A Kurdish woman living in Birmingham has accused the UK government of trying to force her to return to a country where her ‘life would be in danger’. Narmin Vatankhah fled Iran in 2022 after allegedly receiving ‘death threats’ for taking part in anti-government protests, but her asylum claim was rejected earlier this year.
Narmin said she was forced to leave Iran following the wave of anti-government protests triggered by the suspicious death of Mahsa Amini. Amini, 22, died in police custody after being arrested for allegedly violating rules requiring women to wear the headscarf.
Narmin, a political campaigner, fears her life would be in danger if she were forced to return to Iran, having allegedly received ‘death threats’ for her political activism. Her asylum claim was rejected earlier this year, with Narmin claiming she was told she could ‘go back and hide’ in Iran – a claim refuted by the Home Office.
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After fleeing Iran in October 2022, Narmin has been a prominent voice in UK protests demanding political change in Iran. The death of Mahsa Amini – blamed on Iran by the UN – triggered unprecedented protests in the country, with human rights groups reporting over 500 deaths in a brutal government crackdown.
Narmin is a Kurdish political activist currently living in Birmingham.
“Like many other Iranian people who were against this cruelty, I participated in these protests,” Narmin told BirminghamLive. “Those were very bad days, many young people and even parents were killed in my country – many were imprisoned, many were executed, many were tortured and injured.
“In one of the protests, when police were running after protesters to arrest them, one of my friends was arrested. I was able to escape with a lot of stress and difficulties. I knew then that we had to leave Iran, given my previous political activism.
“I called my husband and with the help of one of my husband’s relatives, we were smuggled out of Iran. It was like crossing death, but we had to choose this way.”
Narmin and her husband attend an Iranian anti-government protest in London.
After arriving in the UK, Narmin applied for asylum and attended two Home Office interviews in May 2024 – but her case was rejected later in the year. She has urged the government to reconsider and plans to appeal against the decision.
She said: “I had no choice but to run away. It was not an easy decision to leave my homeland and my loved ones, especially my mother.
“But we came here so we could live a life of freedom and shout our beliefs freely. I am here because my life was in danger, but my heart is still with my friends and family in Iran. I will continue to do everything I can for a better future and the freedom of my people.”
When approached, the Home Office said it would not remove anyone to any country where they would face ‘persecution or serious harm’. A spokesperson said: “It is longstanding government policy that we do not comment on individual cases.”