P R E S S R E L E A S E

From: Sam Azad, International Federation of Iranian Refugees

Tel: +44 (0)7929917756 / +44 (0)7739378177

Date: 28 May 2003

Subject: Abbas Amini, Asylum Seeker on Hunger Strike

Tribunal rejects Home Office right to appeal against Abbas Amini’s leave to remain in UK.

A tribunal has refused the UK Secretary of State permission to appeal against a court decision to grant indefinite leave to remain for Abbas Amini.

Mr. Amini, an asylum seeker from Iran, began a hunger strike and stitched up his ears, eyes and lips to protest against the way he and other asylum seekers have been treated by the British government. He has not eaten since last Wednesday, and not had water or any other fluid since last Thursday.

Mr Amini is continuing with his protest because, as he has said from the beginning, he is protesting on behalf of all asylum seekers, regardless of where they are from. He is making four requests of the Home Office before he is prepared to take some water:

1. The Home Office must review its asylum procedures regarding refusals and appeals, and review its policy that challenges decisions granting asylum seekers the right to remain in the UK, regardless of their background or previous circumstances.

2. The Home Office must become more open with solicitors representing asylum seekers on how refusal decisions are made.

3. The Home Office must ensure that its staff’s attitude towards ALL asylum seekers is to treat them with respect and humanity.

4. Mr Amini’s main concern is for other asylum seekers who have been refused the right to remain in the UK and are facing removal. He says that these people should not be removed especially to countries like Iran, Iraq, and Afghanistan which have had no human rights for decades. He is asking the government to recognise any countries that do not reach human rights standards, and to grant protection to all asylum seekers from these countries. They should not be describing Iran as a “safe” country after the experiences he has had.

Mr. Amini has stressed that he is continuing his protest on behalf of ALL asylum seekers, regardless of where they are from. “I think the Home Office ought to come out with a full apology, not just to me, but to ALL asylum seekers for the way they have treated them.”

Mr Amini said: “When I heard the news [about the Home Office decision to deny the right to appeal] I was saddened it did not make me happy. Only when all asylum seekers facing the same problems have received a positive decision…will I be happy. This is not just my problem. It is the problem of ALL asylum seekers.”

He said that he was not worried that his family would ask him to change his mind and take some water. He said having spoken to his family by phone this morning only made him more determined to continue with his protest: “This morning I spoke to them and they gave me hope and aspiration to continue. I felt hundreds of times better. They prefer that if I have to die in Britain it is far better than that I am returned to Iran.” He said his family trusted him and shared his beliefs, and that they would leave the decision whether to continue his protest with him, and respect his decision.

He said that asylum seekers did not come to Britain for economic reasons. “They would not have made the hazardous journey to Britain if conditions in their own countries were better.”

Speaking of his life in Iran he said: “As far as my own life went, I never had any happy times. My life in Iran has always been unhappy and difficult.”

“The best thing I would wish for - whether I live or not is one day to bring an end to 2500 years of oppression and degradation [in Iran]. I hope that one day Iran can be admitted into human society. I hope one day Iran will become an example to the rest of the world.”

Even though Mr Amini has achieved a great deal of positive coverage in the media, he says he will continue with his protest. “I will never trust these people [at the Home Office]…How can I trust people who have admitted they have betrayed us [Asylum Seekers].”

He said that many local people in Nottingham supported him. “A huge number of people fully understand us [asylum seekers] because they live in the same conditions we do.” He said he was in contact with many local people and that he had had a lot of support from them.

In Britain, he said, “everyone is very respectful and humane in their behaviour towards me even people I don’t know smile at me in the street. I think many people care about peoples’ rights and attend human rights rallies. I am very appreciative of the way I and others have been treated here.”

Mr Amini said “Even in Nottingham, in the centre of Britain, all kinds of local people have told me the government does not treat them fairly. I can say this because they have told me themselves. They feel let down by the government.”

Mr. Amini’s case has been badly handled by the Home Office, which has now had to admit that it has made a mistake. Mistakes of this kind prove very costly, since they affect peoples’ lives.

Sam Azad, International Federation of Iranian Refugees.

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