Iranian asylum seeker goes on hunger strike

 Faced with the prospect of imminent deportation, Iranian asylum seeker Bita Ghaedi has gone on hunger strike. 

Bita is from the Lorestan province in western Iran. She describes the culture there as one that treats women as slaves.

Bita suffered routine beatings at the hands of her brother and father. On one particular occasion, she was attacked for having returned home in a taxi; her younger brother presumed the driver was a lover. This was the justification for a beating that left her hospitalised. 
 
Whilst living in the UK, Bita has participated in numerous protests against the Iranian Government, which has declared those in opposition to the regime as 'enemies of god' - a crime punishable by death.

The state is the not the only threat to Bita. She also believes she is in danger of being the victim of an 'honour killing' by her family after escaping an arranged marriage and fleeing to the UK with another man.

Since her asylum application was refused, Bita has lived in constant fear of being deported. 'It's better for me to die here', she says, than to face death at the hands of family or the Iranian State.
 
The Testimony Project urges you to add your name to the petition to ensure that Bita is not returned to a state where her life is in danger.

Photo from the full story in the Hendon & Finchley Times.