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Mahtab's Open Letter to the UNHCR (April 21,
10)
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees - Geneva,
Switzerland
 CC:
The UNHCR office in Ankara, Turkey
Name and surname of refugee: Mehtap Mirgadiri
UNCHR Ankara file no : 07C2252
Re: MY OBJECTION TO MY ASYLUM REFUSAL
Dear UNHCR Authorities ,
My name is Seyedeh Mahtab Mirghaderi. I left Iran 3 years ago because of
the conditions which risked my life. When I came to Turkey I applied to
the UNHCR in Ankara, with the request of to be recognized as a refugee.
I am a transsexual and everybody knows how the
transsexuals are treated in Iran. I was born in a conservative and very
radical family. I experienced pain on daily basis and had many
difficulties. My family did not accept my girlish behaviors. I was
punished in many different ways; humiliating, beating, swearing,
insulting, or giving me no food. When I remember those days that I was
suffering from my family members, I still feel the impact of their cruel
behaviors.
When I became an adult, I learned that killing someone
like me regarded as a duty in that conservative and radical society. I
lived in that society and I was exposed to torture, oppression and
violence everyday. I was beaten many times, despised always and tortured
couple of times. I was considered against the Islamic doctrines thus
regarded as immoral and dishonor in the Islamic society.
I thought if have an operation to change my gender then my life could be
easier in a female body. But it did not happen as I was thinking.
Especially, my family threatened me to kill. They could not tolerate their
son to be a female. What I am telling you here is not a joke or
exaggeration. A friend of mine, who is also transsexual, was poisoned by
her family. They did not accept their son to be a female. I had to leave
my family in order not to be killed. I had a surgical operation in a place
that there were no the hygiene and with the minimum operational equipment.
I had to have that operation because I had not good financial situation
and I had no other support.
There was no one that I could stay with. I became a female after
struggling for years and changed my gender into female on my identity
card. I was in the middle of no where; I had neither family nor a shelter
to stay. I spent all my days about what to do: my family wanted to kill me
if they knew where I was staying, fundamental radical society was not
better than my family, actually worse then them, they were ready to beat
me, torture me and kill me and I had no shelter to stay. I was a victim as
a transsexual and I even accepted some immoral proposals in order to eat
some food and spent the night under a roof. When irregular armed forces
and policemen saw me alone they also abused me. Neither my family nor any
institution protected me. Despite all these problems a man liked me and I
liked him too. After his family learned that I am a transsexual they
threatened to kill me. They wanted me to leave their son alone. But, we
wanted to be together. Since we were not able to live under those
conditions in Iran, we left from Iran and came to Turkey. We did not have
any other choice.
My life was in great danger because of; my husband’s family, my family,
policemen, the conservative and radical society, the civil militias, and
the irregular armed forces. There was a man who liked me and wanted to be
with me, but because of me, his life was also in great danger in Iran. I
had to leave my country even though I did not want leave. I applied to the
UNHCR office with the hope that I would be recognized as a refugee in the
near future. At the first interview I was the only one who was questioned.
I also gave information about my husband. After 8 months they wanted to
have both of us for the second interview. Our lawyer who was assigned to
our file left his position at the UNHCR. Eight months later when we
reached the UNHCR again we were told that it was assumed that we left from
Turkey to Iran. That was the reason they said that why we were not called.
We went to a new interview. For that interview I requested a female lawyer
and a female translator. I also explained that the sarcastic behaviors of
male lawyers and translators which put me in stress and being mocked by
even one of the UNHCR lawyers were not nice. Under that kind of situation
I was not able to concentrate or focus on the questions. But my request
was not accepted and I had again a very bad interview experience. I was
not able to answer the questions because I was not able to focus, they
just confused me. And, my asylum claim was again rejected.
Eventually, we prepared an appeal letter explaining the risk that we faced
in Iran and additionally we explained how the life can be very difficult
for a transsexual person in Iran. We wanted our file to be reevaluated and
to be accepted. Even though, we told our problems and my female lawyer had
couple of tears in her eyes during the interview after hearing the cruelty
that I had to endure. Unfortunately, we were again rejected.
I object to your decision as a transsexual who had to leave this country
because of experiencing difficulties and the only thing I wish from the
UNHCR is to answer questions by taking responsibility. Why did not UN,
which accepts thousands refugees who are transsexuals like me and their
life is at risk, accept me? If I go back to Iran my family and my
husband’s family and radical conservative society or irregular armed force
will kill me, and who will be responsible for my death? How can I cope
with these forces as a transsexual without being under protection of my
family?
What, I want from the UNHCR Authorities is, that my case to be reopened
and processed again with my objection and giving me right of defense,
saving me from difficult condition and ambiguity.
Thank you from now on for your help,
Yours sincerely
Mehtap Mirgadiri
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