KAMALFAR FREE!… Iranian Dissident Receives Refugee Status in Canada
Free at Last The long ordeal of Zahra Kamalfar and her family in Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport - often discussed on this site - is finally over, Pajamas Media has learned.
March 12, 2007 - 11:24 pm
Kamalfar will not be returned to Iran, as Russian authorities were threatening to do, but will receive refugee status in Canada.
PJM received a copy of the following email to Iranian-American filmmaker and activitist Ardeshir Arian from an attorney, Zohreh Mizrahi:
Dear Ardeshir:
I am very pleased to inform you, as promised earlier, that Canada finally issued the refugee status to Zahra and her children and that they will be leaving Moscow on Wednesday, March 14 with final destination, Vancouver on March 15 to resettle there.
I want to thank you for all your wonderful work, patience, and humanitarian efforts.
ZOHREH MIZRAHI, Esq.
Thank G-d.What great news!
That is FANTASTIC news!
Thank you, Canada.
It is a perhaps unfortunate but relevant time to remember that the Russians are not in the least ashamed to kill people outside their legal reach, or when the whole world is watching.
This is great news. Thank You PJM for being on the side of victims of the tyranny of the Iranian regime. Thanks for bringing us this fantastic news.
I’ve kind of been following this story, and this seems great. Has anyone set up a fund, to help this woman and her children? I’m not a wealthy person, but I am a free man, in a free country. So I can spare a few bucks for these people. I just need a legitimate name and address. Anyone know.
I’m very happy to hear this news too.
But somebody please explain to me why this took so damned long? Myself and a few other friends were discussing this and were wondering why the US didn’t offer asylum (or did we)?
Is the process complicated? Is it largely political? Why is it so hard to ‘do the right thing’?
Gee, we’d hate to piss of Iran, right?
MarkS and others: Kamalfar has a brother in Canada, which was therefore her first choice. As I understand it, the US was standing by in case things did not work with Canada. Of course, this does not explain why this all took so long.
Amadinejad and his Mullahs are still licking their chops, I’m sure. They still have two more days. A higher force of intervention is very obvious in this outcome and I am not referring to governmental. blogengeezer at http://daflikkers.blogspot,com/
Wow – great news!
Caught between Russia and Iran – are there many more crappy places to be in life?
After 9 months of homelessness at Moscow Airport and following IFIR’s successful global campaign;
Zahra Kamalfar has been saved from Moscow Airport!
Zahra and her children will fly to Canada on Wednesday 14 March!
According to the latest news, a few minutes ago Mrs Kamalfar informed the IFIR’s Secretariat that the Canadian Embassy has accepted her and her children’s application for asylum and resettlement in Canada and that they will be flying to Canada on Wednesday 14 March 2007.
After 9 months of homelessness in the Transit Hall of Moscow Airport, and thanks to the global campaign lead by the International Federation of Iranian Refugees (IFIR) supported by thousands around the world, Mrs Kamalfar at long last has been saved from a menacing nightmare of bewilderment and frustration.
Since the early days of Mrs Kamalfar’s arrival at Moscow Airport, the IFIR launched a campaign with the aim of preventing her deportation and to have her rights recognised as an asylum seeker. This was amongst many other campaigns organised by the IFIR which was well received by the international communities including tens of news media agencies and television networks who reflected upon Mrs Kamalfar’s dire and tragic situation at Moscow Airport.
In doing so, the IFIR was virtually transformed into an international network of tens of institutions and organisations as well as hundreds of individuals in distant corners of the globe forming a chain of joint effort in order to succeed in this campaign.
During the first phase of our campaign we managed to persuade the UNHCR to recognise Mrs Kamalfar’s right to asylum and prevented her deportation back to Iran. The second phase of IFIR’s campaign was launched on 19 February 2007 to achieve Mrs Kamalfar and her children’s resettlement in Canada. Tens of reports and correspondences were forwarded to hundreds of different organisations around the world. The Canadian Immigration and the Foreign Office as well as the Human Rights Commissionaire of Ottawa Parliament were targeted and put under immense pressure with our demand for immediate resettlement of Mrs Kamalfar in Canada.
Eventually, all our efforts paid off which means that not only Mrs Kamalfar herself, but also millions of people around the world who followed her dreadful story at Moscow Airport and viewed her on their television screens are jubilant with the remarkable outcome of this campaign.
Saving Mrs Kamalfar and her children from Moscow Airport wasn’t a trivial task.
This was a landmark victory within the asylum seekers’ movement, a valuable achievement in defending humanity and a distinctive effort in the records of the IFIR.
Hambastegi, IFIR would like to extend its congratulations to Zahra Kamalfar and her children Davood and Anna, and Zahra Kamalfar’s family, particularly to Nader in Canada and all those organisations and individuals who supported this campaign by offering their practical participation in order to save Zahra Kamalfar, for this lustrous achievement and wish the Kamalfars all the best in Canada.
We also once again and hereby call upon all other refugees to join the ranks of IFIR in order to effectively defend their unequivocal rights as asylum seekers.
Hambastegi, International Federation of Iranian Refugees
12 March 2007
Hey Man,
Don’t chock on it. This is supposed to be a comment not a popularity contest.
Yeah, I am talking to you mr. hoseini. Don’t try to satisfy your ego at PJ Meida’s expense.
Remember, It was a professional group of lawyers, a very expensive entity (from Moscow to Vancouver) who came together to help this family + the tireless efforts of some media people in the city of angles. Lawyers with a lot of heart.
Not only they did not charge for their services, but spent from own pockets to fight for three helpless human beings they have not even met. I followed the story through PJ Media and CBC ever since they brought this matter to the world’s attention.
CANADA IS PROUD…
Thank you PyjamasMedia for following this case through and many thanks to the organizations and individuals involved with this case. The Iranian New Year is on 21st March and I believe this Iranian woman and her family will see this as a blessing to have been saved from their horrific ordeal of having to live in an airport terminal for over a year!!
This is just amazing. Your coverage was very important too.
It probably has everything to do with Cananada checking and rechecking for Canadians at risk in Iran and other locations from revenge of the Hizbollah’s, before finally taking action.
It also has alot to do with those turgid relations with Moscow, and armies of lawyers doing battle against each other and beauracracies.
God Bless Pajama Media, Canada, the United State and everyone who prayed for this family. Today is a great day for humanity. Oh I forgot Michael Leeden. God Bless everyone.