Support the Iranian Hunger Strikers

Demonstration Friday 6 May

Assemble 2:00 pm at Parliament Square
Followed by march to protest outside the Home Office, Marsham Street SW1, 3:00 pm - 5:00 pm

[Read press release here]

Six Iranian refugees are now reaching their fifth week of a hunger strike to demand asylum in the UK and protest against mistreatment by the Home Office. This Friday we will march to the Home Office in Westminster to join our voices with their courage in demanding fair treatment for refugees.

Ahmad Sadeghi Pour, Morteza Bayat, Keyvan Bahari, Kiarash Bahari, Mahyrar Meyari and Mehran Meyari were tortured and imprisoned for their involvement in opposition to the Iranian regime. But despite clear
evidence of this, the Home Office has refused to let them stay in the UK.

Facing deportation, they decided to take drastic action: four of them
have sewn their mouths together in protest; by Friday all will have gone 32 days without food. They have been camping outside the UK Border Agency (UKBA) headquarters in Croydon, and Amnesty International in Clerkenwell.

Their case highlights the rotten state of the UK asylum system. Rather
than support refugees, the UK Border Agency operates a systematic policy of disbelief: ignore, confuse, use every legal loophole to refuse asylum claims and keep the numbers down.

Enough is enough. We will not sit and watch the Iranian Hunger Strikers be sent back to torture and death. We welcome them and all
refugees, and will fight with them against deportation.

The hunger strikers will be with us in wheelchairs. Bring banners, drums, music, and passion.

This demo is called by the hunger strikers and by supporters
including members of:

No Border Network
Stop Deportations Network
SOAS Detainee Support
Cambridge Migrant Solidarity Group

Links:

(1) Iranian hunger strikers sew their lips together in protest at UK deportation.

(2) Iranian refugees on hunger strike in London

(3) Iranian asylum seekers on hunger strike outside immigration centre.