Mehdi Kazemi, the Iranian gay teenager threatened with deportation back to Iran (where his boyfriend was executed) has been granted unconditional asylum in the United Kingdom.
This is clearly excellent news for all of those solidarity activists who campaigned against his deportation and against racist and homophobic immigration laws. It is a slap in the face to the homophobic Iranian regime.
Unfortunately, the government has not taken any broader stance in favour of the right to asylum for persecuted LGBT people. Commenting on Mehdi's case the Home Office stated "We keep cases under review where circumstances have changed, and it has been decided that Mr. Kazemi should be granted leave to remain in the UK based on the particular facts of this case".
