UK Effectively Sentencing Iranian Woman to Death for her Sexuality by Deportation

3.01.54pm BST (GMT +0100) Thu 30th Aug 2007

Graham Watson MEP, Leader of the Liberal group in the European Parliament, has secured the backing of the European Parliament in attempting to save the life of an Iranian women, who if deported back to Iran from the UK, will be imprisoned and almost certainly face being stoned to death. Her apparent crime, as a lesbian woman, is her sexuality.

Commenting from Brussels today, Graham said:

"It is abhorrent to think the UK government will deport a woman to face such a punishment. I have asked the President of the European Parliament to write to Prime Minister Gordon Brown to reconsider Pegah Emambakhsh's asylum appeal. The UK cannot in one breath call for greater respect for human rights in the world and effectively sentence someone to death for their sexuality in another."