Human rights champion backs Afshin's asylum bid

18 December 2006

By Matt Eley

HUMAN Rights campaigner Shami Chakrabarti has thrown her support behind the Ham&High's campaign for asylum seeker Afshin Azizian.

Speaking at Reporting Asylum - The London Press Awards - at which the Ham&High was praised for its reports - Ms Chakrabarti urged the paper to keep up the good work.

The director of Liberty said: "I absolutely support the campaign. I was at Afshin's graduation ceremony for (human rights project) Education Action and that project is about encouraging asylum seekers to tell their own story, which is exactly what Afshin is doing.

"It exposes the hypocrisy of the politicians who on one hand talk about how scary things are in Iran but who on the other hand will not keep safe hundreds of people living in London."

The awards ceremony at City Hall on Tuesday was held to praise responsible reporting of asylum issues in regional newspapers.

Mayor of London Ken Livingstone said: "I am pleased to see that many of London's local press are demonstrating the media's responsibility to present a fair and accurate picture of London and its communities.

"I hope that these papers inspire others to act in a responsible way, to ensure London's refugees and asylum seekers do not face hostility or discrimination."

The Ham&High made it to the top three in the news reporting category but missed out on the gong to the London Informer in Hounslow for its reports on asylum seekers detained at Harmondsworth.

The Ham&High has been urging the Home Office to review Mr Azizian's case. He has been in the UK for 12 years and fears he will be executed if returned to Iran due to his anti-establishment views and conversion to Christianity.

He has the constant threat of deportation hanging over his head and meanwhile is unable to work or claim benefits.

The Home Office initially rejected his case and has so far refused to review it on compassionate grounds but has said any future appeals will consider the Ham&High campaign.

Mr Azizian said: "For three years the Ham&High has been writing about me. At first it was just me and Matt and we didn't have much support but now millions of people know about the campaign. Today I was able to be in a room with Shami Chakrabarti and the Mayor of London, so the information is getting out there.

"In my heart I know the Ham&High is a winner for all the work it has done for me."

matt.eley@hamhigh.co.ukThe Allies, a life-size bronze sculpture by Lawrence Holofcener of Franklin D Roosevelt and Winston Churchill sitting on a bench at the February 1945 wartime conference in Yalta, has taken up residence outside the Catto Gallery. It may look familiar to passers-by because it is a replica of the one in Bond Street which is a popular tourist photo spot.

Gallery owner Gillian Catto said: "It has been amazing to see everyone stopping to have a look at it."

The piece will be on display until June or until it is sold - price on application.

The gallery also has five quarter life-size maquettes available for £24,000 plus VAT.