By Kiana Firouz
I, Kiana Firouz, an Iranian Lesbian, born in 1983 in Tehran/Iran, have sought asylum in the U.K but my application was turned down by the Home Office, despite accepting the fact that I am a lesbian. I accordingly submitted my appeal which was dismissed incredibly by the adjudicator. According to my solicitor’s point of view there is a little chance to grant a permission to appeal against the adjudicator’s decision. It means that I will face with deportation soon.
Homosexuality in Iran is a sin and offence which is subject to harsh punishment. According to the Islamic law, repeatation of this offence will be punished by death. The punishment for lesbianism involving persons who are mature, of sound mind, and consenting, is 100 lashes. If the act is repeated three times and punishment is enforced each time, the death sentence will apply on the fourth occasion. (Articles 127, 129, 130 penal code) The ways of proving lesbianism in court are the same as for male homosexuality. (Article 128)
I have recently played a role in a feature film called “Cul de Sac” which is mainly based on my real life story. The movie is scheduled to be screened in May 2010. The trailer of the movie had been published on You Tube since December 2009.It was watched by more than ten thousand viewers just in the first four days.
The film’ news was covered by the international Medias world wide specifically by the opposition those are under severe surveillance of the Iranian authority.
The movie contains sexual scenes which itself would be subject to death punishment if I return to Iran.
Now, the only hope remains for me is LGBT’s support.
I look forward to hearing from you soon.