by Dave Isaacson, Communist Students

It pleases us to announce that Mehdi Kazemi, a gay Iranian asylum seeker who faced the threat of deportation and almost certain death on his return to Iran, has now been granted ‘leave’ to stay in the UK after his appeal. It must be noted that this victory was only won after determined campaigning and media publicity forced the government’s Home Office first to undertake the review of their previous decision to deny asylum, and finally to grant ‘leave’ to stay, as they have done now. Had it not been for the campaigning and demonstrating the Home Office would not have hesitated to send Mehdi back to Iran knowing full well that he would likely end up hanging from the gallows.

It must also be noted that the Home Office has NOT granted Mehdi permanent asylum. This is shameful. Peter Tatchell, of the gay rights activist group OutRage and a member of the Hands Off the People of Iran campaign, said the decision “is a victory of sorts in that Mehdi has gotten only a temporary leave to remain. At the end of five years he will have to go through the whole appeal process again.”

He added: “Mehdi wouldn’t have got leave to remain if there hadn’t been massive publicity to his case. There are many other gay and lesbian Iranian asylum seekers that are scheduled for deportation to Iran.” This is absolutely right, which makes it so shocking that Stonewall, another gay rights group, has used this as an opportunity to heap praise on Home Secretary Jacqui Smith. In fact this case makes it all too clear that the government does not represent the interests of LGBT people, and that defending LGBT rights necessitates a fight – not sucking up to government ministers!

Communist Students also argues that all immigration controls must be abolished. We are for open borders and the free movement of people. When and where people can move to should not be down to repressive state systems, whether that be the theocratic regime in Iran, or the so-called liberal democracy that is the UK. Freedom of movement is a democratic right that must be fought for, and will only be won through struggle. At the centre of that struggle, and the struggle for LGBT rights, must be the working class. As the vast majority in society the working class is the only class for whom consistent democracy is in its material interests. We are under no illusions that the majority of working class people will fight for these rights now, but the they must be won to do so. And that requires a Communist Party.

As we say in our political platform, ‘What we fight for’: “Communists are internationalists. Everywhere we strive for the closest unity and agreement of working class parties and student organisations. We oppose every manifestation of national sectionalism and chauvinism and fight to abolish all borders. We oppose all immigration controls, believe that no one is illegal and fight for full citizenship rights for all immigrant workers.”