Urgent Action

Demand Justice for Ramin

 

Date

 

Barbara Roche MP

50 Queen Anne's Gate

London SW1 9AT

United Kingdom

Tel: +44 20 7273 4604

Fax: +44 20 7273 2043

E-mail: Barbara.Roche@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk

 

Peter Hain MP

Tel: +44 20 7270 2090

Fax: +44 20 7270 3731

E-mail: tlo.hain@tlo.dti.gov.uk

 

Robin Cook MP

Whitehall

London SW1A 2AH

Internet: www.fco.gov.uk

Tel: +44 20 7270 2059

Fax: +44 20 7270 2144

 

On January 18, 2001, the body of Ramin Khaleghi, a 27-year-old Iranian, was discovered in the International Hotel, a hostel housing asylum seekers in Leicester. Ramin had been a political prisoner in Iran for a number of years, before managing to flee to Britain. Yet, the Home Office rejected his claim for asylum, despite medical evidence of torture at the hands of the Iranian police. One week after learning of his rejection, Ramin took his own life.  Before that, in late-December, a 26-year-old Iranian asylum seeker, Saeed Alaei, living near Manchester, hanged himself because of depression and fear of refusal (according to his flatmates).

 

I / my organisation am / is writing to express my/our strong concern over Ramin’s and Saeed’s death and demand(s) the following:

 

1) An opportunity for the Khaleghi family to meet with Barbara Roche, Minister for Immigration and Nationality, to make their concerns known.

2) An immediate improvement in the living conditions of asylum seekers in the Leicester 'International Hotel'

3) A public inquiry into the circumstances, which led to the death of Ramin, including an investigation into the effect of the Home Office dispersal policy and the high refusal rates of Iranian asylum claims.

 

Furthermore, in light of the gross violations of human rights being perpetrated by the Islamic regime, I / my organisation also demand(s) that the ‘Investments in Iran’ conference organised in London for February 19-21 be cancelled and that all ties to the Islamic regime be severed.

 

Sincerely,

 

Name

Organisation (if any)

Address

E-mail

 

CC. ifir@ukonline.co.uk

 

 

 

***** Cleaned up by A. Kosha on Sept 18, 2001 ****