| Sanctuary in Swansea for the Dadkhah Family |
Sanctuary in Swansea for the Dadkhah Family Farzaneh Dadkhah is an Iranian political activist who, together with her daughters, Syed and Romisa has been refused asylum in the UK and is in fear of destitution and deportation. Farzaneh, Syed and Romisa came to the UK in August 2003 and claimed asylum on arrival. A series of judgements on their case between October 2003 and October 2005 found first against her and then in her favour, with the second Immigration Judge commentating that the first rejection was "perverse and fatally flawed". However, the Home Office appealed and in October 2005, Farzaneh's claim for asylum was again rejected. The main reason given for refusal was that of credibility; the
Judge did not accept that Farzaneh was political even though there
was film documentation of her involvement and a letter from her
doctor confirming that she had been tortured while in prison. The
Judge also claimed that the court document sentencing Romisa to
16 years imprisonment in her absence was not in her name; this
is not true. The family is in the process of making a fresh claim. Anyone who has met Farzaneh can tell that she is a serious, political individual, deeply committed to Human Rights. Since she came to the UK she has continued to campaign against the repressive Iranian state and has been photographed demonstrating outside the Iranian embassy. She is from a highly political family in Iran, working for democracy and women's rights within an oppressive Islamic state. Her aunt, her brother, her sister, her brother in law and her uncle (aunt's husband) were all killed, executed and assassinated by the Iranian state. Both Farzaneh and her husband were arrested in 1981. Farzaneh was tortured whilst in prison and was informed on her release that if she continued to participate in political activities she, like her relatives, would be killed. When one of her 20-year-old twin daughters was refused a bone marrow transplant and died of 'Aplastic anaemia', the family believed that this was due to their political involvement. In early August 2003 the police came to the family home to arrest Farzaneh's older daughter for participation in a student demonstration. The daughter was not at home at the time so the police arrested her father, informing the family that he would be released only in exchange for his daughter. In view of the threats made against her in 1981 and fearing for their lives, Farzaneh and her daughters fled Iran. In October 2003, after their flight Farzaneh's older daughter was tried in her absence and sentenced to sixteen years imprisonment for "breaches of the Islamic penal law." A transcript of the trial obtained by the family reads: "It should be noted that the convict's affiliates [i.e. the family] have been long time members of the [opposition] organisation and have continued their activities and co-operation with that organisation against the Holy Regime of the Islamic Republic despite repeated arrests and penalties." This warm, generous family is a real asset to Swansea. They have excellent relations with their neighbours and many friends. After arriving in the UK Farzaneh and her youngest daughter worked hard to learn English. Farzaneh volunteers with a drop in centre for a local charity, she is involved in political activity with the National Resistance Council of Iran, she works for Women's Rights in Iran. Locally she has many friends in the community, local art gallery and the city Women's centre. The youngest daughter performed very well in her Catholic school managing to achieve 7 GCSEs through the English language within 2 years of arrival. She is now studying in an FE college for A levels in Law, Spanish, Psychology and Persian. She wants to be a lawyer and volunteers with a legal charity helping asylum seekers. The eldest daughter, Romisa, who has a claim in her own right,
is currently a student of medical genetics in Swansea University
dependent on friends to pay her fees as an 'overseas student'.
She volunteers with the Red Cross and with other local charities Next month the youngest daughter will be 18 and the family risks destitution. Farzaneh is, rightly, terrified of being returned to Iran and will not sign any documentation that indicates that she is willing to do so. She has been on strong medication for deep depression and has been seeing a counsellor about recurrent dreams of her torture since the Iranian authorities came to arrest her older daughter. Farzaneh believes that her position is intolerable and has recently been on hunger strike because she felt that this was the only way to draw attention to the injustice of her situation. She refused to eat for over two weeks and only agreed to give up because she had received so many offers of support and help. Since the election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in 2005, political opposition has been violently suppressed in Iran and there have been increasing abuses of Human Rights, with particularly vicious attacks on women's rights and freedoms. Farzaneh fears for her daughters in their Western dress. A mother does not starve herself for nothing. In 1981 Farzaneh was threatened with death if she continued to campaign for human rights. She has done so and has continued to do so since arriving in the UK. The Iranian authorities know this. To return this family to Iran at this time would be to condemn them to imprisonment, torture and probably worse. It would be a clear breach of their Human Rights. What you can do to help: Download model letter: farzanehMLByrne.doc Download petition: DadkhahFamily.doc Download Campaign leaflet: Dadkhah.pdf They are asking you to sign them and return them to the campaign, when they have collected enough signatures, they will ask their local MP to present them to Mr. Byrne. Dadkhah Family Campaign Inquiries/further information: |
