Shaghayegh is to be expelled to Iran

It is Sweden’s National Day and it is noticed in Slottsskogen with a citizenship ceremony. Shaghayegh himself would have played in an orchestra for the new Swedes, but it was canceled because of the rain.

One day she hopes to be one of those who is welcomed to Sweden. Ten years old she came here with her mother and sister to visit relatives.

The mother had then received signals from her home country that it could be dangerous to return when she had moved in circles with persecuted minority groups, says Shaghayegh.

The year was 2015 And in the middle of the refugee crisis, the family applied for asylum. Due to the great accumulation of cases, it was until 2018 before the rejection decision gained legal force.

Image 1 of 2

Image 2 of 2

Nevertheless, the family chose to stay in Sweden, for security reasons according to Shaghayegh. Then she was 13 years old and the decision was taken over her head.

– I realized that we had received a bad message but not really what it meant. I tried to live on. The school was my security. Because even though one’s future is uncertain, you have to have goals and dream, she says.

To focus on school work and orchestra Has helped Shaghayegh keep the turmoil in control. Over the years in Sweden, she has also converted to Christianity, which she says has been a source of strength and comfort.

When she took the student last year, she decided to take control of her life – last fall she applied for asylum.

– It felt like my whole upbringing has been a struggle. It has never been calm in my head. When I was called for an interview at the Migration Board, it was like finally getting a chance to try to get the life I know I deserve, she says.

Her sister, who is five years older, was able to make a track change and stay with work permit. On April 1 this year, that opportunity has been removed and is not an option for Shaghayegh.

Instead, she has pointed out, among other things, that she as a young, Christian woman is at risk of persecution in Iran. The interview at the Migration Board lasted for several hours, she says.

In May this year the rejection came. It was not considered that Shaghayegh ”in a detailed way developed why women’s rights and freedom of speech are of such importance” to her. This is after she mentioned that a woman in Iran can be sentenced to stoning for adultery.

– They thought I had accounted for generally. How else should you answer the question why women’s rights are important to me? I am a woman, the oppression in Iran would hit me directly, she says.

According to the country information on which the Migration Board is partly based on its decision, women are allowed in larger cities in Iran to be freer « because of the higher level of education and the open -minded attitude ».

Shaghayegh does not agree.

– The women who go without a veil in big cities in Iran do not do it because they are more free. They do it because they are brave. They put their lives at risk every day because they have had enough, she says.

Her public assistant Camilla Tidefors has appealed the decision. She believes that it should weigh more heavily that Shaghayegh has lived in Sweden during his formative years and adopted Swedish values ​​and ways of life.

– She has grown up in Sweden with human rights and equality as a matter of course. She decides for her life and her body, but it seems that the Migration Board cannot understand that she has a need to continue to live that way for the rest of her life, like a free woman, she says.

In Iran, people who converted from Islam may be severely punished, according to, among other things US Justice Department. However, in its decision, the Migration Board considered that Shaghayegh has not explained its belief in a sufficiently convincing way, in order for it to constitute protection.

This, too, questions Camilla Tidefors in her appeal.

– She has given several examples of what faith has meant to her, she says.

Jesper Tengrot, Press Manager at the Migration Boardbelieves that the decision is based on an overall picture where her story is part.

– There is a long assessment of her information. Then we also realize that the situation is difficult in Iran but that does not mean that everyone is in need of protection and therefore has the right to stay in Sweden. Although it is difficult to account for their protection reasons, you still have to do so and be able to develop the answers, he says.

Shaghayegh has long kept his situation secret. A few weeks ago, a name collection was started in her name and everything became public.

– Only after a day were so many friends and acquaintances heard. I felt very gig in the beginning and now it’s like I’ve got an army on my side.

She talks about her future dreams. She wants to read on and become a doctor. She wants to buy a house in the forest and marry the man she chooses.

– But first I just want to relax, take a deep breath and feel that life is good.