16 March 2006

My name is Mehdi. I am 26 years old. I was born in Shiraz-Iran. I am gay and I have been lots of problems with the Iranian government because of my sexuality and due to that problem I had to flew from my country and I came to England on 17/11/2002. I applied for asylum seekers in United Kingdom and my asylum case was refused in both interview and court. Now I have just been given a court date on 28/03/2006. For further information please finds attached document.

I finished my higher educat8ion at the age of 18 and then I started a computer course for 2 years and I then had a diploma in computing as well. I completed this course at Hamyar net.

I lived with my parents until one year ago before my problem started. I am a homosexual and this is why I have a problem living in my country.

I started military service in 18.11.1380, which on a British calendar would be 7^th February 2002. at the age of 12 or 13 I realized that my sexual attraction is towards boy. I never got on with any girls. I the school I used to hang around with boys and I realized that I liked to get closed to them. I was about 15 years old when I really realized that I wanted to get involved. At this time I found myself a close male friend his name was Payman and he was older than me. He was 21 years old. I started a sexual relationship with Payman but it did not last long as he was accepted to go to University and he left Shiraz and went to Mash'had to study.

At this time I started different classes, computer classes to take my mind of Payman. My next-door neighborhood son whose name was Sina got a new computer and asked me to train him. I started going to hi house for this purpose. I started trusting him and got friendly with him. One day after we had finished studying we started talking about sex and I told him my sexual preference was boy. Sina was younger than me and was interested. I asked him whether he was interested in me. He said yes I would like to get close to you. That day we had sexual relation. After that I left his house and went back my home.

After this for 3 days I did not go to his house. On the third day his father and mother came to my house and they screaming at my mum and dad and telling them what had happened. What I had done to their son. At the time I was not at home but when I came back my mum and dad were so angry. My father started hitting me and told me that next door is going to complain about you to the authorities. They are saying that you raped their son and that I had been a bad influence on him. Their son had told the parents what had happened.

Because this was a serious accusation at first of denied any relationship but when I realized that my mum and dad knew all about the event what had really happened. I told them that I was homosexual and this was something I could not help. They said that I did not know what I was doing that I was young. My father said he would deal with the matter and try to sort the problem between the two families and not go to the authorities.

My father went to their house and I don’t whet had been said but a complaint was not made. This matter was forgotten.

From that time my father's attitude toward me changed. He became much harder on me. He started controlling me; he wanted to know where I was going, what time I was coming back and whom I was seeing. He told me to come home early. My life was getting very hard. This went on until I finished my higher education. I did not have any further close relationship with anyone.

In the summer of 1999, when I finished my diploma I found myself another boyfriend, his name was Reza. We started having a sexual relationship. We became very close. Most of the time we saw each other at his house sometimes he would come to my house, My father thought he was just my friend. The friendship went on for a couple of years before my father became suspicious.

one day my father got very cross with me and asked me not to bring Reza to the house any more. He banned me from bringing any friends to the house and said I know that you are up to what you are doing is dirty and shameful. This time I stood up for myself and said "I can not do what you are asking" this started an argument between us and I told him I would leave the house because this is who I am. My father said I had to go.

I left my fathers house at the beginning of December 2001. at the beginning I went to Reza's house I stayed there for a week but the situation was not good there as his father and mother were suspicious of what was going on. So I left his house. For a month or two I was moving from different friends houses.

I then decided to go for my military service as I had stopped studying. I started military service on 7^th February 2002. I spent my first tree months training at the camp in Karaj. I was then dispersed to Kachoe prison, which was in Karaj.

The first three months was the most difficult time of my life as they trained us so hard as our positions were to be soldiers in the prison.

My family did not know where I was. I only told my sister where I was.

I had to stay in that prison until I had completed my military service, which in Iran is 21 months. At the beginning I became very depressed and home sick. I tried to change myself. The time that they would give me a day off to travel to Tehran to stay with my cousin; I talked to my cousin about my problem and he tried to help me by finding me a girlfriend. This did not work and I could not cope with the girl. I said to my cousin this is not me.

As I was doing my duty in prison I got involved with another soldier who had the same job as me and stayed at the same place. We realized that we had the same feeling toward each other and I started telling him what had happened to me and why I joined the military service. We started a sexual relationship. In this prison where we were working it had lots land where you could walk. At the said of this land they were making a mosque where soldiers could prey. Because the building was not completed nobody was there so we were able to have some privacy.

This happened three or four times. On 29.7.1381 on the Iranian calendar which is the 21^st October 2002 on the British calendar, we were at this place together having sex. I heard a noise, I became scared and I tried to quickly get out of that situation. I heard the door slamming and heard someone running. I looked out of the window and saw a soldier running, I was scared. I told my friend to go to the dormitory and if anyone asks anything just deny it. At the time I was very scared and because I had previous experience of what would happen, I thought I would have to escape. This would be very difficult as nobody was allowed out unless you had a letter specifying that you are on vacation or had temporary leave.

At this time I thought the best way to get out of the prison was to pretend I was very sick so that they would have to take me to hospital. I pretended to faint and I threw myself on the floor. Two soldiers came to help me. Straight away they called an ambulance and they took me to a hospital called Bonyad Shahid, which is the military hospital. They hospitalized me for a night.

At 4 A.M. that night I opened a window in my room and I escaped from my room. I ran from the hospital. I hired a taxi and I went to Tehran. When I arrived (Tehran) rang my cousin and told him where I was. I told him to come and see me. He came and I told him what had happened he was very upset. I was very scared because of the person whom I had a relationship with. He was still inside the prison and he knew my cousins address, under pressure or torture he may give this information to them.

My cousin took me to his friend's house until we could find out what was happening. The next day, 2 officers from two different ranks both based in the prison, one being Dejban Markazi which controls the army and the other from Aghidaty Siasi, they are like intelligence agents came to my cousins house looking for me. My cousin said he did not know where I was. They left a telephone number and asking him to contact them as soon as he knew.

After this my cousin came to see me and told me what had happened. I became very scared. We decided to stay there and not go out of the house. The next day my father rang my cousin and asked if he knew where I was. My cousin was surprised that he wanted to contact me. He asked why he was looking for me. My father told him that a few people from the intelligence service where looking for me and that they have an arrest warrant for me. My father told my cousin that he though that they were controlling our house and the phone, so he came out to phone my cousin and see what is happening.

My cousin told him that I was safe and not to worry. Straight away my father talked with my brother in law and decided to send me out of Iran. For that reason, my brother in low came to Tehran to help me leave the country. My brother in law came on Friday, which was four day after the event. My brother in low and my cousin found an agent for me. I don’t know how much money they gave him as this was arranged by my brother in law but I know it was a lot. This took about five days for the agent to arrange everything to me to flee Iran.

The following Thursday the agent came to the house I was in and they put me in a car and took me to Oromiyeh, which is near Iran and Turkish border. I arrived there Friday morning where I was then taken to a house. I stayed Friday all day and spent the night there. Saturday morning a man drove me to the border. Most of the time I was asleep; when I awoke I was in a village called Salas, which is still in Iran. When we passed this village we arrived at a place were a Kurdish man was waiting with another boy who wanted to cross the border as well. They put us on a donkey and we had to ride the donkey over the mountain. It was so tiring.

At the time we left by donkey it was 2 P.M. this was on 2ed November 2002. It took us 21 or 22 hours by donkey and by walking till we arrived in Turkey at a city called Van. When we arrived in Van there was another man waiting for us called Ali, He put us in a bus and took us somewhere.

I spent a night on the bus and when arrived in Istanbul there was agent waiting who took us to a house, we were not allowed to leave the house without his permission. The next day he took us somewhere where he took our photographs. We were then sent back to the house where we staying about two weeks.

On the 17^th November 2002 the agent came and took me to the airport in Istanbul. He gave me a blue passport and two tickets. He said from now on you have to manage yourself. He said be calm and follow the man is it front of you. Follow him and do as he does.

I got on the plan there was one stop where I stayed in the airport for 4 hours. We changed plans and I could still see the man I had been pointed out so I followed him. He never talked to me. The whole journey took a long time it was so stressful I did not really look at the time.

The next stop I had to get off the plans, I still followed the man. I passed through immigration and showed my passport. I came out of the airport this man was outside the airport and told me welcome to London now. He said let me look at your passport. He took my passport and my ticket ad he never gave it back to me. He gave me 20 Pounds and said just go and introduce yourself to the police.

As I did not have anywhere to go straight away I phoned my brother in law in Iran and told him that the agent had just left me. I told him I was scared and did not know what to do. He asked for the number of the phone box I was using. He told me to wait there until someone phones you. I stayed there for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes my brother in law called me back and told me to wait for another call. Someone did phoned and asked where I was because I did not know where I was, I gave the phone to a stranger so the stranger gave the information to this man. He than came and picked me up.

The man told me he did not have a lot of information about refugees but I have a nephew who came here as a refugee and he is in Nottingham. He bought me a ticket and sent me here. His nephew came to the bus station and picked me up. His real name is Ali but call him Pejman. He took me to his house for the night. The next day I came to see French and company with Pejman on the 18^th November 2002 and asked for adviced and help.

I have already been to refugee action that have taken me to YMCA and give me some vouchers. I am still waiting for my NASS and a house to be sorted for me.

If I was to return to Iran, straight away they would arrest me, it is obvious that I would be executed because under Islamic law I have committed a sin and when they come to my fathers house they told him that is what I have done and that this would be may punishment.