Iranians on hunger strike protest against deportation

Six Iranians who have been on hunger strike for 32 days in protest at plans to send them back to Tehran have held a demonstration outside the Home Office amid growing concern over their health.

Medics say the men, four of who have sewn their lips together, are becoming increasingly weak, and they were taken in wheelchairs by supporters to protest.

The hunger strikers say they fled Iran after being beaten, tortured and in one case raped for taking part in anti-regime protests that swept Iran in 2009. But since they fled to the UK last year, they say they have been "ignored and dismissed" by the UK authorities.

Mehran Meyari, 19, said: "It is 32 days that we are on hunger strike and not a single person from the Home Office has bothered to come and visit us. We are considering to go on a dry hunger strike and even not drinking water until somebody would come and help us."

The group's new lawyer, Hani Zubeidi, said their plight had been reported in several countries since the Guardian ran the story - including Iran.

"They would be in very real danger if they were return now simply because they have been featured criticising the regime even without the fact that they were involved in the anti-regime protests and were tortured."

Zubeidi said he filed fresh claims to the Home Office on behalf of the men on Thursday calling for their cases to be re-opened.

"The Home Office are saying these men have to travel to Cardiff to submit new claims in person which, given the circumstances, is ridiculous... If the Home Office refuse to look at them then we will have to go to the High Court for a judicial review but that would be ridiculous and simply waste tax payers money."

Frank Arnold, an independent doctor, has examined the hunger strikers and said the fast was threatening to do permanent damage to their organs.

"They are nearer to the point where a choice has to be made between irreversible organ damage and re-feeding."

Arnold added that it would be "absolutely absurd and unsafe" to try and force the men to travel to Cardiff to hand in their new claims.

Today spokesman for Home Office said the UK Border Agency "takes every asylum application it receives seriously", adding the men were given "every opportunity to make their representations to us as well as a right to appeal the decision to the courts".

He added: "They all had access to free legal advice as well as a designated UK Border Agency caseowner who considered their case on its individual merits."

The men - Ahmad Sadeghi Pour, 56, Morteza Bayat, 32, Kiarash Bahari, 27, Keyvan Bahari, 32, Mahyar Meyari, 17 and Mehran Meyari, 19 - have been based in two camps since they started their fast a month ago. One group is camping in a small tent outside Lunar House immigration centre in Croydon and the other is outside Amnesty International building in central London.

Meyari said that although they had received a lot of support both groups had also been abused by passers-by.

"In the past 31 days here in Croydon we have been bullied and insulted by some people here who have asked us to end our protest and return to our countries. They don't care what has happened to us, they see us as bunch of people who want to take advantage of the UK economically, they don't want to see the reality of our situation."

He said on one occasion the police had stopped to check on them and the officers had called for an ambulance.

"They wanted to take us to the hospital and we refused, in response they asked us to sign some forms which put the responsibility of our actions on ourselves. We have called for ambulance again but they refused to come, they said they would come only if we agree to go to hospital. Some of us urinate blood because of this month-long hunger strike but we do not intend to end this protect unless there's an appropriate reaction by the Home Office."

Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/may/06/iranians-hunger-strike-protest-deportation