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A Joint Letter to UNHCR about Iranian Queer Asylum Seekers (February 13, 09)
Representative in Turkey for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees Ankara, Turkey
turan@unhcr.org Tel: 0090-312-409-7000 Fax: 0090-312-441-1738
February 13, 2009
Dear Mr. Gaudé:
We write out of great concern for the safety and well-being of a small but growing number of people in Turkey who have fled marginalisation, torture and threats to their lives in Iran. These are men and women whose sexual orientation is prohibited by law in Iran, in contravention of international human rights conventions, which are now being interpreted to extend protection to people against discrimination based on sexual orientation.
In this regard, we the undersigned strongly support the efforts of the IRanian Queer Railroad (IRQR) to support those who have fled Iran because of persecution and to bring their cases before you for consideration of refugee status.
The IRQR investigator has many documented cases of arbitrary arrest by police and Basiji forces, subsequent brutality including beatings and rape, other cases of harassment and threats leading up to execution. Iran’s laws condone such treatment and brutal sentences, even to juveniles, including arbitrary imprisonment, lashings, cruel treatment and death. It is therefore not surprising that increasing numbers of terrified and oppressed individuals have fled to Turkey.
As you know, the plight of these refugees is increasingly desperate because at the time of writing, they do not yet have official status or the ability to resettle in a safe country. We are convinced that simply gaining that status will help them to achieve safety and begin to rebuild their lives.
While Turkey is certainly safer than Iran, oppression and threats frequently follow queer people from their homeland. They are convinced that officials can locate and threaten them even in the cities of Turkey. Moreover, police treatment of Iranians in the country can be just as arbitrary as in Iran itself. Some, even refugees with status, have been expelled from Turkey and sent back to Iran. This has been deplored by the Commissioner but unfortunately, the damage is done.
Moreover, queer Iranians in Turkey are particularly vulnerable. They are not allowed to work, are subject to harassment and violence from elements in society, including the police. They have no recourse to protection and are growing increasingly depressed, to the point of suicide. Hostility to queer people is endemic in Turkey.
The passage of time works against such people, deprived of family support, living in fear and isolation and often with few if any economic means of maintaining themselves in anything but abject poverty.
We ask you to urgently give priority review to past and upcoming applications from Iranian queer asylum seekers for refugee status and resettlement process. Once that step is taken, we can move to help them to safe countries like Canada and the United States. Without your help, our hands are tied. We also hope fervently for speedy subsequent action by the UNHCR to help in that process of resettlement by submitting their file to the Canadian Embassy and the International Catholic Migration Commission. With this step taken, we know that the embassies of safe countries can be pressed to cooperate in these efforts.
Future cases will undoubtedly be brought forward with extensive affidavits prepared with help from the IRQR.
We appreciate whatever efforts you can now make to assure them of humane, compassionate and especially, speedy consideration in granting them official refugee status.
Yours sincerely,
Arsham Parsi Executive Director IRanian Queer Railroad (IRQR) www . irqr . net info @ irqr . net (001) 416-548-4171 477 Sherbourne St. Suite 414 Toronto, On - M4X 1K5 Canada The following individuals have agreed to co-sign this letter and endorse the request submitted:
Member of Parliament for
Trinity—Spadina
Ms. Libby Davies Bob Stevenson Justice Committee First Unitarian Church, Ottawa
On behalf of the Rainbow Railroad group Toronto, On
Ally Bolour
Also attached (confidentially, only original letter): Names and file numbers for some of the refugees who need urgent help. Copy to: - United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees – Geneva, Switzerland - Canadian Embassy in Ankara, Turkey - Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) – Ottawa, Canada - International Catholic Migration Commission (ICMC) - Istanbul, Turkey
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