Gay Iranian Teenager Finally Hears Good News, but Shame on the EU
Thankfully, the UK is reconsidering its decision to force a gay teenager back to Iran to be executed. I have been privately critical of both the UK and The Netherlands for their roles in this story, in which Iranian teenager Mehdi Kazemi was forced to travel between the two countries seeking asylum and was repeatedly denied. The British government has a policy not to deport people when it would be unsafe to do so, but ruled that it was not the case here. The Netherlands based on their decision on the European Union's 2003 Dublin Regulation, whereby asylum seekers must apply at the first country through which they enter the EU (in this case, the UK).
Fortunately on Thursday, Britain's Home Secretary Jacqui Smith announced that, "in the light of new circumstances since the original decision was made, I have decided that Mr. Kazemi's case should be reconsidered on his return to the U.K. from the Netherlands" where he currently is after having fled from Britain following his first denial of asylum.
While this story will likely have a happy ending, I am still left feeling nervous. While every independent sovereign undoubtedly should have the power to make individual determinations on the matter of immigration and asylum, a world which is increasingly interconnected must operate under a more ubiquitous checks-and-balances system. After all, the UN's Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that it is the responsibility of "every individual and every organ of society to promote respect for [human] rights and freedoms and by progressive measures, national and international, to secure their universal and effective recognition and observance."
The EU's hyper-bureaucratic structure regarding the aforementioned Dublin Regulation halts any reasonable process of review. Why should The Netherlands be forced to honor an obviously erred decision from the UK? Britain claims that "new circumstances" caused their reversal, but I wonder what was initially unclear about "I will be executed if deported." Kazemi was lucky he was able to buy enough time for Britain to recognize their error. How many gay teenagers have been deported to their deaths because of European bureaucracy? And how many more will have to be before they recognize that the Dublin Regulation needs provisions to allow review in these cases?
Until human rights can be more universally internationally recognized, it is the obligation of other sovereigns to uphold their commitment to "promote respect [...] and freedoms." While the final outcome may be a welcomed relief to Mehdi Kazemi after a lifetime of fear, shame on the UK for initially failing to exercise due care in making their decision, and shame on The Netherlands for bowing to bureaucratic pressures instead of honoring their duty to protect a persecuted teenager. If the rule is unjust, then the rule must be changed.
Have any insight on this topic? Want to ask a question or make a suggestion? Click here to leave a comment.
Related Articles
- Brazilian Man Denied Ability to Live with US Partner
- Moral Absolutism and why Sexual Behavior is Irrelevant to Marriage - A Rebuttal
- Same-Sex Marriage Comes to Washington D.C.
- Why Second Parent Adoptions are Vital: How Same-Sex Couples Can Lose Their Kids
- The Census Bureau Finally Reports Same-Sex Married Couples - Could This Mean More Marriage?