Woman forced to return to Iran
An Iranian woman fearing persecution for making "pornographic" films in her home country has lost her attempt to stay in Australia. The Federal Court has dismissed her appeal against an earlier decision to refuse her protection in Australia.
In the years after her husband's 1980 execution by Iran's Revolutionary Guards, Fatemeh Moradgholi was sentenced to more than 200 lashes on different occasions for attending a forbidden gathering of unrelated people in Tehran, having a relationship with a married man and selling alcohol from her home.
Unable to get work, Moradgholi starred in an illegal movie and later rented out X-rated videos, which in Iran can simply mean pictures of unveiled women. Such an activity can incur the death penalty.
While the Refugee Review Tribunal found that there is a real chance Moradgholi would be punished if forced to return to Iran, it was ruled that she is not entitled to a protection visa under the Refugee Convention.