Darwen family await Iran deportation (From Lancashire Telegraph)
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Darwen family await Iran deportation
9:00am Friday 19th December 2008 in Search
Reza and Forouzan Rajabi
A FAMILY of Christian asylum seekers from Darwen are due to be deported to Iran this week.
Forouzan Rajabi, 47, and her 22-year-old daughter Sahar have been held in a detention centre at Manchester Airport since last Friday where they were seperated from the 25-year-old son, Reza.
Members of the Iranian community in Blackburn and other areas of the country have expressed their support for the family.
Supporters insist that the Rajabi family fled Iran because of issues to do with democracy and freedom and think if they are deported back their human rights and safety will be at risk.
Friends belive they will be pressured to convert back to Islam if they are forced back to their native country.
The family regularly attend Grace Community Church in Wensley Road, Blackburn, where they help translate at the Iranian bible group sessions.
Their solicitor sent a letter to the European Court of Human Rights immediately after the incident.
Speaking from the detention centre earlier this week, trainee physio-therapist Sahar, known as Rosa, said: “We cannot return home because of our religion.
“It is a very important part of our lives and something that affects our everyday actions, thoughts and words.
“We could never hide that away, even though it would leave us exposed to an uncertain future.”
