UNITY's New LGBT Asylum Seekers Support Line

I received a text last week inviting me to an open meeting for anyone wishing to help organise a helpline for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender asylum seekers, and I went along to see what it was all about.

The AIM already works together with UNITY who will be opening the helpline, and I will be volunteering to staff the weekly support line as often as needed.

No such helpline currently exists in the UK, and it is definitely needed. While much help is available for asylum seekers, many are nervous or even afraid to disclose their sexuality and it can often be a reason for fleeing their country in the first place. The line will initially be open one evening a week and will be staffed at all times by at least one male and one female - me being one of the volunteers. We will give whatever information is needed, but it is anticipated that we will for the most part be referring callers on to existing services or organisations in the area.

As a lesbian in a gay relationship I feel very lucky to be born and living in the country I am.  76 countries around the world criminalise homosexuality, five consider it a capital crime, and countries like Uganda are considering adding the death penalty to their laws criminalising homosexuality. If I came from such a country I would want a helpline like this and I am looking forward to being able to do some good for people in a situation I could easily be in myself.

Response to Letters Asking For Help For Sakineh, Mostafaei & Iran

As part of it's work supporting the campaigns to save Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani from her sentence of death by stoning in Iran, The AIM and several of it's members have emailed and posted a number of letters and petitions to a large number of government officials, human rights organisations and media outlets. A few days ago, The AIM received a response to one of the emails sent which you can read below. I have also received a response to a letter I sent to Downing Street which was then passed to The UK Foreign Commonwealth Office asking for pressure to be applied for Iran to be removed from The UN Commission on the Status of Women. The letter text and responses are available to read here. These letters and emails were based on samples provided by our comrades at Mission Free Iran.

Original Email to EU Governments:

Dear Sir/Madam,

I am writing to you with an urgent request that you intervene with the authorities in the Islamic Republic of Iran, who continue to harass, intimidate and persecute Mohammad Mostafaei, and have issued a warrant for his arrest, in the wake of the international outcry demanding freedom for his client, Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani. The regime has also taken as hostages Mostafaei's wife and brother-in-law (Fereshteh and Farhad Halimi), imprisoning them in a craven attempt to force Mostafaei to turn himself in.

Mohammad Mostafaei is a lawyer who has honorably and courageously defended Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani against a stoning execution in the Islamic Republic of Iran. The worldwide outcry against the execution of Sakineh Ashtiani has created embarrassment and political difficulties for the Islamic Republic, and they have harassed and attempted to intimidate Mr. Mostafaei in an effort to reduce the pressure on the regime that has been caused by the campaign for Mostafaei's client Ashtiani.

I condemn the reprehensible injustice of the Islamic Republic; the regime should not be allowed a free hand to silence Mostafaei and terrorize his family in this way. Iranian lawyers must be free to represent their clients without fear of harassment and intimidation of themselves or their loved ones. I therefore demand immediate and unconditional freedom of Mostafaei's family; immediate and unconditional guarantee for Mostafaei's safety and freedom of practicing his legal obligations towards his clients; immediate end to harassment and intimidation of Mostafaei, his family, friends, and colleagues; and immediate and unconditional freedom for Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani.

The Islamic Republic of Iran is solely responsible for the safety and freedom of Mr. Mostafaei.

Diplomatic sanctions, including travel bans, freezing of bank accounts, and expulsion from international organizations such as the UN must be used to force the Islamic Republic to comply with international law and standards of human rights. I expect this government to take immediate steps to implement serious diplomatic sanctions against the criminal regime of the Islamic Republic.

Sincerely,

The Anti-Injustice Movement

www.antiinjusticemovement.com

Response to Email from Finland:

Dear people of The Anti-Injustice Movement,

Finland, as a part of the European Union, is following closely the developments of the human rights situation in Iran. We are aware of Ms. Ashtiani’s case and are keeping watch on her situation.

Iran is a State Party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. This Covenant includes e. g. right to a just and fair trial, which is also contained in the Constitution of Iran. The Covenant also prohibits torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. The EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Catherine Ashton, has recently voiced EU’s profound concern on Iran's increasing use of the death penalty and discrimination against religious and ethnic minorities and women.

The EU has repeatedly demanded Iran to comply with its international and national human rights obligations. Finland and other EU countries have summoned the Ambassadors of Iran several times in regard to the human rights situation in Iran. We also continue to support efforts to improve the human rights situation in Iran.

Sincerely,

Jussi Soini

Regional Manager

Unit for the Middle East and North Africa

Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland

jussi.soini@formin.fi

3 Protests in 3 Cities

Glasgow, Toronto and Philadelphia.... were you there?

Glasgow, Scotland

On Thursday August 5th Lilith and myself took ourselves, our placards, our petitions, our letters and our voices to the main shopping street in the centre of Glasgow and set ourselves up. We were also joined to the lovely Jenny who supports the campaigns as well. The call to protest had been issued by Mission Free Iran (MFI) in response to the news that Iran planned to resume mass executions of it's political prisoners. While we were there we also continued to spread the word about the case of Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani and of the accession of Iran to The UN Commission on the Status of Women (UNCSW). Many more letters and petitions have been signed and sent and a whole pile of AIM business cards as well. The following day we even had an email from someone we had spoken to who is interested in supporting The AIM with it's work, and  we are hooking up with the The Glasgow Love Police as a result of posts we have already made about this protest. You can read the event report from MFI here.

Toronto, Canada

The call to protest was initially for that day only but was later extended and in the end at least 22 cities took part in the action. AIM member Coffy was part of the group that protested in Toronto, Canada on Saturday August 7th and you can read the event report from MFI here for that city. Coffy was able to get in touch with the organiser of the Toronto event and apparently had a very interesting very long conversation with him. He is pretty impressed with The AIM and what we do so we hope to be able to build and work with him closely in the future.

Philadelphia, USA

AIM members Capital-"X" and Perseverance and AIM supporter Jessica took a road trip from North Carolina to Pennsylvania where they were met and very kindly fed and watered by newest AIM member MC Therapist. They then all went on to attend the MOVE 9 Rally along with many others including members of our affiliate group Guerilla Republik. Capital-"X" will be posting a blog on this shortly but in the meantime please watch (and copy) this offering from them all.