Britain: Gay refugees are human rubbish

Unless something changes in the next few weeks, Britain may declare, in effect, that gay refugees from persecution are no more than human rubbish.

Madhi Kazemi, a gay 19-year-old Iranian, applied for asylum in Britain after, he says, he learned that his boyfriend had been arrested for sodomy by Iranian police and executed. He said the Iranian authorities were looking for him.

The British Home Office turned down his application, and rather than risk deportation to Iran, the young man fled to the continent in an attempt to get to Canada. He was caught and sent to a detention centre in The Netherlands. That country also turned down his application and are preparing to send him back to Britain.

According to CNN, the British Home Office said “even though homosexuality is illegal in Iran and homosexuals do experience discrimination, it does not believe that homosexuals are routinely persecuted purely on the basis of their sexuality.”

What planet are those people on? Brutality directed against Iranian gay people has been well documented, as has the execution of people for being gay. Britain, CNN reported, says that gay people can survive in Iran if they’re “discreet”. They’re either deluded or they’re the most stupid people on the planet.

It wasn’t long ago that the Iranian head told New York audiences that Iran didn’t have gay people. What he meant is that they’re trying to execute them all.

Here’s the thing: It’s very difficult to verify the young man’s story, as CNN reported. So what? If there’s the slightest chance that he might be right, and that deportation would be the equivalent of a death sentence, shouldn’t Britain err on the side of caution at least until—and unless—it can verify that the young man isn’t telling the truth? Is Britain really ready to gamble with this man’s life?

This has become common lately. Canada has also been refusing asylum requests from gay people, often saying they don’t believe the person is really gay. It would seem that to many nations of the world gay people aren’t worthy of the same protection as other endangered people.

Under increasing political pressure, the British Home Office now says it will review the case when the young man is returned to Britain. No promises, mind you, but if the pressure on Britain increases then they may rule correctly and allow the young man to stay in Britain. It’s clearly the civilised thing to do.

I’m glad to say that New Zealand, at least, has a precedent for granting asylum to a gay Iranian refugee because our government recognised that deporting him to Iran would mean he’d face near certain death. If New Zealand can get it right, why is it so hard for countries like Britain and Canada?