Tag: asylum

He has since been approved, after LGBTQ rights group Queer Base advocated on his behalf A gay Iranian man seeking asylum in Austria was denied because he couldn’t identify the meaning of all the Pride flag’s colored stripes. Navid escaped persecution in Iran, where he feared for his life because of his sexuality, and settled in Vienna. But in June his application was denied by the Federal Office for Aliens and Asylum because he was unable to identify what each color...

Attorney General Jeff Sessions has issued a new order in his never ending quest to keep the U.S. as white and straight as possible. In a wide-reaching move, Sessions says that the government will no longer accept the threat of gang violence or domestic abuse as grounds for asylum in the U.S. “The mere fact that a country may have problems effectively policing certain crimes — such as domestic violence or gang violence — or that certain populations are more...

The amendment was put forward by around 50 members of the governing La République en Marche. An amendment which will protect LGBTQ asylum seekers, if they originate from countries that persecute LGBTQ people has been unanimously passed by the French parliament’s lower house, the Assemblée nationale. Currently under French law, asylum seekers can be deported from the country, even if they appeal, if their country of origin is on a designated safe list. The amendment was tabled by the La République en...

A half-dozen LGBT Cubans arrived in Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport Saturday, seeking asylum. Mariela Castro has long been the face of Cuba’s LGBT movement, which is a little unusual given she’s a heterosexual cisgender woman and daughter of president Raul Castro. A member of the Cuban Parliament and director of the government-sanctioned Cuban National Center for Sex Education, she’s marched at the front of Havana’s Pride parade and has spoken out in support of marriage equality, though she’s claimed it’s not the...

'If not the government, then our families are expected to kill us. This happened to some of our friends' A human rights advocate has shared the heartbreaking reality of Chechen refugees who still don’t feel safe, even though they’ve escaped certain persecution. It was revealed earlier this year the gay and bisexual men were being detained, tortured and in some cases killed in Chechnya. A number of countries agreed to take in refugees including, Lithuania, France, Germany and Canada. But for two Chechen...

A gay couple from Russia seeking asylum in Germany has allegedly been questioned by a judge for four hours about their sexuality because the judge did not believe that they are gay. Pavel Tupikov and Igor Popialkovskii had left Russia after their lives were put at risk when a police officer blackmailed them. The two fled to Germany and are now in the process of seeking asylum and part of that process meant that Tupikov had to appear in front of...

After they recover from their injuries, they are likely to be sent back to the same refugee camp where they were attacked A Serbian gay couple seeking asylum in Germany have barely survived a vicious attack at the refugee camp where they were living. The incident was revealed in a Facebook post by Javid Nabiyev on the Queer Refugees Pride page. The men were beaten last week and ‘were almost dead’ when they arrived to hospital. Nabiyev and the Queer Refugees Pride...

Two men were given visas to live in Lithuania and escape persecution in Chechnya Lithuania has become one of the first countries to give refuge to men fleeing Chechnya because of their sexuality. It was revealed in April that the Chechen government was detaining, torturing and even killing gay and bisexual men. Lithuania’s foreign minister, Linas Linkevičius, confirmed his government granted asylum to two men. ‘I can confirm that we have issued visas to two who came from Chechnya, who were persecuted because...

A young, unschooled Iranian man has fled Iran in search of refuge on Turkish soil.  Currently,   LGBT passport-holding Iranians flee to Turkey since they require no visa to cross the border.  Danial knew his challenges as a gay man from Iran were just beginning as he fled his family when his sexuality was revealed, without a passport. Danial‘s father fled Afghanistan during war and turmoil in the 1980’s.  Over 3 million Afghans transplanted to unwelcoming Iran.  Children born there were...