NETHERLANDS. DECISION TO REPATRIATE GAY IRANIAN POSTPONED TO MARCH 5

March 3, 2008: in Rotterdam this morning, a Dutch judge met Seyed Mehdi Kazemi, the 19 year old gay Iranian youth who has asked for refugee status. The English authorities asked the Netherlands to immediately repatriate him. The complex bureaucratic situation that would have deported the youth to Iran where certain death awaited him due to his homosexuality. The Judge reserved the decision to March 5.
For this reason the Non Violent Radical Party, Hands Off Cain and the Radical Association 'Certi Diritti' wrote a letter asking for a meeting with the Dutch Ambassador in Rome to request the application of European Directive 2004/83/CE, that commands the granting of refugee status to people the require international protection.
We also asked the Foreign Affairs Department to urgently intervene and pressure the Dutch authorities. (Sources: radicali.it, 03/03/2008)