On Wednesday 18th July between 12:00 pm and 14:00 pm, members of the Birmingham's Iranian Refugee Association will be holding a commemorative protest at the Asylum & Immigration Tribunal, Sheldon Court to remember the death of their close friend, Babak Ahadi, two years ago.
Babak committed suicide in Bristol after hearing his asylum claim was refused by the Immigration Tribunal at Sheldon Court, in July 2005. Babak was an Iranian Asylum Seeker who fled Iran in 2002 after converting to Christianity and an Islamic group threatened to expose him which would have led to his execution.
In memory of Babak Ahadi
Asylum & Immigration Tribunal, Sheldon Court
Babak, doused himself with petrol and set light to himself in Bristol, in July 2005. Passers-by tried to extinguish the flames but Babak suffered 95% burns and smoke inhalation. He later died in Frenchay hospital, Bristol.
The failure of Babak's asylum claim, decided at Sheldon Court, according to an Avon coroner, certainly contributed to Babak's death.
Decisions such as these and the state's inhumane immigration policies have contributed and continue to contribute to the deaths of many migrants who are marginalised by the Border Regime.