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Facing Deportation: Iranian Man Who Was Tortured For Being Gay And Left To Live On Street

Madhi (right) with his partner Ian Kane
Madhi (right) with his partner Ian Kane

A gay man who was tortured in Iran and forced to live on the streets when he fled to Europe is facing deportation from the UK – “the first place he has ever felt safe”.

Since arriving in Britain last year, Madhi has been sent to detention centres five times amid attempts to separate him from his partner and send him to Germany, where he travelled in 2016 after twice being imprisoned and tortured in Iran for his sexuality.

But while in Germany the 36-year-old – whose last name we have agreed not to publish over safety concerns for his family in Iran – was forced to sleep rough and scavenge from bins to survive. During his time on the streets, he was beaten, received homophobic abuse, and was even defecated on.

In search of “somewhere he could feel safe”, Madhi eventually made it to the UK in February 2019 and met his partner, Ian Kane. But despite the dangers he has faced elsewhere, and his fragile mental health, the government wants to send him away.

“Madhi can’t take this torture much more,” Ian told HuffPost UK. “He has night terrors and he wakes up screaming and crying. It’s awful.”

Most recently, immigration officers burst into the couple’s home in north London on Monday morning and took Madhi to Colnbrook detention centre with the view of deporting him on January 29.

The deportation has since been delayed, but Madhi – who suffers from PTSD – is still being held in Colnbrook despite serious concerns for his welfare.

According to Ian, the Home Office last tried to send Madhi back to Germany in autumn 2019, but German authorities refused to accept him because he had self-harm injuries that had not been dealt with.

Madhi first arrived in the UK in February 2019 after fleeing from Iran in 2016 
Madhi first arrived in the UK in February 2019 after fleeing from Iran in 2016

Ian and Madhi’s friends said they are seriously concerned about the state of his mental well-being while he’s being detained in Colnbrook, with Madhi “terrified” of going back to Germany.

On Tuesday night, Madhi told one of the detention centre’s chaplains that he felt “like his soul has left him” since being...

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