The Legacy of Iraq

It was supposed to be the war to bring democracy and human rights to Iraq. Yeah, tell that to the Iraqis. Clearly one of the groups whose situation has actually worsened since the fall of Sadam is the LGBT community in Iraq. Here is an article from today's Independent by Hasan, a young gay Iraqi refugee in the UK. It is simply unbelievable that the UK government is still contemplating returning LGBT refugees to Iraq. The Green Party's new migration policy passed at our conference in Blackpool recently and a full part of our European election manifesto promises to give full rights to LGBT refugees who come to this country.

As a gay man and a candidate for the European Parliament in London I am proud to support it and call upon New Labour, the architects of the disastrous war in Iraq to stop sending LGBT refugees back to Iraq and other countries where their lives are endangered. This should be put to the Labour LGBT Group the next time they start spouting about the wonderful improvements for the LGBT community under Labour.

Dozens of young men and boys killed by death squads in Baghdad
By Nigel Morris, Deputy Political Editor
Monday, 13 April 2009

Hasan: Our optimism after the fall of Saddam has turned to despair
Comment
My boyfriend was killed by the police because of his sexuality. Policemen came to his house, 10 minutes away from mine, put him in a police car, arrested and killed him. They told his parents it was because of his job. He was working for Iraqi LGBT (Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender). For six months I didn't go out, I didn't do anything – just grieved for him. He was killed because of who he is.
After the fall of Saddam Hussein in 2003, we – the gay community – were very optimistic. We thought that we would live in a democracy and felt safe with US troops around. So we started to print leaflets that promoted freedom for gay and lesbian people.
But members of our group started being arrested for it. The leaflets weren't political, they were just spreading gay rights.
We have the right to exist and be who we are, but this offended the government. The leaflets had our email addresses and telephone numbers, so the government and the militias came to find out who was distributing the leaflets.
In 2004, the situation got much worse. People began to be killed in the streets, burnt alive and mutilated for being gay. We were a target for the government and militias. I fled to the UK; I feel very safe here but get emails every day about more killings in Iraq. And the problem is that the UK Government doesn't allow us to stay with refugee status even though Iraq is one of the most dangerous places on earth for homosexuals and a war is being waged by the parts of the Iraqi government on gay people. In the UK, I can't work or study because I've been denied the right to asylum, but my only option is to go back to Iraq, face my family and my community and be killed.
Four members of our organisation have already been deported. I am fighting for my right to stay by re-applying for asylum with the help of Iraqi LGBT. Otherwise, I have no future. On Thursday, we will protest outside the Home Office to highlight the homophobic killings. I wish someone would listen and help us; this has been going on in Iraq for years and no one cares.

Hasan, 26, is gay. He moved to the UK nine months ago from his home in Babel province, south of Baghdad, after receiving death threats. His boyfriend was killed because of his sexuality.