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TITLE: No One Must Be Next |
AUTHOR: Maryam Namazie, Javad Aslani |
ORG: International Federation of Iranian Refugees (IFIR) |
DATE: January 22, 2001 |
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Last Friday, we joined over 200 asylum seekers, friends and family members to share our sadness and outrage over the loss of Ramin Khaleghi at the 'International Hotel' in Leicester. Ramin was a 27-year-old Iranian asylum seeker who committed suicide a week after his asylum claim had been rejected by the UK Home Office. Tragically, Ramin had many family members in London - a sister, aunt, uncle, a nephew, and cousins? yet he was forcibly dispersed to Leicester, where he lived and died alone. Ramin was the latest victim of the Islamic Republic of Iran's brutality and the UK government's anti-asylum policy. According to the Home Office's latest available statistics, out of 970 Iranian asylum cases determined in November 2000, 895 cases - 92 percent - were refused. Like many others, Ramin's refusal had nothing to do with his claim, his being a former political prisoner, his being tortured, and the appalling situation in Iran but everything to do with the UK's asylum policy and its relations with the Islamic regime. At the public meeting, many of the 200 asylum seekers asked us who would be next. They said the majority of those staying in the hotel had been refused and could identify with Ramin's despair. In the coming weeks and months, the International Federation of Iranian Refugees (IFIR), the National Civil Rights Movement, the UK Civil Rights Caravan, and the Campaign against Racism and Fascism will be initiating various political and legal actions to demand justice for Ramin. Real justice for Ramin can only come about if the policies that caused his death are ended. That's the only way to ensure that no one will be next. END |