A Deportation of Death

(This is a copy and paste from a blog I found at the Fish out of Water Blog, title "Please help stop the deportation of Kiana Firouz)

Kiana Firouz, who is an Iranian queer rights activist currently living as a refugee in Britain to escape punishment for the film she recently appeared in where she openly discussed her life as a lesbian in Iran. But the Home Office is for some reason not taking the fact that she will most likely be killed if she goes back very seriously.

Kiana recently took part in the film Cul de sac, which focuses on her life and civil rights battles in Iran. “It was important for me to take part in the film,” she stated in a recent interview.

“As an Iranian lesbian I think the film is the best way to show how difficult life is for lesbians in my country. This film contains sex scenes that would be sufficient evidence for receiving a death sentence if I were sent back to Iran. Now, my only hope is to mobilize the international LGBT community.”

Homosexuality is a crime punishable by death in Iran. Generally, homosexuality is punishable by 100 lashes with the death penalty being enforced after the fourth "offense".

Kiana, just 27 years old, now faces the very real possibility of deportation form England back to Iran.

[ If you follow the link, you can sign the petition to keep her from getting deported

http://fishoutofwaterblog.blogspot.com/2010/05/please-help-stop-dep... ]

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by kris feenstra on May 17, 2010 at 1:51pm

Death penalty? Even if it was the 100 lashes alone I think it's cruel to send her back. I mean, if she's actually committed a crime (a real one, not an idiotic imaginary crime) that's a different story, but I fail to see how any modern nation would consider it conscionable not to shelter this woman from such a gross and absurd injustice.

Anyway, signed.

Permalink Reply by D.M Barrera on May 17, 2010 at 3:57pm

I agree. I find it inhumane for them to be doing that to her, and I'm still not clear on the reasons why they are doing such thing. But I hope it gets resolved. I think the most important thing is to keep her from being sent to Iraq, maybe another country could provide refuge.

Permalink Reply by kris feenstra on May 17, 2010 at 4:51pm

This is pure speculation on my part, but perhaps she went to the UK on a legitimate visa, hoped to immigrate, but when it didn't pan out pleaded for asylum to remain in the country. Perhaps it looked to immigration officials that she was trying to exploit a loophole. Well, something along those lines.

On a personal level, I don't think it matters. Fact: she's a lesbian. Fact: she will be treated as a criminal in Iran and will be persecuted and have her human rights violated. Seems like a valid call for asylum to me. My speculation is really just a guess as to why the government would allow this to happen.

Maybe it's just bureaucracy and petty politics in the end.

Permalink Reply by S S Tragus on May 17, 2010 at 5:44pm

It would seem the UK, and Canada as well, is becoming increasingly socially conservative, at least in its foreign policy and related functions. It'll be interesting to see what happens to the country now with the Conservatives in a coalition with the Liberal Democrats.

I know in Canada we are seeing ever more signs of Conservative ideological influences on foreign aid and on domestic policies. So if the UK refuses to give her sanctuary, I don't expect Canada, with the Conservatives in their second term now, to jump to her aid, even if she were to apply.

Anyway, I have signed the petition. I hope international signatures will be useful too.

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