Iranian Christian convert told by Panamanian officials she must spend a year in the jungle before applying for asylum
Feb 2025 · San Diego, CA, Iran
Leila, a 29-year-old Iranian Christian convert, was expelled from the U.S. to Panama on a military plane. When she and others told Panamanian officials they wanted to seek asylum in Panama and that they had changed their religion to Christianity, officials told them they could not seek asylum in Panama and would first have to stay one year in the jungle before being eligible to apply. At the San Vicente detention center, UNHCR arrived but only brought garbage bags to use as blankets. She told Human Rights Watch, 'No one would talk to us about why we are refugees.' Officials kept trying to tell them to go to Turkey, but they were afraid Turkey would deport them.
Sources
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