Nash Riggins writes for the University of Stirling’s The Brig on one man’s plight to remain in the UK, and possibly avoid death:
Very rarely do deportations carried out by the UK Border Agency end with the failed asylum-seeker being publicly stoned to death; however, for Olalekan Ayelokun, this grim reality is becoming disturbingly likely.
Mr Ayelokun, a gay Nigerian citizen, is scrambling to remain in the UK as he awaits his eminent deportation home – where committing acts of homosexuality is considered a heinous crime.
Indeed, according to the 2007 Pew Global Attitudes Project, 97% of Nigerians believe that homosexuality is completely unacceptable – an overwhelming popular opinion in which Nigeria’s government is happy to enforce. The Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria does not specifically protect LGBT rights, and there is no enacted legislation protecting against discrimination or harassment based upon sexual orientation or gender identity. In fact, not one political party in Nigeria has yet to speak out in favour of LGBT rights – leaving plenty of room for government-sponsored acts of violence and discrimination.
Full story here.
Condemned to death for being gay: the danger of deportation
Very rarely do deportations carried out by the UK Border Agency end with the failed asylum-seeker being publicly stoned to death; however, for Olalekan Ayelokun, this grim reality is becoming disturbingly likely.
Mr Ayelokun, a gay Nigerian citizen, is scrambling to remain in the UK as he awaits his eminent deportation home – where committing acts of homosexuality is considered a heinous crime.
Indeed, according to the 2007 Pew Global Attitudes Project, 97% of Nigerians believe that homosexuality is completely unacceptable – an overwhelming popular opinion in which Nigeria’s government is happy to enforce. The Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria does not specifically protect LGBT rights, and there is no enacted legislation protecting against discrimination or harassment based upon sexual orientation or gender identity. In fact, not one political party in Nigeria has yet to speak out in favour of LGBT rights – leaving plenty of room for government-sponsored acts of violence and discrimination.
Full story here.
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About the author
Editor. Matt is a second-year Philosophy student at the University of Birmingham. He is also a multimedia editor for Redbrick.