European Parliament votes to save Mehdi Kazemi from deportation to Iran
13 March 2008
Jean Lambert MEP today appealed to the European Parliament to support MehdiKazemi, a gay, 19 year old faced with deportation to Iran where he couldface the death penalty. Ms Lambert called for him to be granted asylum inthe EU and tabled a joint motion on behalf of the Greens to this effect,which was subsequently adopted by the Parliament.
In Iran homosexuality is punishable by death and the young man's formerpartner was hanged after being arrested for engaging in homosexual acts. MrKazemi's asylum application in the UK was turned down in 2005 and on Tuesdaythis week the Netherlands refused his request to apply for protection. He isnow awaiting deportation from the UK.
Speaking in the debate in the European Parliament, this afternoon, JeanLambert MEP said:
"I hope that Jackie Smith will intervene immediately in the case of MehdiKazemi to prevent him from being deported to Iran. We know that Iran is verydangerous for homosexuals. The UK Government has said that it will be safefor him to return if he is discreet in his behaviour, but it would beimpossible for him to live freely in Iran.
"It appears that the UK Government is more interested in increasing thenumbers of people being deported than it is in protecting human life."
The debate was followed by a vote on the joint motion to protect Mr Kazemifrom deportation. The motion was carried with an overwhelming majority andadopted as a position of the European Parliament. Speaking after the debate,Jean Lambert MEP continued:
"The deportation of anyone to a country where they risk persecution, tortureand death amounts to a violation of European and international human rightsobligations.
"There is no doubt that Mehdi Kazemi will be in danger if returned, hisformer partner has been executed and his own father has threatened to killhim. Obviously this is an extremely distressing situation for him and theMember States involved should resolve his status as quickly as possible."
In Europe, the Dublin 2 Regulation advises Member States to sendasylum-seekers back to the first country in which they claimed asylum,unless there was an error in the original decision-making process. JeanLambert MEP is currently leading the European Parliament's evaluation ofthis legislation.
ENDS
For more information please contact:Georgina Bloomfield, Media OfficerTel: 020 7407 6280 Email: media@jeanlambertmep.org.uk www.jeanlambertmep.org.uk
Note to Editors
Jean Lambert: In October 2005 Jean was named MEP 2005 for Justice and HumanRights. Jean was first elected Green Party Member of the EuropeanParliament for London in the 1999 European elections and was re-elected in2004. She is one of nine MEPs representing London and one of two UK Greenrepresentatives in the European Parliament.
1 Human rights organisations report that more than 4000 gay men andlesbians have been executed since the Ayatollah seized power in 1979.
