THE HAGUE, 04/03/06 - Alien Affairs Minister Rita Verdonk wants to start sending back rejected homosexual Iranian asylum-seekers. About six months ago, she had decided temporarily not to deport them, following the execution of two homosexual men in Iran.
In a letter to the Lower House, Verdonk now says it appears "there is no question of execution/death sentence on grounds of the sole fact that someone is homosexual." She does note that the death penalty applies to gay sex in the Islamic country. Nonetheless, Verdonk sees no reason any more to suspend the deportations any longer.
The minister bases her decision on a report from the foreign ministry on the current situation in Iran. This says that the Iranian authorities have stated that the two homosexual men were not executed for their sexual orientation, but because they were guilty of robbery, abduction and rape of a minor. Human rights organisations also doubted the statements of various gay movements in the west that homosexuality was the reason for the executions.
Verdonk wants to resume deportation of rejected Iranian homosexuals after she has discussed the matter with the House. The House may still reject her decision. Parties including ChristenUnie and Pim Fortuyn List (LPF) have serious doubts, while the leftwing parties, the centre-left D66 coalition party and conservative (VVD) MP Hirsi Ali find the policy unacceptable.
Christian asylum-seekers from Iran, including Muslims who have converted to Christianity, can also return to their country of origin, according to the minister. The House had actually asked her to suspend the deportations temporarily, but the VVD minister sees no reason for this based on the new report.
If Christians and converted ex-Muslims practice their faith "quietly," they should not have to expect any problems, according to Verdonk. Someone who tries to convert Muslims can however face repression and intimidation by the Iranian authorities. Muslim converts to Christianity sometimes receive threatening letters and phone calls, but they can "in principle function socially without problems," Verdonk claims.
