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Iraqi Asylum Seeker Ali Hili Claims Delay Is 'Killing Gay Iraqis'

by Rhonda J Mangus | March 25, 2010 at 02:59 am

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Iraqi asylum seeker Ali Hili claims British government delays in granting asylum is "killing gay Iraqis".

Hili is the leader of Iraqi LGBT who first brought the world's attention to the plight of LGBT gays in Iraq. Hili arrived in Britain in 2002 and set up the organization in 2005.

Mr Hili's first application for asylum was turned down but he was granted leave to remain and submitted another application in 2007, which is still being processed. He says he has been invited to speak in a number of countries about oppression of LGBT Iraqis, which would raise awareness of the issue and help the organiszation grow and raise more funds.

His lawyer Barry O'Leary wrote to the UK Border Agency (UKBA) in August 2009 to say that his client "desperately wishes to do this [travel] in order to further the aims of his organization, that is, supporting lesbians and gay men in Iraq and bringing the world's attention to their plight".

In a reply given six months later, the UKBA said that his case was "not compelling" and that the delay was "not in itself an exceptional circumstance".

Last month in the U.S., Senator Kirsten Gillibrand and Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin spoke of their concerns for LGBT individuals both in Iraq and other countries.

In a letter to US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton co-signed by 42 other Congresspeople, Gillibrand and Baldwin urge Clinton to take action in countries where LGBT are being denied their human rights.

[the US must] work with U.S. Ambassadors, the United Nations and NGOs across the globe to enforce human rights laws that protect LGBT individuals in the countries where they are under threat. Where safe conditions are not possible, the U.S. and the UN must work with refugee and human rights groups to expedite refugees’ flight to safety.

In the meantime, Ali Hili cannot travel outside the UK. Find out how you can help at Iraqi LGBT Action alert.

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Spydermonkey

at 04:25 on March 25th, 2010

the UKBA told O'Leary that:

the assistance given by Hilli to the Foreign Office "does not count"
the fatwa does not mean that Hilli "falls within the classification of clear and immediate vulnerability"
that the delay in deciding Hilli's asylum case (since July 2007) "is not in itself an exceptional circumstance"
his case is not "compelling"

What kind of crack are the Brit. Foreign Office people smoking? I see four excuses for not doing what's right.