Kiana Firouz

[elaby]

This is really freaking scary. Kiana Firouz, an Iranian woman, is a GLBTQ rights activist, filmmaker, and actress. According to the article linked below, In Iran, punishment for an adult consenting lesbian of healthy mind and is 100 whippings. If the act is repeated three times and punished each time, the death sentence is applied the fourth time (Art. 127, 129, 130). Firouz left Iran for the UK after intelligence agents got hold of one of her films, which explores lesbianism and oppression and Firouz's civil rights activism, and began to follow and intimidate her. She's applied for asylum in the UK as a refugee, but her application was rejected and she's scheduled for deportation. Firouz isn't ashamed of who she is, and I get the impression from these articles that she would be immediately arrested for her "crimes" upon returning to Iran.

Campaign to Save the Life of Kiana Firouze at Risk of Deportation from the UK
Save the life of Kiana Firouz
Petition to stop the deportation of Kiana Firouz

Right now, I think what people are trying to do is verify the facts and raise publicity so that the people with actual pull will take notice. Anything you can do - sign the petition, spread this around - could help save this woman's life.

Note: The lack of rage and despair in my tone re: worldsuck is only because I understand and avoid my own triggers.

Comments

[the-arethusa.livejournal.com]

It just makes me mad to think that we've come so far with LGBT rights, especially under the old Government (or were actually rather brilliant in that regard), but this sort of thing still slips through the net.

Unfortunately, this woman appears to have been caught between two types of fail. Religious bigotry on one side and a crippling fear of actually dealing with and reforming immigration laws on the other.

You can definitely see why I've been angsting so much about UK politics for these last few weeks, can't you. Interesting times and all that.

[elaby.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I can totally understand. *hugs*