it before it is sent to all recipients. Please think of it when you consider sending a message.

If a message appears to be directed at only a small number of the mailing list’s participant, or if it contains only a simple question to which ILGA-Europe can provide the answer, the moderator might decide to answer directly to the sender, or alternatively to forward the message to the relevant recipients.

However, the moderator will work in a way that does not prevent debates to happen on the mailing list.

To subscribe email asylum-subscribe@ilga-europe.org

Puritanism is Deadly Policy: US Fed Homophobia in Uganda Must Stop

Image via Wikipedia

Source: Huffington Post - January 28

It was early evening when he slouched into my office. Medium height, thin, brown, he had lost some weight recently. There was a nervousness to his eye, a lack of comfort intimating the visit was not to his liking.

Slight hesitation, then the plunge. He had been advised to take the HIV test. It had come back positive. The unvoiced fright in his face was palpable. HIV was a death diagnosis at the time. Drugs had just been discovered, but ours was one of the few clinics prescribing them. He would never be able to afford them.

But I was his doctor. We talked, for a long while, trying to ease his fear. We talked prevention, diet, exercise. We talked doctors, medicines. Then he dropped the bombshell.

He was gay. How would he protect his boyfriends?

His being homosexual didn't faze me. But, I didn't know the answer. What was safer sex for a gay man?

In Africa, what most of us know about homosexuality is that it's a political taboo. That had carried over into my medical education. I did all my training in Africa. I was used to wards filled with patients, male and female, dying of AIDS. I knew HIV was spread by sex. To me, it was a heterosexual disease. I'd never been taught or told much about prevention or treatment for men who had sex with men.

Now what I didn't know turned out to be an amazing ocean. Over the next few days, I taught myself about this significant area in HIV. I realized that most doctors never asked questions about anal sex. We assumed all our patients were straight.

In the next few weeks, I came up with a plan. I was fired up, but the next hurdle was a concrete wall. How does one tackle HIV and gay men in a country like Uganda?

Uganda is undergoing a crisis of homophobia. In the 1990s, the country had an effective HIV/AIDS prevention program. Broad-based partnerships and targeted public education campaigns meant that the number of people living with HIV actually declined dramatically. That's over. In this decade, ideology and prejudice shouldered aside science to drive Uganda's anti-AIDS campaign.

The US bears much of the blame. The US President's Emergency Program for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) surrendered to homophobia and reinforced the invisibility of gay men. It preached "abstinence until marriage;" since gays can't marry, they were excluded from HIV outreach. The US Agency for International Development, responding to Congressional pressure, barred use of the term "men who have sex with men." In Uganda, these programs funded faith-based organizations -- many with no experience working on HIV prevention or treatment, many openly spreading hatred of lesbians and gay men.

Gay Ugandans struggled for visibility. After they held a news conference in 2007, preachers and parliamentarians demanded they be punished. Police arrested gays who protested the lack of inclusive HIV prevention programs at an international meeting in 2008.

In March, 2009, three Americans arrived, led by evangelist Scott Lively. They held a packed seminar, spoke at churches and rallies, lobbied parliament Their themes: homosexuals were a danger to Uganda. The 'Homosexual Agenda' would corrupt youth. Gays had lots of money, and backing from America and Europe.

The evangelists' well-funded junket led to months of hysterical witch hunts. Newspapers published lists of "homos." Accusations and counter-accusations flew.

Now, a member of Parliament of the ruling party has drafted a bill to deal with the "threat." The "Anti-Homosexuality Bill," introduced in Parliament in October, has a simple purpose: to wipe out homosexuality in Uganda.

If the proposed law passes, the effects will be devastating. Life in prison or the death penalty will be the punishment for gay sex. "Promotion of homosexuality" will be a crime. Giving out water-based lubricant for safer sex would be "promotion." Citizens are required to inform on friends or family members who are gay. If the bill had been law, I should have handed my gay patient over to the police within 24 hours of our consultation.

Another bill before parliament is supposed to prevent the spread of HIV. Under this one, as a doctor, I am supposed to tell a patient's wife or sexual partners if he has HIV. If it passes, people living with AIDS will fear the very doctors they need to trust.

My own efforts to work on HIV among gay men in Uganda ran up against pervasive ignorance and silence. When I asked members of Kampala's gay community what they knew about AIDS and how to prevent it, I found the most frightening myths. Meanwhile, Uganda's HIV service organizations were quite literally terrified of the subject. And the more I spoke out about gay men and HIV, the more I became a suspect.

In Uganda, our once-lauded AIDS programs are failing. They refuse to serve major vulnerable populations like gay men. Puritanism may make attractive politics, but it's deadly policy.

The US government, and US evangelicals, have a huge responsibility for the failure. The Bush administration promoted narrow-minded policies. Meanwhile, preachers imported their own American brand of hate into our borders.

The Obama administration has a chance to turn things around -- but it must act fast. It must press Uganda's government to bring science and human rights back into HIV prevention. Otherwise, my patient, and thousands like him, will die from the deadliest diseases: silence and fear.

Dr. Paul Semugoma is a Ugandan physician in private practice in Kampala. He has researched the prevalence of HIV/AIDS in vulnerable Ugandan communities.

Iranian Gay Teen on Death-row: Case Unknown

Image by Beverly & Pack via Flickr

Source: Persian2English, January 27 / Committee of Human Rights Reporters

All the follow-ups made on the case of Nemat Safavi, a teenager from Ardebil have been fruitless. He was arrested at the age of 16 for 'same-sex conduct.' Nemat Safavi was tried in juvenile court and condemned to execution by the Ardebil judiciary. All 3 criminal branches in Ardebils Revolutionary Court declare not having any information on the case.

This is taking place as the judgment issued for Safavi's execution was rejected by the country's Supreme Court. His case was transferred to a branch in Ardebils criminal court.

The date of reference is March 4, 2009. This is why the case should be in the criminal court of Ardebil, but the behaviour of justice officials and their claims of not having any information pertaining to Safavi has led to increased concerns.

Last year, Ghasem Bashkool, a teenager condemned to death under the charge of 'same-sex conduct,' was executed without the knowledge of his lawyer. Ghasem Bashkool's case has caused increased worries regarding Nemat Safavi.

We spoke to one of the lawyers who had access to the case of a few teenagers on death row. On Safavi's possible execution, he said, "As the decree for his execution was repudiated, there is no possibility of a sudden execution because it first has to be confirmed. So either the Court of Appeals has not yet been set up, or if it has, the execution decree may have not been issued for the second time. If it had, the Supreme Court would have known about it."

Human Rights Watch has issued the following statement on the condemnation of the 3 teenagers sentenced to death on charges of same-sex conduct:

"Punishment by death for teenagers under 18 is banned by international regulations. Both the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Political and Civil Rights Convention ban capital punishment for those who are under 18 years of age. These regulations reflect a reality that children and teenagers are different from adults because they lack experience, judgment, maturity, and other adult characteristics. Iran ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1994 and the Civil and Political Rights Convention in 1975."

Home Secretary Alan Johnson accused of asylum-seeker betrayal

Image via Wikipedia

Source: Hull Daily Mail - January 16, 2010

HOME Secretary Alan Johnson has been accused of "betraying" a respected Hull asylum- seeker.

The Hull West and Hessle MP has been charged with ending his support for Emmanuel Njoya and his family after taking the top post with the Home Office last year.

The Mail can reveal that in 2007, Mr Johnson wrote to the Home Office, making an impassioned "life and death" plea not to send Emmanuel back to the volatile African nation of Cameroon, where he had been tortured for being a member of opposition political party, the South Cameroons National Council (SCNC).

Two years later, in his role as Home Secretary, Mr Johnson wrote to Emmanuel's close friend Rev Mick Fryer, of St Aidan's Church, east Hull, to say he was "satisfied that the proper processes have been followed and that it would be inappropriate for me to intervene in this matter".

Mr Njoya, 36, his wife, Efrasye, 26, and their baby, Tracey, were deported two weeks later.

Mr Johnson told the Mail he accepted the finding that Emmanuel, who spent time in both east and west Hull, was not a genuine asylum-seeker, after hearing all the evidence.

Jackie Fearnley, of human rights charity Justice First, backed the family's seven-year battle to stay in the country.

She said: "Alan Johnson has not been able to answer the simple question of why, as Emmanuel's MP, he could assert it would be dangerous for him to go back to Cameroon, but as Home Secretary, he could decide he was perfectly safe."

Mr Johnson and Emmanuel knew each other because Emmanuel was an active member of the Labour Party in Hull.

The family is currently understood to be lying low in Cameroon, kept afloat by financial handouts from their former church, St Aidan's.

Until now, the Mail has not been able to print the letters, because of fears the publicity would place the family in more danger in Cameroon.

But the family has set aside their concerns to allow the matter to be brought to light.

The two letters, written just 32 months apart, show a startling change of stance.

In his first letter to Immigration Minister Liam Byrne, in January 2007, Mr Johnson wrote: "I can only stress once again how much I wish to support this claim.

"Mr Njoya has suffered terribly and his family in Cameroon continue to do so.

"If Mr Njoya were to be returned, this would be devastating for him and his family. Indeed, it could be fatal.

"There are few cases where we need our system to work more than this one. Please read Mr Njoya's case.

"I think you will find it hard to disagree.

"I would be grateful if you would add my letter to this file as a recommendation that Mr Njoya should be given full asylum status."

After Mr Johnson took his new role of Home Secretary, which involves overseeing immigration and asylum procedures, it is claimed he made a U-turn and ended his active support for Emmanuel.

In his letter to Rev Fryer, Mr Johnson quoted a report, which concluded Emmanuel was not a genuine asylum-seeker.

This read: "At his appeal hearing, an independent adjudicator found that Mr Njoya did not 'succeed in showing that he is seriously wanted by the authorities in Cameroon'."

The adjudicator went on: "I believe the appellant has exaggerated his involvement and I am satisfied he is not as much at risk as he wishes to portray."

St Aidan's Church, where the couple were married, has been a pillar of support for the family.

Last May, members of the congregation picketed Heathrow Airport when attempts were first made to deport Emmanuel.

They successfully managed to persuade the pilot not to take him.

Rev Fryer keeps in regular contact with Emmanuel through an old mobile phone, topped up by the church.

Speaking about Mr Johnson, the vicar said: "I am appalled anybody can change their stance so very quickly.

"To me, it appears he is someone prepared to put his career ahead of this family's wellbeing."

"We feel he (Emmanuel) has been betrayed."

Emmanuel, in a text to the Rev Fryer, wrote: "I have been fighting in conscience not to betray the system for (Alan Johnson's) sake.

"My vulnerable family now face life in hiding with no future.

"I would resort to suicide without St Aidan's."

Since returning to Cameroon at the end of September, campaigners say the situation has been grim for the Njoyas.

The family apparently had to sleep rough in a park for a time, after they were forced to flee the safe house where they were staying when police officers came looking for them.

Baby Tracey, who turned one last month, was struck with yellow fever and had to be hospitalised.

Both mother and daughter were then very poorly with sickness and diarrhoea.

It is Emmanuel and Efrasye's first wedding anniversary this week.

Ms Fearnley said: "A report from the Medical Foundation found his injuries were consistent with his claims of torture.

"And yet, he was forced to spend long periods of time in detention, away from his wife and small baby, suffered many attempts at removal, some of them as brutal as the torture he received, culminating in his return to the country he had escaped from."

Mr Johnson said he did not have the full details of Emmanuel's case when he wrote the first letter, in support of him.

He said: "It is ludicrous to accuse me of a U-turn when the letter I wrote (in 2007) was as an MP, with one side of the story.

"The decision I take as Home Secretary is as a Minister in the Cabinet, responsible for both sides of the argument and looking at a case that has already been through an independent system.

"He has been found to not be a genuine asylum-seeker.

"I should not overturn those decisions just because I know Emmanuel.

"This is asking me, as soon as I become Home Secretary, to show a bias to anyone who I knew and anyone who was in my constituency and I have to give them preference over everyone else in the country and I'm afraid that is basically corrupt."

Mr Johnson said he was convinced, at the time, that Emmanuel needed asylum. He said: "Of course, I believed the argument I was putting forward on behalf of Emmanuel.

"It was my job as his advocate to put that forward, but I cannot, as Home Secretary, simply ignore the asylum and immigration judgement, ignore the judicial review and say no, you have to do this, simply because I knew him and he was a member of the Labour Party in Hull.

"I would be condemned, quite rightly, for acting corruptly.

"The whole point of the British system is that you separate away, you have a conflict of interests in what you do in your constituency as the local MP and what you do as a Minister responsible for the whole of the Government and, in this country, we have to be clear."

He also admitted he was "not clear" over whether he possessed the power to intervene.

Will the Philippines Criminalize Gay Marriage?

Source: change.org

By Juliet Blalack

While in Malawi a gay couple sits in jail for their marriage, in Manila, House Representative Bienvenido Abante Jr. is pushing a bill that would criminalize gay marriage in the Philippines.

Never mind that same-sex marriages (or even civil unions) aren't recognized in the Philippines yet. Apparently the possibility of gay couples having private ceremonies is keeping Abante up at night.

House Bill 6919 recommends punishments for both the couple applying for a marriage license and the minister officiating the ceremony. If the bill passes, the newlyweds could get sentenced to up to 15 years in prison and a fine of P150,000 (about $3,200 USD). If either of them happens to work in the government, she/he will be fired and blacklisted from all public sector jobs.

Perhaps Abante is feeling a tad nervous about another bill in the Filipino House which would outlaw discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation. He gave a speech condemning the bill as "death to a just and humane society." His explanation? It would lead to discrimination against heterosexuals.

It could be plausible that Abante was just looking out for the rights of heterosexuals if he hadn't, say, wrote his own bill declaring gay marriage criminal. Or stated that preventing discrimination against LGBT people "will encourage social aberrations as well as moral decadence."

This type of representation hardly seems appropriate for a staunch democracy whose constitution promises "the State values the dignity of every human person and guarantees full respect for human rights."

Lagablab, an organization advocating for LGBT rights in the Philippines, called for the resignation of Abante. And perhaps he does seem more fitted for some other career -- like maybe a return to the pulpit full-time (Abante is a Baptist minister).

Abante's bill to criminalize same-sex marriages is currently being considered by the Population and Family Relations Committee of the Philippines. Let's watch and hope that the Family Relations Committee members are more equality-minded.

UK Foreign Office releases responses to queries about Jamaican homophobia

Source: Petrelis Files  - January 21

In response to a Freedom of Information Act request I filed in late December with the UK Foreign Office for any files on Jamaican gay issues during 2009, 27-pages responsive to my request were located and released to me.

The pages show how the Foreign Office responded to a handful of queries about homophobia in Jamaica. I was fascinated by the over all quickness of the replies, the strong commitment to work on behalf of global gay issues, and the sharing of the detailed protocols guiding British diplomats in addressing the human rights abuses of gay people.

Click here to read all of the pages released to me, and below is a copy of a letter from the Foreign Office explaining its approach working on behalf of protecting the human rights and security of gay Jamaicans:

Turkey: Protect Freedom of Association for Gay Rights Activists

Source: Human Rights First

In February 2010, a prominent LGBT rights organization in Turkey may be forced to shut down. The Turkish authorities have been publicly opposed to the organization's work on behalf of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) individuals.

The Black Pink Triangle Association of Izmir (Siyah Pembe Üçgen Izmir) is accused of acting illegally and against public morality by refusing to amend its official charter, which affirms the right of LGBT individuals to enjoy a life of peace and equality. Attempts to close gay rights organizations are not new in Turkey. Public officials have unsuccessfully challenged the activities of three groups in courts since 2005.

TAKE ACTION NOW to urge the presiding Judge to impartially adjudicate the motion to close the Black Pink Triangle Association of Izmir.

• SIGN THE PETITION
  

Background Information

The Black Pink Triangle Association of Izmir (Siyah Pembe Üçgen Izmir), an organization that advocates for the rights of LGBT individuals in Turkey, presented its charter to the Governor of the Province of Izmir in February 2009 for registration. According to the charter, the organization aims to "support all lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender men and women to adopt equality as a value, to realize their inner selves and to help bring peace and welfare by developing themselves."

In May 2009, Governor Mustafa Cahit Kirac asked the Black Pink Triangle Association to amend its charter on the grounds that it violated public morality and the structure of the traditional Turkish family. Following the organization's refusal, the Public Prosecutor of Izmir filed a motion on October 16, 2009 to close the Black Pink Triangle Association of Izmir.

The closure of this organization on the grounds of public morality denies LGBT rights advocates the right to freedom of association and goes against Turkey's obligations under international law. Freedom of association is guaranteed in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), to which Turkey is a party.

In 2005 and 2006, the government of Ankara unsuccessfully tried to shut down two gay rights organizations, also citing the perceived threats to public morality and family values. In 2008, Turkey's oldest LGBT rights group, Lambda Istanbul, was ordered to disband by a court in Istanbul - thankfully, the decision was successfully appealed and overturned by a higher court.

We are concerned that the Black Pink Triangle Association could be ordered to disband following an upcoming February hearing.

• History of LGBT issues in Turkey:

Homophobia discussed at state-sponsored Tridadian event

Source: The blog of Trinidad & Tobago’s Coalition Advocating for the Inclusion of Sexual Orientation (CAISO)

To judge by the energy in the packed ballroom at the Crowne Plaza on Wrightson Rd. tonight, 2010 is off to a promising start. Even before the programme started, the room was filled close to capacity…with men – most of them African, many of them very young. The lobby was full, too, with a crowd browsing the agency tables with materials on men’s health and wellness. (Hmmm: they didn’t invite us to table…)


The fifth? “distinguished lecture” by the Trinidad & Tobago government’s gender ministry focused on masculinity and violence. The grey-bearded 56-year-old Guyanese university professor began his talk, “Abandoning Old Shibboleths of Masculinity in the Struggle against Violence”, by explaining the funny word in the title. He cited the Old Testament’s Judges 12: 5-6, where the term originates, then hauntingly brought the story of the lisp that kills home to Hispaniola in the Caribbean and the 20th-century Parsley Massacre – both cautionary tales of how social groups try to police who does and doesn’t “belong” with violence and with snap judgements about people’s behaviour that don’t always get it right.

Then sociologist Linden Lewis, president of the Caribbean Studies Association, former UWI instructor, international consultant, and current chair of the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at Bucknell University in the US, addressed another “concept” in his title: violence. He wanted to highlight three aspects of violence – structural violence; symbolic violence; and denial of rights – though he wasn’t saying that these three things were more important than what we normally think about as violence, issues like domestic violence, kidnapping, rape; but they were aspects of violence that don’t usually get talked about. They could offer us different conceptual lenses on violence than the ones we are accustomed to.

He started off reminding us that the explosive Small Arms Survey report was published by an independent research institute in Switzerland and of its statistic that East Port of Spain is more deadly than Baghdad. He recapped the per capita murder rates in Trinidad & Tobago and Jamaica. He cited that the Caribbean has three of the top ten rape rates in the world. He noted that prostate cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths in Trinidad & Tobago – exceeding breast cancer.

Then dry, dry so, according to UWI gender scholar and activist Gabrielle Hosein, the man start talking about homophobia. And talking about homophobia. And talking about homophobia.

That the incidence of prostate cancer is linked to the fact that Caribbean men refuse to undergo rectal exams because they associate a doctor’s finger in their ass with bulling. The story of the 80-year-old blind man who would rather pee on the floor every time than sit down to do so – because if men stoop, the whole ideological infrastructure falls down. Jorge Steven Lopez Mercado, a Puerto Rican 19-year-old from Cayey stabbed, decapitated, dismembered and burned by a man who took him home without realizing he was a man. So you get vex; but then you cut off his head and his limbs and you set him on fire… Then he lingered on Jamaica: MP Ernest Smith’s Parliamentary rantings about gays organizing, carrying licensed firearms and serving in the police; PM Bruce Golding’s “Not in my Cabinet” statement on BBC television; still images of the April 2007 mob beating of a Trans person in Falmouth, Trelawny. And then he just let the entire cellphone video of the same noisy attack that had horrified folks around the world play, pointing out at the end how many of the assailants were women, who responded equally to the young victim’s trangression of masculinity with violence.

He then turned to Trinidad & Tobago, talked about “sexuality and citizenship”, and asked whether GLBT citizens were just as “Trini to the bone”, or instead second-class citizens, outside the social order. And then he made the point: that our shibboleth is that the only valid sexuality for men is heterosexuality. Then softly he said: “We must change”. The goal of his talk was not instant conversion, though, he quickly admitted. And abandoning the shibboleths of masculinity was necessary, but not sufficient, to eliminate violence, he cautioned. Nor did the answer to violence lie in more after-school programmes or football teams, but rather in how we spend time with our children, in how leaders set an example, in how we engage in dialogue with each other. In how we and our politicians treat responding to the problem of violence as an urgent and ongoing investment in our future.

The promise of the evening didn’t end there, though. It continued with the handful of audience members who got a chance to speak during the question period. Donald Berment from Men Against Violence Against Women, noting honestly that Lewis’s remarks were not what a number of those seated around him in the room wanted to hear, thanked him by saying “You said what I wanted to hear.” Lewis responded to his comment with curiosity about what it was people wanted to hear and, if they already knew it, why they had come. Brian Bradshaw, identifying himself as a hot-blooded heterosexual, lamented how organized religion sees anything outside traditional masculinity as threatening, that the media are very fond of hypersexual, homophobic masculinity, and how difficult it is for men like him to find space and partners to engage with in alternative practices of masculinity – adding that women, also, make it hard. And the evening ended with Lewis still standing, trapped at the front of a now empty room, with a small group of young men who were fundamentalist believers, continuing to engage them as they struggled with what he had said, and insisting that whatever they believed spiritually, they had to afford GLBT people humanity.

Although neither the minister nor her permanent secretary was there, the programme was sponsored and Lewis was invited by the Ministry of Community Development, Culture & Gender Affairs – the same one Marlene McDonald heads, the same one that developed the Gender Policy, the same one that took any concerns about sexual orientation, homosexuality or same-sex unions out of the Policy just six months ago.

Did Lewis know this story, asked Hazel Brown of the Network of NGOs for the Advancement of Women, and one of the most tireless advocates for the Policy. She reminded the audience that Bruce Golding’s Hardtalk comments were preceded by our own Prime Minister’s at a 2006 conference on the 50th anniversary of the PNM: “My religious beliefs do not allow for a flexible definition of gender. A man is a man; a woman is a woman. And whenever the twain meet it is in special circumstances.” Had Lewis read our Gender Policy? Yes, he noted matter-of-factly.

The power of the evening was its focus precisely and calmly on the logic and connections between gender policy and homophobia that were the reasons the drafters of the 2004 document put issues of sexual orientation in there in the first place. It was a surprising and refreshing moment for CAISO and our allies in the room (like ASPIRE, IGDS and MAVAW) – but a moment that is in no small part the product of our work: at this year’s Caribbean Studies Association meeting, where we met Lewis, around the Gender Policy itself, and in building alliances of principle with each other.

It also offers clear hope for what is shaping up to be a packed agenda for CAISO in 2010 (more on this in the coming weeks!); and that, the flawed policy notwithstanding, our gender ministry may in fact take up some of these issues.

Dear Minister McDonald…

The Refugee Roulette: The Role of Country Information in Refugee Status Determination

Source: Immigration Advisory Service

'Country information has got to be more at the forefront than it is. There must be awareness that these are political decisions' - Legal representative.

Country of origin information (COI) is an important part of the refugee status determination process. It assists decision makers to assess the credibility of accounts and the risk upon return against background evidence that details the conditions in the country of origin.

If legal representatives, advisors or decision-makers are unable properly to access, understand and utilise country information, they cannot provide quality advice and representation to asylum seekers or make proper decisions.

This report explores how individuals from four stakeholder groups use country information and what factors impact on their level of use, using data from 100 questionnaires, 20 interviews and 6 focus groups. Information was gathered from UK Borders Agency (UKBA) staff, legal representatives, immigration judges and experts.

Overall, insufficient usage of country of origin information is reported to be commonplace, particularly at the initial decision making phase, despite improvements under the New Asylum Model (NAM). The way country information is used was observed to be different within each of the stakeholder groups, due to differential levels of knowledge, application and analysis of the information.

Improvements in using country of origin information would result in better decision-making. However, what is also required is a shift in the culture within the refugee status determination process amongst all players and across adversarial boundaries. This entails a re-statement of commitment to asylum seekers and the humanitarian principles upon which the Refugee Convention was founded, as well as recognition of the deeper problems affecting the system. More time, resources, training and funding are essential for people to conduct effective country research and analysis upon which sound decisions can be made. This commitment should also be reflected in heightened transparency and accountability in both information production and usage. Thus, for real improvement to take place, political will from the government to commit resources to refugee status determination is fundamental.

This report shows the value of country of origin research in determining individual asylum claims and will assist in promoting a more rigorous asylum determination system. We are proud to be able to release this report, part of a long tradition of excellent research produced by the Research, Information and Policy Unit of the IAS. John Scampion CBE, Chair of the Trustees, Immigration Advisory Service

• The Refugee Roulette : The role of country information in refugee status determination [PDF]
• The Refugee Roulette - Executive Summary
  

Background note
This publication forms part of an 18-month project that was funded by the Big Lottery Fund and undertaken by Natasha Tsangarides of the Immigration Advisory Service (IAS). The project sought to improve the use of, access to, and understanding of country of origin information in the refugee status determination process.

The report's introduction

Country of origin information (COI) is an integral part of asylum decision-making in the UK at all stages of the refugee status determination (RSD) process. COI details the social, political, judicial and human rights profile of a given country. This information is used within asylum decision-making to assess the risk upon return for individuals to their country of origin as well as the credibility and plausibility of individual claims. COI enables decision-makers to assess if an asylum seeker's subjective fear is based on objectively adverse circumstances, and therefore whether an asylum claim is 'well-founded'.

The need for country of origin information within RSD is explicitly stated in the UNHCR Handbook thus:  'As regards the objective element, it is necessary to evaluate the statements made by the applicant. The competent authorities that are called upon to determine refugee status are not required to pass judgment on conditions in the applicant's country of origin. The applicant's statements cannot, however, be considered in the abstract, and must be viewed in the context of the relevant background situation'. The legislative and policy framework underlining the use and importance of COI are also outlined in the UK Home Office policy instructions as well within the EU Qualification and Procedures Directives.

COI material consists of a variety of sources including reports produced by experts, news services, Non Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and government bodies, including the UKBA's COIS reports. Reported case law and Country Guidance (CG) cases also contain guidance, assessments and sources of COI. Operational Guidance Notes (OGNs) are Home Office policy documents and provide country specific guidance to case owners on particular asylum seeking groups. Whilst these contain COI, its content is not monitored by an independent monitoring body and is arguably selected on the basis of policy considerations.

Within the RSD process, a number of stakeholders use COI, namely Immigration Judges, UKBA caseowners/caseworkers, Home Office Presenting Officers (HOPOs), legal representatives, experts and unrepresented asylum seekers.

Asylum applications are assessed by the Home Office and the Asylum and Immigration Tribunal (AIT), against the relevant background information on the country from where the claimant fears persecution. In this way, decision makers are able to assess the credibility of claimants and their risk of persecution if returned to their country of origin and thereon whether the UK, in accordance with its international obligations under the 1951 Refugee Convention and Article 3 of the ECHR, should provide protection.

If legal representatives, advisors or decision-makers are unable to properly access, understand and utilize country information, they cannot provide quality advice and representation to asylum seekers or make adequate decisions.  Should the advice or representation given to asylum claimants be sub-standard or even erroneous, or if a wrong decision is made, the consequences for the individual could be significant. This might include enforced removal and ultimately return to a country where they could be at risk of persecution or death.

Despite the importance of COI within RSD, it remains relatively unexplored. Indeed, little has been done to interrogate how COI is used by practitioners or decision-makers. Attempts have been made to formulate criteria for the assessment of COI but there is little monitoring or regulation of the information being used. Part of the reason for this is because COI is a constructed field of knowledge that incorporates knowledge from a variety of disciplines and sources, which for the most part are not written with the RSD process in mind. This provokes tension because these diverse origins present divergent modes of thought, mandates, and approaches to information production. Subsequently, attempting to create and implement criteria for an ideal standard of COI is problematic. In turn, these factors further complicate its usage.

This report intends to explore how individuals from each of the stakeholder groups understand, approach and use COI. Based on the results from the data, a series of recommendations are proposed that intend to improve usage and ultimately contribute to a more rigorous determination system.

LGBT references

Page 92 - Information Producers

There is also a lack of communication between experts and other “information producers”, namely the UKBA [UK Border Agency] COIS [Country of Origin Information Service] department. The failure to take on board the lessons and sources of COI [Country of Origin Information] emerging from CG [country guidance] cases, is a point for grievance amongst some experts. This is particularly the case when so much time and resources have been put into proving a particular point in the COIS report is wrong or if the sources contained within it are “erroneous and misrepresenting”.

For example, in the Iran COIS report, there is a paragraph that talks about a park in Tehran where homosexuals can meet. This paragraph is regularly relied upon in RFRLs [Reason For Refusal Letter] in Iranian homosexuality cases to refuse a claim for protection. However, this same paragraph was thrashed out in CG cases with the translation of the Iranian law on homosexuality proven to be incorrect by the experts at the Tribunal. However, this point still has not been rectified and exists in the Iran COIS report of August 2009 in paragraph 21.46.

There is evidently a need for heightened communication between experts and the COIS department in order to ensure that the best possible information sources are incorporated and reflected in the reports. Furthermore, the results proposed a “feedback loop” from CG findings into the COIS reports, when a piece of information has been found to be clearly wrong or out of date. Taken further, COIS reports would benefit from attending all CG hearings, listening to the expert comments, making direct links with country experts and widening their source bases in order to strengthen their reports.

Page 105 - Amongst recommendations for Training Needs Identified for UKBA Asylum Staff:

Research skills

• Thematic research and knowledge, for example, claims involving trafficking, children and sexuality 

General

• Cultural competency training
  

Page 112 - Amongst recommendations from COI Professionals:

• Thematic COI production: Internal armed conflict; internal flight alternative; LGBT issues; and trafficking are all pressing issues where thematic research would be welcomed  
• Specific research for claims involving gender, minors, religion, sexuality, ethnicity and trafficking
  

The Refugee Roulette

Uganda Is Only a Tiny Piece of the Global Anti-Gay Epidemic

Image by the|G|™ via Flickr

Source: change.org

By Adam Amel Rogers

Uganda’s proposed “kill the gays” bill has attracted a fair amount of media coverage. Apparently, the prospect of receiving the death penalty simply for being gay struck a chord for a lot of people. But while we have world's attention, it is important to acknowledge that the unsafe climate for LGBT people reaches much further than the border of Uganda. The devastating truth is that, compared with other nations in the region, Uganda is closer to the rule than the exception.

Homosexuality is illegal in 80 nations across the globe. No, that is not a typo. In 80 countries, the government mandates imprisonment for those who are perceived to be gay. Uganda is already one of these nations –- the current penalty is life in prison. The proposed bill would make Uganda the ninth country to hand down a death sentence to gay citizens, joining Sudan, Mauritania, Nigeria, Somalia, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Yemen, and Iran.

Think this is a case of countries having archaic laws on the books that aren’t really enforced? Unfortunately, this is not the case. Right now in Iran, 12 young men (including 8 teenagers) are awaiting execution after being convicted of sodomy.

As awful as this is, the shocking truth is that, for most LGBT people in these countries, the non-governmental condemnation can be much more horrific and far deadlier.

In Iraq, "death squads" search the streets for anyone exhibiting "unmanly behavior." Anyone perceived to be gay is promptly kidnapped, beaten and tortured. For those being tormented, the worst part comes when their families are called. The shame of having a gay son is considered unbearable.

All over the Muslim world, this "shame" leads to so-called "honor killings," where the gay person is killed by a family member to protect the honor of the family.  Most honor killings are not widely publicized, but last month The New York Times profiled a 26-year-old openly gay man in Turkey, whose father traveled over 600 miles to hunt him down and kill him.

Even in countries that have enjoyed progress on LGBT equality, the situation is far from ideal. Gay and lesbian couples in South Africa have been able to legally marry since 2006, but there is currently an epidemic of lesbians being gang raped all over South Africa. It is being called "corrective rape" because the perpetrators believe that after being with several men, the women will be "cured" of their homosexuality.

The list of travesties goes on and on –- in every corner of the globe (including the U.S.), LGBT people are living in unsafe and unjust situations. As we continue the fight for marriage equality, federal nondiscrimination policies, and the dissolution of anti-gay military policy, it is imperative that the gay rights movement not forget our global LGBT family members who are simply trying to survive.

Start fighting global anti-gay violence right now by adding your name to the petition condemning the Uganda "kill the gays" bill.

Soirée FRISSONS DU MONDE au profit de l'Ardhis - 31/01 18h-23h

 

soirée FRISSONS DU MONDE au profit de l'Ardhis (Sunday, 31/01 18h-23h, CHILLS THE WORLD evening for the benefit of Ardhis)

NOUVELLES MODALITÉS D'ACCUEIL

Attention à partir de janvier 2010, les modalités d’accueil de l’Ardhis évoluent.
Les permanences du 1er et 3ème mardis n’existent plus mais sont remplacées par :

Le premier mardi du mois à 19H30 :

Permanence sur les problématiques de séjour et les questions relatives aux droits à vivre ensemble des couples bi-nationaux homosexuels.

Le deuxième samedi du mois à 13H :

Permanence destinée aux personnes qui demandent l’asile en raison des craintes de persécution dans leur pays d’origine de fait de leur orientation sexuelle ou de leur identité de genre.

Aujourd'hui, PLUS de 300 adhèrents soutiennent l'ARDHIS... rejoignez-nous !

Ces permanences ont toujours lieu au
Centre LGBT Paris-Île-de-France,
63 rue Beaubourg, 75003 Paris
Contact Ardhis :
tel : 06 19 64 03 91
mail : contact@ardhis.org

En cas d'urgence (interpellation, aprf, retention, oqtf, rejet ofpra) , nous contacter sans attendre au 06 19 64 03 91 .
rappel : le delai de recours contre un aprf est de 48 h.

.............

l'Ardhis recrute des volontaires !

Pour accueillir et guider les étrangers, toujours plus nombreux, dans leur démarche pour obtenir un titre de séjour ou l'asile, l'Ardhis a besoin de former et de recruter des volontaires. Aucune compétence juridique n'est nécessaire : votre bonne volonté et l'accompagnement des accueillants actuels vous permettront, peu à peu et à votre rythme, d'affiner vos connaissances dans ce domaine. Le degré d'investissement dans l'association est modulable en fonction de vos disponibilité. N'hésitez plus, rejoignez-nous ! Contactez-nous via contact@ardhis.org en nous indiquant un numéro de téléphone et nous vous rappellerons.

L'ARDHIS, c'est quoi ?

L’Ardhis a pour mission de défendre et de promouvoir les droits au séjour et à l’asile des personnes homosexuelles et transsexuelles étrangères en France. Le public visé par notre action subie la double discrimination d’être étranger mais aussi homosexuel et/ou transsexuel. Cette discrimination peut être vécue :

• dans la vie quotidienne : accès à l’emploi, au logement etc.
• dans les relations avec l’administration préfectorale et/ou consulaire
• dans leurs relations avec leur communauté culturelle ici en France,

Notre action est centrée sur les discriminations rencontrées dans les relations avec l’administration préfectorale et/ou consulaire, mais nous sommes amenés par la force des choses à accompagner nos usagers pour faire face aux autres discriminations auxquels ils sont confrontés.

Aujourd'hui, près de 300 adhèrents soutiennent l'ARDHIS...

Action: Norway Threatens to Deport Asghar Hedayati to Iran

Image by mozzercork via Flickr

Source: Iranian Railroad for Queer Refugees (IRQR)

Asghar Hedayati is 40 years-old Iranian gay man who has been seeking asylum in Norway since 2003.  He is one of IRQR refugee cases who has not lucky so far, but he is still fighting for his rights.

"I was waiting for good news, everyday for the last seven years," he says.  "I was optimistic that I can start a normal life here in Norway.  Unfortunately, it did not happen for me, I lost my hope, energy, happiness, and future when I got negative answers from Norwegian authority.

"There is no light for my future now but I never ever give up," Asghar says in a letter to Iranian Railroad for Queer Refugees - IRQR.

Asghar was in love with his boyfriend, Mr. J [for security reason we can not publish his name] and they were so happy but their happiness until Asghar's family forced him to get married.

It was really difficult time for Asghar and "J" as they could not 'come out' for their families and Asghar did not have any reason to convince his family that he did not want to get married.  Finally, he was forced to get married.

"I did not love her, I did not like her, and she was not the right person at all," he says.  "We lived together but we were together just at kitchen table.  I could not stop thinking about [Mr. J] for a moment."

After all the difficulties, he left Iran for Denmark and sought refugee status on basis of his sexual orientation.  Unfortunately, his asylum application was refused by the Danish government and he was scared to death because he did not want to be deported back to Iran.

So he fled Denmark, going to Norway where he applied for asylum. At that time, he did not imagine that one day he will be in the same situation again.  He has now received a letter from the Norwegian government that he has to leave by January 25, 2010 and he does not know what will happen in next day.

He has been told by the Norwegian authorities he can go back to Iran and "nothing will happen for you if you do not come out".

"How it can be possible?  Can they recommend it to Norwegians as well to just shut up and do not ask your basic rights?" Asghar said.

His life is now in danger and the Norwegian government has to grant his asylum because there a lot of evidence that Iranian gays in Iran are threatened because of their sexual orientation and gender identity.  There is no doubt his life will be in danger.

Asghar Hedayati is in an unjust situation and needs your urgent action.  Please show your support by writing to the Norwegian government to urge them to grant refugee status to Asghar Hedayati. You may copy and paste the sample letters (below) into an email and send it to the provide emails below or you may write your own letter in support of Asghar Hedayati. Please CC IRQR: info@irqr.net for tracking purposes. Thank you for your support.

Send your letters to:

Mr. Knut Storberget
Minister of Justice and the Police
E-mail: postmottak@jd.dep.no
Phone: Switchboard +47 22 24 90 90
Mailing address: Postboks 8005 Dep, 0030 Oslo, Norway

And

Immigration Appeals Board of Norway - Utlendingsnemnda
Email: postmottak@une.no
Telephone: +47 21 08 50 00
Mailing address: Utlendingsnemnda, Postboks 8165 dep. 0034 Oslo, Norway

In addition, if you or your organization is interested in hosting an event to support Asghar Hedayat or interview him, please contact us at info@irqr.net as soon as possible. Thank you for your support.

- - - - - -  Sample Letter - - - - -

Date:

To: Minister of Justice and Police, Mr. Knut Storberget, postmottak@jd.dep.no

     Immigration Appeals Board of Norway, postmottak@une.no

CC: IRQR, info@irqr.net

Subject: Norway threatens to deport Asghar Hedayati to Iran - Please stop him deportation


Dear Minister,

I am contacting you to request your assistance on a very urgent case involving Asghar Hedayati a gay Iranian, who is currently in Norway. I received some information about him through the IRanian Railroad for Queer Refugees, based in Toronto, Canada.

Asghar Hedayati is a citizen of Iran, with case number DUF 2003 046 114 08. He escaped Iran in 2003 because of his well-known fear of persecution on basis of his sexual orientation. He applied for asylum in August 2003, but the Norwegian Government unfortunately denied his asylum status for several times and he is now at risk for deportation.

His asylum judge said that he can live in Iran if does not 'come out', which is against fundamental human rights.  I would like to express my deep concern about his situation, as he will experience imprisonment, torture, and even execution upon his forced return to Iran.

I am urging you to reconsider this case under the spirit of respect for human rights and I am requesting you to grant Iranian queer refugees the full state of asylum in Norway because there a lot of evidence that Iranian queers in Iran are threatened because of their sexual orientation and gender identity.


Sincerely

X

- - - - - - - End of Sample Letter - - - - - -