Friday, August 22, 2008

Arash (Abu-Ali) Mohajerani-Nejad in Imminent Threat of Deportation from UK

UK Home Office's inadequate lottery system for accepting asylum seekers, which has let so many Islamic fundamentalists and terrorists into UK, has once again failed a genuine bona fide Iranian secular pro-democracy activist, who has been seeking political asylum in UK.

Arash (Abu-Ali) Mohajerani-Nejad is also the brother of prominent Iranian pro-democracy dissident and student activist, Gholam-reza Mohajerani-nejad, who fled Iran after the 1999 student uprising. Arash was arrested and detained in Charing-Cross police station and can be deported back to the Islamic Republic any moment, where he will face grave consequences for his life and liberty and that of his comrades in Iran.

Below is a VOA(Persian) radio recording of how Arash was attacked by Islamic Republic agents during the Islamic Republic sponsored Al-Quds day [Jerusalem Day] march in London few years ago:
http://daneshjooyan.org/media/830816a.ram

If Arash is deported back to Iran, the message sent by the UK Home Office will be as follows:
While Islamic Republic sponsored supporters are free to march in the streets of London, and pretend they care for the Palestinians, Iranian pro-democracy activists are being deported back to the Ayatollahs, the very sponsors of Hezbollah, Hamas, Moqtada Sadr and other terror organisations!

Please write, fax, phone or email Tony McNulty, Home Office minister who also happens to be the MP for the constituency where Arash lived and politely inform him of the grave mistake the Home Office is making.

25th Aug, 2008 - See important note by Harry Barnes, retired MP himself, on how you can help, in the comments section below.

New contact details for Home Office contacts:

Private Office to The Rt Hon Jacqui Smith MP
* Telephone: 020 7035 0198
* Fax: 020 7035 0900
* Email: Privateoffice.external@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk

Private Office to The Rt Hon Tony McNulty MP
* Telephone: 020 7035 0201
* Fax: 0870 336 9035
* Email: Privateoffice.external@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk

Private Office to Liam Byrne MP
* Telephone: 020 7035 0195
* Fax: 0870 336 9034
* Email: Privateoffice.external@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk

Pictures of Arash:

36 comments:

Anonymous said...

I knew Ali from Iran, we were at the Tizhooshan school together. He was very talented and wanted to be a doctor. He was stuck in Turkey waiting for UN recognition of his refugee status for years and then hung up in the air in England for years. Last time I spoke to him it seemed the whole experience had driven him to despair.

Winston said...

UK's political asylum system sucks and that's why they are stuck with thousands of radical islamists in their midst.

Anonymous said...

Dear Potkin,

Once again you are promoting people who have made Iranian opposition the laughing stock of the nation, people who use politics as a begging hat, or as a means of seeking asylum. I know you are not one of these people and you are a genuine patriot, but to be effective, you need to brush up some common psychopathology in your dealing with the so called opposition

Azarmehr said...

anon,

believe me if I thought for a second Arash was not genuine and was a bogus asylum seeker, I would not have put this post up. Arash is young and if he has made mistakes put it down to his youth and what he has been through in the last 8 years.

Azarmehr said...

Arash's current Location: Oakington Immigration Detention Telephone: 44 195 47 83000
Cell Reference Number: 26/5L
Fax : 44 195 47 89529

Home Office Reference #M1192462

Anonymous said...

no one answers the phone!

Anonymous said...

Judging by how the Home office is losing vital data these days, I wouldnt be surprised if McNulty's department has lost all the relevant data on Arash!

Azarmehr said...

Anonymous,

Try this number: 01954783194

Anonymous said...

I read about this case on a student web site, and I too know Arash. He is not some ‘asylum seeker’ and if anything he has strength of character and love of humanity that challenges whatever idea of patriotism the earlier anonymous submission supposes to know. I commend Mr. Azarmehr for posting the message about Arash and for his commitment to a democratic secular government for our beloved Iran.

Anonymous said...

I read about this case on a student web site, and I too know Arash. He is not some ‘asylum seeker’ and if anything he has strength of character and love of humanity that challenges whatever idea of patriotism the earlier anonymous submission supposes to know. I commend Mr. Azarmehr for posting the message about Arash and for his commitment to a democratic secular government for our beloved Iran.

Harry Barnes said...

Apologies if you are already aware of the link I give below . His blog carries labels on Iran, Iranian Artists, Ahmadinejad and Darya Dadvar.
http://thepoormouth.blogspot.com/

Winston said...

Why not contacting media and NGOs?

Anonymous said...

Bloggers, take a few minutes to sign our petition for Arash. This will be sent to Tony McNulty's office, so pass it along to anyone you can think of who might be interested!
http://www.petitiononline.com/arashmoh/petition.html
Thanks for the support.

Anonymous said...

This is unbelievable! I, as a UK tax payer, am so fed up with this stupid Labour government and how they get everything wrong!
The sooner Labour is out the better it will be for all of us.

Winston said...

petitions won't work. Announce email address or mailing addresses so we can either send letters or emails asking them to revoke this stupid decision.

Harry Barnes said...

As I do not use comment moderation your recent comment went up on my blog automatically. But I have now deleted it. So that we can pursue the issue, I suggest that you contact me by email at Harrybarnes1111@aol.com . But as with you, I prefer you not to publish this item on your blog.

Azarmehr said...

I am also of the opinion that petitiononline is a waste of time even though I signed the above.

If you click on McNulty in the post that takes you to faxyourmp.com which sends the message straight to McNulty.
Use Arash's postcode HA8 6LR

Else you can use this email: mcnultyt@parliament.uk

Harry Barnes said...

In pressing Arash's case, it is worthwhile turning to your own MP for help. To check on email and/or web-site access to your MP, click into the following list and add your post code if you need to check on who your MP is - http://www.parliament.uk/directories/hciolists/alms.cfm

If your MP is supportive, they can contact Tony McNulty at the Home Office on your behalf and give their own support to Arash. How they do this will illustrate their degree of support. If the MP is not committed on the issue or is even hostile, you can still ask them to forward you representation to McNulty. They have a standard form which can be used for this purpose. Even this secondary approach will be better than nothing. First of all it adds to the numbers of representations sent to the Home Office and it is likely to jump the queue as it comes from an MP and should gain some sort of response which the MP should forward to you.

One technique the MP might use in order to do nothing is to claim that Arash is not from their constituency. But this "courtesy" matter can be overcome by your MP merely informing the constituency MP of what he or she is up to. If Arash's postcode is HA8 6LR as shown by Azarmehr, then Tom McNulty himself is the constituency MP !

I will now approach my own MP on the issue and some others who might be sympathetic. Unfortunately, even a hard working MP is likely to use a fortnight or so in August for their summer holidays as it the period of the year when they receive the fewest representations.

Harry Barnes said...

azarmehr:

The comment I have sent is, of course, for publication and probably answers your earlier comment.

Anonymous said...

I'm asking for your support in helping to free Arash. He has done nothing wrong, and those of us who have experienced first hand as political prisoners, the wrath of the Islamic Republic of Iran know the future that awaits Arash should they send him back. We ask Tony McNulty, the UK government, and anyone else who has the ability to stand up for this case, to not only stop any actions to deport Arash, but to also free him from the immigration detention centre where he is being held.

Harry Barnes said...

On my blog, I have now put up what I hope is a more helpful version of what I suggested and I have called McNulty "Tony" and not "Tom" ! I don't want to get up his nose. The MPs who are approachable via their own blogs include Tom Watson, Tom Harris and John McDonnell. So far, I have raised the issue in their comment boxes - they are shown as "links" on my blog. If you use the Commons' email system to MPs and don't have their constituency post codes, I think that they get filtered out.

Winston said...

This is what I wrote in a short time I had here:

Dear Mr. Tony McNulty,

I am an Iranian-Canadian writing to you with respect to the UK based Iranian refugee claimant Mr. Mohajerani Nejad who is awaiting deportation back to Iran. He also happens to reside in your area of responsibility as an MP. I desperately ask you to intervene in this matter and give this courageous young man another chance of proving his case in a legal tribunal. If deported, he'll face jail, possible torture and abuse. Please do help this courageous young man and don't let him be abused in the hands of the Iranian regime security forces upon arrival in Iran.

I appreciate your time and am hopeful you will take a look at his case.

Yours sincerely,
Winston
Canada

Winston said...

I also wrote to the UK's delegation at the useless European parliament. Hope it helps as well

Anonymous said...

As Arash's brother I want to thank you all for your support and involvement. Thank you for participating with your words on the website, and for sending requests to Tony McNulty's website, faxing requests to the London Home Office, and signing our petition. I'd especially like to thank my friend Potkin for his courageous and diligent work in spreading the word about the issues that matter to Iranian people all over the world.

The situation my brother currently faces is not uncommon in the world in which we currently live. I’ve been able to speak to Arash several times since he was detained, and he knows of the work we are all doing, trying to get him released and avoid his deportation. He is grateful for all the work being done, and so am I.

For those of you who have endured persecution by your government, you know what a lost feeling it is to not be able to return to a home you love without fear of imprisonment for your beliefs. Arash’s situation should he be sent back is grim.

Please continue to work with us in whatever way you can until Arash is free of the possibility of deportation or imprisonment.

Anonymous said...

Great letter, Winston. Thanks so much!

Anonymous said...

what exactly did he do to get arrested? Defend himself from Islamic republic agents?

Anonymous said...

Another day has passed with Arash in the immigration detention centre. His story is now on the homepage of the National Coalition of Anti-Deportation Campaigns website:
http://www.ncadc.org.uk/Newszine97/Arash.html

Anonymous said...

whats the latest on Arash? Have you been to see him?

Azarmehr said...

Marjan,

I saw him at the detention centre on Monday. He is being treated well as all the detainees are. However when he told me how he was arrested, I was shocked. I have been thinking for the last two days whether I should write about the circumstances that led to his arrest. Believe me it will shock a lot of people and will show who our friends and foes are.

Winston said...

This is what I got in response to my emails.

---
Hi winston,

Unfortunately, your message to Tony McNulty MP has not been sent. You
can only use our service to write to your own elected representatives,
not to representatives for other places. Here is a full explanation
as to why we have this policy:
http://www.writetothem.com/about-qa#onlyrep

There's a copy of your message below, so you can send it another way, if you like.
---

Assholes!

Azarmehr said...

Winston,

You can use McNulty's direct email: mcnultyt@parliament.uk

or the new homeoffice contact details I have updated the post with.

Anonymous said...

Winston,
I have submitted to the McNulty site using Arash's name and address since he lives in the area respresented by Mcnulty. Unfortunately, I don't get a message at all back--not one refusing to read my message or acknowledging that they received it, so I never know if sending to that site really gets to a real human being. I've been faxing to Tony McNulty's office, the home office and oakington where Arash is held, and sending to McNulty's email, listed on Potkin's initial post of this story.
McNulty's Fax: 0870 336 9035
McNulty's Email: Privateoffice.external@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk

Winston said...

Done! (again)

Anonymous said...

Hi
I think you might need to contact MP Liam Byrne, he has responsibilities for the Government's programs on naturalization, immigration and asylum not MP McNulty because he is doing Crime and Policing not immigration problems.
the contact No for him is
0121 789 7287
byrnel@parliament.uk

Ali Hosseini said...

Shame on you George Galloway

Shame on you George Galloway
For behaving in this way
You justify murderers
Iranians you betray

You support these fascist thugs
These animals and mad dogs
You have become their mouth piece
On TVs and in blogs

One day supported Saddam
His majesty and kingdom
Now you support hard line thugs
In the name of freedom

You and your so called respect
Support this horrible sect
Those who rigged the election
In day light which was perfect

Perhaps we should just mention
How they rigged the election
In just about 50 towns
Votes exceed population

Are you saying they cause pain
And we can not complain
This is really so sick
you must be thick and insane

You behave like mercenaries
So you collect some pennies
For opening your big mouth
To help hard line clergies

Palestine is just a game
For you to make a big name
You don't believe in justice
This is your ultimate aim

What is the big difference?
Between this and that nonsense
Iranian and Israeli thugs
Are much the same in essence

In fact they are even worse
For using their might and force
Against people of their own
You go along and endorse


They are both extremists
And both behave like fascists
Don't insult intelligence
We are not imperialists

Don't tell me you are proud
When they run into crowd
With motorbikes and with guns
You respect and speak load

You respect the managers
Who killed many teenagers
For just reading some leaflets
Considered as big dangers

You have no respect for us
Respect for votes and census
For holding peaceful rallies
you are making so much fuss

You respect thugs when they jail
Thousands of male and female
For exercising their rights
To this extent and scale

You respect those who torture
Those who behave like vulture
Hurting people on chambers
Those who lead us and lecture

You respect the TV shows
After polling nails and toes
You are really disgusting
Resign or will get elbows

You respect when they close
Papers and sites who expose
These horrible practices
And the journals who oppose

You respect when they ignore
Women's rights and they ensure
Suppressing oppositions
A policy which is core

Mr. Respect shame on you
We urge you that you will do
Stop working for these thugs
Or we will come and say boo

Ali Hosseini said...

I salute your courage
Killing people of each age
In Iran and Kurdistan
In every town and village

I salute your courage
For causing so much damage
T o both Iran and Iraq
Turning both into carnage

I salute your courage
In the way you take hostage
Prisoners on both sides
Giving shocks with high voltage

I salute your courage
In the way you take revenge
The way you humiliate
And for the use of language

I salute your courage
For the way you do manage
I like this school of thought
This school and this college

I salute your courage
I enjoy this marriage
A marriage of old foes
Turning Iran to Wreckage

I salute your courage
In the way you take revenge
You carry on like Saddam
Don’t give up the privilege

I salute your courage
You leave no room for salvage
don't worry if it does cause
unhappiness and outrage

I salute your courage
Treat them all like garbage
Don’t worry if they call you
A monster or savage

I salute your courage
For causing anger and rage
I do like this business
I enjoy the whole package