To Live & Work in the UK - Protest for Justice

For 11 years Afshin Azizian has been fighting the Home Office for the right to live and work in the UK. His only crime is escaping an oppressive regime in Iran. He fears he will be executed if deported.

Join Afshin and friends for a peaceful demonstration

Wednesday 12th July 2006
1.00pm to 2.30 pm
10 Downing Street
London
SW1A 2AA

Supporters of Afshin Azizian's Campaign to stay in the UK
Afshin had been sleeping rough for 13 months around West Hampstead in 2003/2004. In August 2004 the Ham & High (West Hampstead newspaper) launched a campaign to get the facts around Afshin Azizian's case reviewed by the Home Office. They have backed Afshin's campaign to stay in the UK ever since.

In February last year, Afshin and his supporters held a protest outside Lunar House in Croydon, displaying banners with phrases including "10 years of rejection is enough" and "10 years' torture by the Home Office".

Next Wednesday they will take the campaign to the door of 10 Downing Street.

Inquiries/further information:
Ham & High
Matt Eley
Ham & High
020 7433 6215
Rachel Bird
020 7272 4131

Afshin Azizian Must Stay in the UK

    Afshin Azizian is a 37 year old asylum seeker from Iran who is currently living in North London. He arrived in the UK in November 1995.   

    Afshin left Iran after becoming involved with the National Resistance Movement (NRM). He was closely associated with an activist called "Siamak" who was arrested. Afshin was warned to leave Iran by Siamak's sister who feared that the authorities would become aware of Siamak's colleagues, who would then be at risk. Fearing he would be detained, Afshin fled Iran.

    On route to the UK the group Afshin was travelling with stopped in Spain and were told by the agents organising their travel to claim asylum there. Afshin did so. However the agents then wanted to move the group on to the UK and so Afshin left Spain before he had a decision on his asylum application. He claimed asylum in the UK in February 1996.

Afshin gets evicted

    Afshin settled down in London and got a job at a B&Q store. He waited for the Immigration Service's decision. The decision took five years to be made in May 2001, but was not served on Afshin or his lawyers until the intervention of Glenda Jackson MP. He finally got his refusal in 2002, six years after making his initial claim. During those six years, and the two years since then, Afshin has worked, studied, lived and made friends in the UK. He studied Business and Finance at Grays Inn College, Kings Cross and English at North West London College. He was given a place to study Computer Science with Maths at North London University but was unable to attend as he was not eligible due to his immigration status. He has now been in the UK for eleven years. He has become a Christian and joined a church community. The local paper, Ham and High has been following Afshin's story for some years now and Matt Eley, a reporter at the paper, is launching an appeal for support for his campaign through the paper.

    Afshin's appeal was heard in March 2003 and dismissed. He then applied to the Immigration Appeal Tribunal who agreed there were grounds to look again at the case but then also dismissed the appeal in October 2003. Meanwhile in July 2003 Afshin was evicted from his home as he was told he was no longer entitled to NASS support. Since July 2003 Afshin has been living on the streets or sleeping on shop floors. 

    The situation in Iran meanwhile has not improved for political activists. Human Rights Watch published a report entitled, "Like the Dead in their Coffins - Torture, Detention and the Crushing of Dissent in Iran". http://hrw.org/reports/2004/iran0604/ This report documents abuses of detainees including physical and psychological torture, arbitrary arrest, use of solitary confinement and detention without trial. 

    What you can do to help
    Fax/write to Liam Byrne, Minister for Immigration, using the model letter 'Attached', which you can copy/amend/write your own.
Fax: 020 7035 4745 from outside the UK + 44 20 7035 4745


Or write to:
Liam Byrne, Minister for Immigration
Home Office, 3rd Floor, Peel Building
2 Marsham Street
London, SW1P 4DF

Please take time to send a copy of anything sent to:
Afshin Azizian Must Stay in the UK
C/o Ham & High
100A Avenue Road
NW3 3HF

Enquiries/further information:
Matt Eley
Ham & High
020 7433 6215
Rachel Bird
020 7272 4131

Personal messages of suport/soldarity to:
Afshin Azizian
azizian_afshin@yahoo.co.uk

Source for this page: Afshin Azizian Must Stay in the UK Campaign

Photos copyright of Ham & High