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‘Show sol with us Ira
- urges award-winning refugee, Re
Reza Mirfattahi from New Ross and Iran, speaking at the World Refugee Day awards ceremony.
Repression in an international context IRAN (or Persia) was renamed the Islamic Republic of Iran by revolutionary Islamists who seized power in a 1979 coup mounted against the USsupported and autocratic Shah. Repression of one kind was replaced by repression of another. Iran’s oil reserves mean it is geopolitically important and there has been war and conflict since oil became the new gold. As recently as June of this year, the ‘New Yorker’ magazine reported the US government had allocated $400 million this year for a supposedly secret war that includes abductions and
REZA Mirfattahi made an impassioned speech on being presented with a World Refugee Award at a ceremony in Dublin on June 19th. He dedicated his award to people persecuted in his home country of Iran and appealed for Irish people to work in solidarity with the oppressed. Among those listening was Minister for Integration, Conor Lenihan. Reza’s speech focused on the positive virtues to be found among refugees and asylum-seekers. He was also openly critical of the regime in Iran: “Asylum-seekers and refugees can contribute hugely and can be valuable assets to their new communities. As people who have fled injustices, we are now safe in the hands of new hosts in this country. These communities deserve our deep and genuine gratitude and appreciation. This can be manifested by engagement with civic society and contributing to our new adopted communities in Ireland. “Since coming to this country I have been committed to integrating fully into Irish society. I have attempted to achieve this by getting involved across the spectrum of community organisations.” As an Iranian, he said he was “deeply honoured” to see that Tomi Reichental was at the ceremony. “Tomi is a survivor of Holocaust living in Ireland. His meaningful presence is a very clear message to those ignorant back in my home country who tried during the past three decades to portray a very different picture about (Israeli-Iranian) history.” Reza said the Iranian regime ignored the long history of good relations between Persians and Jews, something you’re unlikely to hear about through the media. “Ireland could take the initiative and show the world that a freedomloving Persian community living in exile is willing to integrate with their Jewish and other neighbours and work to overcome the current
“As we face our not turn your ba
assassinations within Iran, with the aim of destabilising the Iranian regime. While US military intelligence agencies have reported publicly that Iran’s interest in nuclear power appears solely for civilian use, the Bush administration continues to push the story that the Iranian regime is bent on developing nuclear weapons. Repression within Iran takes place against a backdrop of geopolitical wrestling. In recent years, opposition party activities are tolerated less and less. - Editor
Reza: Award will not win my case REZA Mirfattahi believes it “unlikely” that his award-win will contribute anything to his case which is pending (for close to three years now) and is due to be heard by the Refugee Appeals Tribunal. “The award just helps me to highlight the human rights abuses of the fundamentalist Islamic regime in Iran,” says Reza. “The whole asylum-process in Ireland is some kind of lottery. There is no sense to it. How do they assess someone in a 30changing ireland
18
minute interview and by googling you on the internet?” Reza feels himself changing inside and sometimes is “depressed, a bit jumpy, and under pressure” as the waiting drags on. “I don’t know why I’ve to wait so long,” he says, echoing the experience of many other asylum-seekers. He singles out for criticism the performance of Jim Nicholson, a controversial former member of the threeperson Refugee Appeals Tribunal. Mr. Nicholson, according to documents lodged with the courts, granted asylum on just language ability is a key factor for immigrants seeking employment