If anyone is keen on taking some action you could write to your local federal member (you could write to the Minister for Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs and the PM but if you do, copy the letter to your local member). You could include some or all of the following points:
1. a statement of congratulations on their election/re-election 2. a comment that the Uniting Church has called on the Federal Government not to return Christians to Iran where they may face persecution, torture or even death. We are extremely concerned that there are people who have failed the Government's tests for refugee status, but who do indeed have a genuine fear for their safety. Even if people's claims do fall outside of the UN definition of a refugee, they may still have a need for protection for other reasons. At the Tenth National Assembly in July 2003 the Uniting Church in Australia passed a resolution condemning the Australian Government for its plans to forcibly deport Iranian people to a situation where they will face persecution and possibly death. 3. a comment that the Government of Iran cannot guarantee their safety against the hardline Muslim clerics who are known to persecute people who have converted to Christianity and other religious minorities, including Sabian Mandaeans. 4. an expression of concern that should the Australian Government return people who continue to claim to be in fear of persecution to a country where persecution and human rights abuses are known to occur (reports by the US State Department confirm serious human rights abuses in Iran including summary executions and torture), we would be abrogating our moral responsibility not to endanger peoples' lives and at risk of refoulement which is prohibited under Article 33 of the Refugee Convention. 5. a request that the Government not deport any Iranian Christian converts until the Minister has considered their applications for Ministerial Discretion under section 417s of the Migration Act. All members of Parliament can be reached at the address: Parliament House Canberra ACT 2600 But as Parliament is not sitting it would be best to send letters directly to local members at their electorate office. Many thanks, Elenie ___________________________________________ Rev. Elenie Poulos National Director UnitingJustice Australia Uniting Church in Australia p 02.8267.4239 e [EMAIL PROTECTED] <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> w http://nat.uca.org.au/unitingjustice/ <http://nat.uca.org.au/unitingjustice/> subscribe to Justice News [EMAIL PROTECTED] to receive information and updates about our work send an email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> with a blank subject line and subscribe justice-news please in the body of the message > -----Original Message----- > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Behalf Of Sue Bolton > Sent: Wednesday, October 20, 2004 4:21 PM > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Subject: Re: Deportation raises fear fror Iranian man > > > > > I responded directly to Bev, but included in that I said: > > I watched The Press Club Luncheon today while I was having lunch. The > guest was Amil S??? - sorry I can't recall his name - the Arab > academic from ANU, speaking on Iraq and Afghanistan. I was amazed that > he stated that, after a few years of Revolution, the regime had become > more moderate , and has continued to do so under Khatami. He certainly > didn't acknowledge the deterioration since the February elections, nor > the continuing terrorisation of the population. He spoke approvingly > of the EU and Australia's relations with Iran. > > As soon as I'd sent that to Bev, I checked out Iran va Jahan, as I do > most days, and found this horrific tale, which also talks about the > hanging that I referred to earlier: > > http://iranvajahan.net/cgi-bin/news.pl?l=en&y=2004&m=10&d=19&a=5 > > [This was written for a US audience. Be aware that Iranians who use > the Internet face their own danger. > At least four web journalists have been arrested in recent weeks.] > > On the topic of penalties for apostasy, see > http://iranvajahan.net/cgi-bin/news.pl?l=en&y=2004&m=10&d=19&a=9 > > > > On Wed, 20 Oct 2004 12:37:48 +0800, you wrote: > > >This latest story from Baxter is very disturbing. The man, > who was a convert > >from Islam to Christianity, was attending the weekly > Christian worship > >service which is held on a Thursday afternoon in the Baxter > centre. While he > >was at the service last Thursday, DIMIA officials packed up all his > >belongings. When he left the service he was asked to go to > the DIMIA office. > >There, he was told he was to forcibly deported and without > notice was taken > >immediately to Whyalla where he was flown to Adelaide, then > Perth, the > >Dubai, then Tehrahan. He has arrived in Iran but has not yet > been sighted by > >his family- so it appears he has been taken into custody at > the airport. > > > >The article in the Age puts his life at terrible risk. The > Iranian Embassy > >in Canberra do read the local papers and they have now been > alerted that the > >man who was deported was a convert to Christianity. They may > or may not have > >been aware of this before, but certainly do know now. > > > >Sue is right- conversion from Islam to any other religion > carries a death > >penalty in Iran. Amanda Vanstone has acknowledged to UCA > officials that > >deporting a Christian convert to Iran does put thier life at > risk and she > >had promised that she would never deport a convert to Iran. > Now this has > >happened. > > > >I would like to go to the media on this, let them know taht > our government > >is deporting Christians to situations of persecution. But we > cannnot do this > >as it only increases the risk to the person deported. But we > should be > >spreading the word as much as we can through our > congregations that this is > >what the Howard governmetn is doing > > > >As you can imagine, the Iranian Christians in Baxter are now > in total panic, > >expecting at any moment that they too will be called up to DIMIA and > >forcibly deported. I have had several phone calls from > Iranian Christians > >there who have pleaded with me to go to Canberra and talk > personally to the > >Minister and tell her they are Christian and not to deport > them. As if the > >Minister would agree to see me and if this did happen, would > take any notice > >of me! Besides which we dont even know at the moment who the > Minister for > >Immigration is. But they are desperate- not eating, not sleeping, > >desperately worried. To take one of thier friends straight > out the worship > >service where they were all together has hit them very deeply. > > > >For those of you who do not know, the Assembly Standing > Committee maintains > >a register of baptised members in Aus Detention Centres. > There are at the > >moment about 20 men on that register, all held at Baxter, > most of them > >Iranians who have converted from Islam to Christianity. I > baptised many of > >them, so this issue effects me deeply. > > > >Please spread the word through our congregations. They need > to know what our > >government is doing. And they need to be writing letters of > protest to both > >the Minister and the PM. And pray for the man who was > deported and for those > >still in detention. > > > >Bev > > > >-----Original Message----- > >From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > >[mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Behalf Of Sue Bolton > >Sent: Wednesday, October 20, 2004 9:54 AM > >To: Sue Bolton > >Cc: Stephen Webb; [EMAIL PROTECTED] > >Subject: Re: Deportation raises fear fror Iranian man > > > > > >Sorry! Someone phoned as I was finishing the last sentence, and > >apparently I tapped 'send'. [I wondered where it had gone!] > > > >It should have concluded: > > > >....[no] transparent judicial system, who knows? [In August a 16 year > >old girl, accused of a sexual encounter was executed for having a > >'sharp tongue'.] > > > >> > >> > >> > >>>Deportation raises fears for Iranian man > >>>The Federal Government has forcibly deported an Iranian > Christian to > >>>Iran, sparking criticism from church groups that he has > been placed at > >>>risk. READ ON > >>><http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/10/15/1097784047168 > .html?oneclick= > >true> > >>> > >>The concluding paragraph is too soft. The US State Dept et al points > >>out that apostasy, conversion from Islam to any other religion, is > >>punishable by death in Iran. > >> > >>There have apparently been over a hundred public executions in Iran > >>this year alone. They are usually carried out on > 'criminals', but in a > >>regime with no > >>Sue Bolton > >>Sydney, Australia > >>------------------------------------------------------ > >>- You are subscribed to the mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] > >>- To unsubscribe, email [EMAIL PROTECTED] and put in > the message body > >'unsubscribe insights-l' (ell, not one (1)) > >>See: http://nsw.uca.org.au/insights-l-information.htm > >>------------------------------------------------------ > > > >Sue Bolton > >Sydney, Australia > >------------------------------------------------------ > >- You are subscribed to the mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] > >- To unsubscribe, email [EMAIL PROTECTED] and put in > the message body > >'unsubscribe insights-l' (ell, not one (1)) > >See: http://nsw.uca.org.au/insights-l-information.htm > >------------------------------------------------------ > > > > > >--------------------------------------------------------------- > >DISCLAIMER: The information in this message and any attachments is > >confidential and may be legally privileged. It is intended > solely for the > >addressee. Access to this message by anyone else is > unauthorised. If you > >are not the intended recipient, any disclosure, copying, or > distribution of > >the message, or any action or omission taken by you in > reliance on it, is > >prohibited and may be unlawful. Please immediately contact > the sender if > >you have received this message in error. To the extent that > this email > >contains information provided to Synod of WA/Wesley Mission > Perth by other > >sources, Synod of WA/Wesley Mission Perth does not warrant that it is > >accurate or complete. Any opinions expressed in this email > are those of the > >individual sender and do not necessarily reflect the views > of Synod of > >WA/Wesley Mission Perth. > > > > Sue Bolton > Sydney, Australia > ------------------------------------------------------ > - You are subscribed to the mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] > - To unsubscribe, email [EMAIL PROTECTED] and put in > the message body 'unsubscribe insights-l' (ell, not one (1)) > See: http://nsw.uca.org.au/insights-l-information.htm > ------------------------------------------------------ > ------------------------------------------------------ - You are subscribed to the mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] - To unsubscribe, email [EMAIL PROTECTED] and put in the message body 'unsubscribe insights-l' (ell, not one (1)) See: http://nsw.uca.org.au/insights-l-information.htm ------------------------------------------------------
