Happy new year - a look back and a look forward

By Paul Canning

LGBT Asylum News wishes a happy, safe and prosperous 2011 to all our readers.

In 2010 we published about a thousand posts, including 29 'action alerts'. Our daily average number of posts has gone up from about two to about four and they were viewed on the website about 110,000 times. You came from 191 countries, read, on average, one and a half pages and spent about two and a half minutes on the website. A quarter of you have visited and come back.

Our most popular content in 2010 was:

Kiana in a scene from the film 'Cul de Sac'

Iranian lesbian makes her appeal against removal by UK authorities
The story of Iranian lesbian asylum seeker Kiana Firouz, which we broke in April, attracted attention like no LGBT asylum case since that of another Iranian, Mehdi Kazemi. A petition for her drew an astonishing 45,000 signatures. In June, very quickly after a new asylum case was put to the UK Home Office, she won asylum.

Albania: reality TV programme prompts 'explosive debate' 
In March, reader John Hodgson gave us the story of Klodian Çela, an Albanian Big Brother contestant whose coming out on the show had prompted 'riots' in one town (there were claims the 'riots' were orchestrated for publicity). The story we broke was later raised by none other than Hillary Clinton as an example of homophobia in Albania during a speech to mark LGBT History Month in June!

Did X Factor 'out' a gay asylum seeker, putting him in danger?
In July we followed up on a story broken by Lesbian and Gay Foundation in Manchester of Zac, a teenage asylum seeker from the United Arab Emirates. Zac's story had appeared without his consent in the popular British tabloid newspaper The Sun - potentially exposing him to danger if he was returned. At year's end, Zac's claim for asylum has still not be settled

Iranian LGBT: Persecuted, harassed, raped, tortured, threatened with death, forced into operations
Our March post which collated testimony from Iranian transgender people, lesbians and gay men has proved popular throughout the year. Last month we published an in-depth analysis of the first report by a major NGO on the plight of Iranian LGBT.

Austria deports African gay footballer
In May we reported on Cletus B, a gay Nigerian deported by Austria. His case attracted mass support including a big demonstration in Vienna, but the authorities ignored the protests. In June a follow up report, Nigerian gay footballer deported by Austria has gone underground; Austrian police charge his counsellor with 'promoting an illegal stay', also proved popular. This story happened because of another reader, Heinz Leitner in Vienna.

In the US, two new strategies for same-sex binational couples
In November our republishing of a post by the American activist group Out4Immigration drew a lot of links and referrals from email. It looked at new ideas for changing the situation of same-sex couples facing the bald choice of having to leave America to stay together or be split apart.

In Colombia, at least ten LGBT 'cleansed' in one week
In September we reported via Argentina's AG Magazine that a wave of killings of gays had hit Northern Colombia. Although this report drew links from a few American LGBT news sources, shamefully these killings were not more widely reported.

Big victory for USA in fresh United Nations 'gay killings' vote
Last month we 'live blogged' the sensational outcome of an American move to reverse a UN vote on excluding sexual orientation in a resolution on extrajudicial killings. We were the first to post the result and the only news outlet to analyze the vote in depth, showing the massive and possibly game-changing vote by African, Caribbean and Pacific Island countries.

Damning report says practically all UK LGBT asylum claims are being refused; Border Agency "cruel and discriminatory"
In March we looked at a new report by UK Lesbian and Gay Immigration Group (UKLGIG) which examined 50 LGBT asylum cases and found that nearly all had been turned down by British authorities. It also documented the then Home Office policy of 'go home and be discrete'. This report later informed Stonewall's 'No Going Back' report, released in May. In June came the historic Supreme Court decision which put an end to the 'go home and be discrete' policy.

Here's a Wordle showing the commonest words on LGBT Asylum News:

Our Twitter account, opened in September 2009, was almost at 2,000 followers at year's end and is now on 161 other 'Twitterers' lists. And we have 277 'likes' for our Facebook page - Facebook has proved an increasing source for referrals to the website in 2010.

We added 17 uploads to our YouTube channel, which we started in March, and 166 Favorites. Our video and audio has been viewed over 4000 times with In Phnom Penh, the amazing work of a 70-year-old transgender sex worker by far the most popular upload.

On the document sharing service Scribd, we've put 47 documents and these have been read over 13,000 times.

Content views by email last week

375 of you subscribe to the website by email and views of posts by this route now average over 1,000 per day - interestingly the content viewed this way is always very different to that viewed on the web. Our content also circulates widely via republishing on other websites as well as via web services like FriendFeed.

Our content has been widely picked up and repurposed by other news outlets - most notably by pinknews.co.uk, LezGetReal and the San Diego Gay and Lesbian News and later in the year by Pink Paper. We've had consistent links from the major US LGBT news outlet Towleroad, which has drawn in a huge new audience for the website.

We'd like to thank all those who have linked to, republished, 'liked' and retweeted our stories in 2010!

We'd also like to thank all those who have contributed to the website whether through their own posts or through suggesting stories or through helping with translations. We are always looking for help with translations so please let us know if you're able to help here.

Early in 2011 there will be major, exciting changes to the website. These will embed and make sustainable our goal of 'documenting the situations in countries from which LGBT people are fleeing to the UK hoping for a safe haven and the problems they can face from the UK asylum system' - and make this truly international. It will also provide a new way for our readers to talk to each other and for LGBT asylum advocates, lawyers, refugees and refugee workers to work together.

Keep watching this space! (And please give us your feedback by email or in the comments below!)

How Kiana Firouz became the World's Most Famous lesbian asylum seeker

A demonstrator's sign at the 1 May demo outside the Washington DC UK embassy supporting Kiana (thanks to our reporting), Bita Ghaedi, Nadia Arzane & Bashir Foris. They chanted:
We don’t want to lose
Kiana Firouz
Nadia and Bashir:
let them stay here!
Refugees have rights!
Refugees have rights!

By Paul Canning

By the time Kiana Firouz finally won 'leave to remain' in the UK last Thursday she had become the most well-known lesbian asylum seeker ever with over 45,000 signing an online petition.

When I first heard of her at the beginning of April it was due to one article on Radio Free Europe's website about the film she had made with Ramin Goudarzi-Nejad and Mahshad Torkan.

So I contacted Mahshad and through her a statement from Kiana was published on LGBT Asylum News. This was tweeted and Facebooked and that's where it all began.

A week after her statement appeared here her petition, started for her by Mahshad, had gone from a few hundred derived largely from the Iranian disapora to several thousand. I watched as Kiana's case reverberated online through feminist, lesbian, human rights, political and many, many other networks connected by the Internet.

Within a couple of weeks I was fielding inquiries from The Times, CNN, BBC and others as well as numerous offers of help. But Kiana wasn't talking, and with good reason. She took the well-founded advice of her solicitor.

The UK Home Office's case for rejecting her was based on whether she was well-known to the Iranian authorities or not - i.e. whether she could be safely returned. At her appeal in March (her first case would likely have been thrown out anyway - almost all sexual orientation asylum cases are - but it wasn't handled well) the elderly judge refused to believe that the Iranians would pick up on the early publicity for her film which even by then had seen the YouTube trailer have thousands of views. Incredibly, he hadn't heard of the sophistication of the Iranian's internet monitoring operation (thanks amongst others to Siemens) and rejected her appeal despite accepting that she was lesbian.

As the publicity grew, destroying their argument for rejecting her asylum claim with each inquiry from a journalist referred on by me to her solicitor and then passed on to her case worker at the UK Border Agency, there remained the possibility of simple belligerence and obstinacy by the Home Office, something I've reported on here time and again. Nothing was ever 100% certain - they might think the publicity 'fabricated'.

But it wasn't just the legal advice which meant silence, Kiana was also having a hard time processing the attention. This led to her missing even the premiere of her film last month in London, attended by hundreds largely from the Iranian exile community in London and including many celebrated artists.

For me this was completely understandable but frustrating. We had discussed releasing a statement (something her solicitor agreed to) to answer all the interest and now it can be released. This is what we'd agreed (minus the information that a fresh claim had been lodged):

Dear All,

I would like to thank you for all of your supports, comments and messages. The number of signatures made on my petition overwhelms me. Your supports and your kind letters create enormous hope and courage for all of those who are discriminated for their beliefs and sexual orientation in Iran and all over the world.

I am just an example of an Iranian lesbian who has suffered from injustice and discrimination in a religious country. There are thousands of Iranian LGBT who are suffering and getting tortured by their families and the society for their sexual orientation inside Iran. However I believe that even those who are outside of Iran are facing so many difficulties as well.

I am not the only lesbian or gay person who has been refused asylum by the UK. In its report 'Failing the grade', the UK Lesbian and Gay Immigration Group examined 50 refusal letters and found that 98-99% of claims made by LGBT were being refused compared to 73% for claims made on other grounds.

This includes Iranians but it also includes Iraqis - even since the situation for gays in Iraq, which includes militias systematically hunting them down and killing them, became widely publicised they have been refused. I would like to express my solidarity particularly with Iraqis and the claim for asylum by their leader, Ali Hili.

I would like to draw the attention of all those supporting me to the plight of many other lesbians and gays caught up in the UK asylum system. I would hope that the new British government will take a look at their situation as well as mine.

I hope, this open further opportunity and movement toward an open society in Iran for everyone regardless of their sexual preferences. I also hope to see a day that injustices, tortures and the death penalties that the homosexuals face in Iran be stopped.

Kind regards,

Kiana Firouz

Kiana understood that there were others in the same boat as her but not so well known and agreed with me that those supporting her should know this. I am aware not just through campaigning or working behind the scenes for other specific LGBT asylum seekers but also through the annoyance of those who work on cases when just one gets picked up on, especially by the short-termist media, that it's the UK system which needs, desperately needs, reform.

Many others fall through the cracks, don't get good legal or community support - many are removed back to an unknown fate.

In 2005 26 year old gay Iranian Hussein Nasseri shot himself in his car at a children's playground in Eastbourne days after hearing his second appeal against a Home Office decision to refuse him asylum had failed and that he was to be removed.

Three years ago 27 year old gay Iranian Shahin Portofeh was reduced to sewing his lips and eyes together in desperation to avoid once more being deported. Previously returned to Tehran, he was jailed, lashed, tortured and ultimately faced execution. He somehow managed to escape from custody and return to the UK. Eventually Shahin was allowed to stay.

Kiana does not have asylum, she has 'leave to remain' for five years. This is based on the idea that in five years it might be safe for her to return. Another Iranian lesbian who I know has this status and it is no way to live - to plan ahead with your life, to return to study and a career after spending, as she had done, several years fighting for even this bit of security. She remains terrified that they will, next year, put her back into detention and then send her back. She also remains in grief because of the partner she left behind, believed to be still in jail.

The British government doesn't take LGBT Iranian refugees (from the UNHCR programme) and in case-after-case it has made it as hard as possible for them to secure sanctuary in the UK. As it showed in the case of Mehdi Kazemi (previously the 'world's most famous gay asylum seeker'), officially it believes the Iranian government's lies about life for LGBT in Iran. It does not, officially, believe they are actively persecuted.

They also officially believe it is safe to return to Iraq. Gay cases have been refused during the past two years when there have been several human rights reports as well as major media reports on the pogrom going on in that benighted country for LGBT. Yet the Foreign Office refuses to condemn the Iraqi government and in its latest 'human rights report' said: "official figures do not show a significant overall increase in violence against, or systematic abuse of, the homosexual community by fundamentalists or militia groups".

Let the UK government get no gratitude from the rest of us, the thousands who have shown they care, for grudgingly doing the 'right thing', for giving Kiana her rightful sanctuary. Let it be understood just how pitiful and cowardly and shameful is our actual attitude, in this country which thinks itself nowadays a progressive 'light unto the world' on LGBT rights, to lesbian women, gay men, bisexual and transgender people unfortunate not to be born subjects of the Crown.

Let the new government understand just how awful and inhuman and homophobic an asylum system it has inherited. Let it turn what sounds like good intentions into meaningful and thorough actions.

Let Kiana not be the first but the last.

Breaking: Kiana Firouz has asylum

By Paul Canning

LGBT Asylum News has confirmed that Iranian lesbian Kiana Firouz today received 'leave to remain' in the UK - saving her from removal to Tehran after two refusals, originally and at appeal.

Kiana has been the focus of the largest ever international campaign for an LGBT asylum seeker, with over 45,000 signing a petition. We published Kiana's statement back in April.

Watch this space for updates.

Event report: May 1, 2010: Protest at British Embassy against inhumane deportation policies

Source: Mission Free Iran

(Apologies to everyone for this late posting, especially to our good friends at LGBT Asylum News in the UK, who helped get the word out about this protest at the British Embassy in Washington DC, USA. The UK Border Agency kept us busy fighting their attempted deportation of Bita Ghaedi on May 5 (which was defeated), and their ruthless treatment of Nadia Arzane and Bashir Foris on May 6, when UKBA forcibly separated the pregnant Nadia from Bashir and deported him (note that it is illegal under international law to split families this way). Bita awaits a new hearing on her status in July, and is home with her Mohsen until then, while Nadia remains in very bad condition at Yarl’s Wood detention facility.)

On May 1st, Mission Free Iran coordinated a protest in front of the British Embassy at 3100 Massachusetts Avenue NW to tell the UK’s government that we say NO! to their illegal and inhumane policy to deport asylum-seekers to Iran.

We specifically demanded asylum and refugee status for four asylum-seekers who have been unfairly and illegally refused these things, and whose lives would be directly threatened if they were to be returned to the Islamic republic: Kiana Firouz, Bita Ghaedi, and Nadia Arzane & Bashir Foris.

Our group was present in front of the British Embassy from 2-4pm; conveniently, it was an Embassy Tour Day in Washington DC, so there were many tourists present and curious about the protest. We were able to discuss with several of them the UK’s inhumane and illegal policies in general, and specifically towards threatened Iranians seeking political asylum.

We developed specific chants for the protest as well, including the following:

Free all political prisoners in Iran!
Free all political prisoners in England!
What is the difference
Between these two governments?

We don’t want to lose
Kiana Firouz
Nadia and Bashir:
let them stay here!
Refugees have rights!
Refugees have rights!

Zendaniyeh siasi: political prisoners MUST BE FREE!
In Iran, England or Turkey!
WE WON’T LEAVE TIL THEY’RE ALL FREE!

Safe Haven, Yes! Deportation, No!
Human Rights, Yes! Deportation, No!

Stop aiding dictators!
Blood is on your hands!

United Nations pay more attention!
Deportation is execution!

Justice for Immigrants!
Freedom for Refugees!

At the end of the day, the take home message that we sent to the UK was the following:

BRITISH GOVERNMENT: HANDS OFF IRANIAN REFUGEES!
ALL IRANIAN WOMEN HAVE RIGHT TO POLITICAL ASYLUM!
NO HUMAN IS ILLEGAL!

Related articles by Zemanta

• Save Kiana Firouz (slog.thestranger.com)
• Iran civil rights activist could face 'honour killing' if deported from UK (guardian.co.uk)
• UK policy on gay and lesbian asylum seekers challenged in supreme court (guardian.co.uk)

Protest at British Embassy in Washington for Kiana Firouz

Kiana in a scene from the film 'Cul de Sac'

By Paul Canning

An Iranian solidarity group is to protest this Saturday, 1 May, outside the British Embassy in Washington DC against the UK's continuing removals of asylum seekers to Iran. It is calling for four deportation orders to be lifted, including that of Kiana Firouz, the lesbian Iranian actress.

The protest by Mission Free Iran focuses on women which Britain wants removed.

Firouz's claim was turned down by the UK Border Agency and she has lost an appeal. The actress is to be appear in the film 'Cul de sac', released next month, and says "the movie contains sexual scenes which itself would be subject to death punishment if I return to Iran."

More than 11,000 people have viewed the trailer for the video. An international petition for Firouz has collected 3000 signatures in a week.

As well international campaigners are asking for calls to UK embassies around the world to protest removals of Iranian asylum seekers.

Iranian lesbian makes her appeal against removal by UK authorities

Kiana in a scene from the film 'Cul de Sac'

By Kiana Firouz

I, Kiana Firouz, an Iranian Lesbian, born in 1983 in Tehran/Iran, have sought asylum in the U.K but my application was turned down by the Home Office, despite accepting the fact that I am a lesbian. I accordingly submitted my appeal which was dismissed incredibly by the adjudicator. According to my solicitor’s point of view there is a little chance to grant a permission to appeal against the adjudicator’s decision. It means that I will face with deportation soon.

Homosexuality in Iran is a sin and offence which is subject to harsh punishment. According to the Islamic law, repeatation of this offence will be punished by death. The punishment for lesbianism involving persons who are mature, of sound mind, and consenting, is 100 lashes. If the act is repeated three times and punishment is enforced each time, the death sentence will apply on the fourth occasion. (Articles 127, 129, 130 penal code) The ways of proving lesbianism in court are the same as for male homosexuality. (Article 128)

I have recently played a role in a feature film called “Cul de Sac” which is mainly based on my real life story. The movie is scheduled to be screened in May 2010. The trailer of the movie had been published on You Tube since December 2009.It was watched by more than ten thousand viewers just in the first four days.

The film’ news was covered by the international Medias world wide specifically by the opposition those are under severe surveillance of the Iranian authority.

The movie contains sexual scenes which itself would be subject to death punishment if I return to Iran.

Now, the only hope remains for me is LGBT’s support.

I look forward to hearing from you soon.

http://www.petitiononline.com/kianaf/petition-sign.html

• If you would like to help Kiana please email gayasylumuk@gmail.com

Letter to Theresa May for Kiana Firouz

On film, the trials of an Iranian lesbian activist (at the hands of UK authorities)

Source: Radio Free Europe

In a new feature film, “Cul De Sac,” London-based Iranian directors Ramin Goudarzi-Nejad and Mahshad Torkan tell the story of a lesbian woman who flees Iran’s repressive Islamic regime. The script draws on the real-life experiences of Kiana Firouz, who plays herself in the film. Hossein Ghavimi, a correspondent for RFE/RL’s Radio Farda, asked Goudarzi-Nejad and Firouz about their motivation in making the film.

Ramin Goudarzi-Nejad: The story is in fact based on the life of an Iranian homosexual woman who attempts to draw the world’s attention to the voices of Iranian lesbians. She consequently finds her return to Iran impossible. She claims asylum in the United Kingdom, but the Home Office incredibly turns the case down.

She had been making a documentary film about Iranian homosexuals back when she lived in Iran, but the Iranian Intelligence Service found the footage and started following her. She managed to leave the country because she realized that the security service had become suspicious about her activities and the existence of her film. They started to investigate regarding the identity of the filmmaker and interviewees and the content of the documentary, but she was already here in the U.K. to study and work for human rights.

The evidence clearly shows that she is a lesbian [facing persecution in Iran.] But the Home Office did not consider the facts and refused her asylum application.

RFE/RL: What motivated you to make this movie?

Goudarzi-Nejad: I made a short film in 2007 called “Have I Ever Happened?” which at the time was reviewed by Radio Farda. It was about an Iranian poet who was also a lesbian. The film was screened at two international film festivals together with other events. I received lots of messages from Iranian homosexuals, especially lesbians, and they gave me the impression that they were quite impressed and admired the work. They kept asking me to make more movies about homosexuals’ lives.

Once Kiana called me while she was in Iran and briefed me on her filmmaking experiences in Iran. She was considering making a documentary film about Iranian homosexuals. She was concerned with finding out whether there would be a chance to screen the film after completion. I gave her my best knowledge about the dangers and risks that she has to take into account, but she seemed determined to do it. So I agreed to support the distribution of her film and to help publicize the voice of this innocent, vulnerable minority internationally.

RFE/RL: Did Kiana write the script of “Cul de Sac” herself?

Goudarzi-Nejad: No, she wasn’t involved with writing the script, but it was written based on her life story.

RFE/RL (to Kiana Firouz): I’m interested in what inspired you to act in “Cul de Sac.” Can you tell us some details about your role in the film?

Firouz: Sure -- I played the role of an Iranian lesbian in this film. The story is mainly based on my life.

In my opinion, the film potentially falls into the genre of docudrama. It was important to me as an Iranian lesbian to play a role like this. I believe the best way to enlighten people is to raise public awareness through free media, and film is the most powerful medium that can share the difficulties that all Iranian lesbians are experiencing. I strongly believe this film will touch everyone.

RFE/RL: What stage of completion is the film at now? Will it be screened soon?

Firouz: The movie is scheduled to be screened next month. The trailer has been on YouTube since December 2009, and it was watched by more than a thousand viewers just in the first four days.

RFE/RL: Will it appear at film festivals?

Firouz: Yes, it will definitely be shown at film festivals. So far, two film festivals in San Francisco and Canada have invited us.

RFE/RL: Can you tell us about the difficulties you’ve faced in applying for asylum in the United Kingdom?

Firouz: As an Iranian lesbian activist, I sought asylum in the U.K. My application was turned down and ignored by the Home Office, despite the serious threats to my life that I’ll face if they deport me to Iran.

I’m shattered and emotionally devastated that they have dealt with my application so irresponsibly. A serious campaign has been already launched to support me and save my life.

The Iranian Queer Organization and the U.K. Gay and Lesbian Immigration Group are also supporting me. I am ready to take any further risks to fight for our rights.

The situation for homosexuals is not only terrifying and horrible in Iran, but also for those who have escaped to seek asylum in other free countries, mostly signatories of the Geneva Convention, and especially Turkey. It seems to me that fate still does not wish us a peaceful life. We are going to resist and we will take every possible action until the day the whole world hears our voices.

• Petition: Stop Deporting Kiana Firouz