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The UK Home Office has arrested Sajjad Miah over allegations that her group helped asylum seekers fake LGBT persecution claims. The case has sharpened scrutiny of how authorities distinguish genuine protection pleas from alleged abuse of the asylum system.
The Home Office alleges that some men linked to Apanjon claimed to be gay only after their original asylum applications. (Representative Image: Reuters)
A transgender woman who secured asylum in the United Kingdom by claiming she faced persecution because of her sexuality has been arrested over allegations that she helped other asylum seekers fabricate similar claims to remain in the country.
According to the Daily Mail, Sajjad Miah, 42, founded Apanjon, an east London-based organisation that says it supports LGBT people from Bangladesh. She was arrested on suspicion of fraud and immigration offences after Home Office officers raided her home and seized phones, jewellery and thousands of pounds in cash.
The UK Home Office alleges that the organisation charged men as much as 4,500 Pounds to prepare evidence packages supporting claims that they were gay and would face persecution if returned to their home countries. The alleged material included letters of support, photographs and other documents intended to substantiate their claims.
Miah, who was granted asylum in 2013, has denied wrongdoing and insisted that Apanjon helps people who genuinely face persecution because of their sexual orientation.
UK PROBES MORE THAN 100 ASYLUM APPLICATIONS
The Home Office is reviewing more than 100 past and present asylum applications potentially linked to Apanjon, according to the report. Immigration Enforcement officers arrested Miah during an early-morning raid at her London home. A second person believed to be connected to the organisation was also arrested on suspicion of fraud and immigration offences, while a third person was detained on suspicion of being in the UK illegally.
Officers also searched the business centre in Whitechapel where Apanjon had its headquarters.
Speaking to the Daily Mail after her release on bail, Miah said: "They arrested me at my house in the morning and took me to the police station for questioning."
She said she founded Apanjon after receiving asylum because she wanted to help others facing circumstances similar to her own.
Miah maintained that Apanjon verifies applicants before issuing letters of support, claiming that the organisation observes individuals for six months to assess the credibility of their claims. She denied providing false documentation or charging people to fabricate evidence, insisting that the group genuinely supports LGBT Bangladeshis facing persecution. She also alleged that authorities were unfairly targeting the organisation and questioning its credibility, despite its efforts to help people seeking protection.
Asked about the money and valuables seized during the raid, she said: "The money was for my rent, and the jewellery belonged to my sister."
HOW THE ASYLUM FRAUD WORKED
An asylum claim based on sexual orientation allows someone to seek protection if they face persecution because they are gay, bisexual or otherwise part of the LGBT community. In countries where same-sex relationships are criminalised or attract severe social hostility, applicants may argue that returning home would put them at risk.
The Home Office alleges that some men linked to Apanjon claimed to be gay only after their original asylum applications, including those based on political grounds, had been rejected.
The organisation allegedly provided letters and photographs to support these later claims. In one case cited in the report, an applicant reportedly raised his sexual orientation nine years after his original asylum application. The Daily Mail reported that immigration judges had previously questioned the reliability of evidence associated with Apanjon. In one case, a judge reportedly found that photographs submitted by an applicant who claimed to have attended the organisation's events had been staged.
However, it remains unclear whether the photographs displayed on Apanjon's website are among the images alleged to have been fabricated. The allegations against Miah have not been established in court.
WHAT IS APANJON AND WHAT DOES IT DO?
Apanjon describes itself as an organisation that campaigns for equality and justice for LGBT people in Bangladesh. Its stated activities include monthly meetings, cultural and social events, support for people coming out as gay, and access to legal advice.
The organisation's website states that it works with solicitors and barristers to provide members with legal guidance and up-to-date information. It says the service is intended to help LGBT people facing persecution, hate crimes, physical or verbal abuse and discrimination. Apanjon operated from a business centre in Whitechapel, an area with a sizeable Bangladeshi community in east London.
ASYLUM CLAIMS BASED ON SEXUAL ORIENTATION
According to the Daily Mail, 2,133 asylum seekers who cited sexual orientation as a basis for their claims were allowed to remain in Britain in 2023, the latest year for which relevant data was available. The figure marked a sharp rise from 762 in 2022 and 677 in 2021.
Pakistan accounted for the highest number of such cases, with 578 in 2023, followed by Bangladesh with 175, Nigeria with 103 and India with 39. These figures relate to asylum claims involving sexual orientation and do not indicate how many, if any, were fraudulent.
Britain's legal framework recognises that LGBT people may qualify for asylum if they face persecution in their home countries. In 2010, the UK Supreme Court ruled that gay asylum seekers could not be refused protection simply because they might avoid harm by concealing their sexuality.
The case has renewed attention on the distinction between genuine claims of persecution and allegations that asylum procedures are being exploited. UK Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said asylum applicants who falsely claim persecution undermine the system and those who genuinely need protection.
"Asylum applicants faking persecution are beneath contempt and mock real victims who need protection. To the gangs profiting from this disgraceful fraud: you will be prosecuted, stripped of your dirty money and shut down," she said.
"And to those cheating the system, your claim will be thrown out, and you will be removed from this country," she added.
The investigation remains ongoing, and the allegations against her and Apanjon have yet to be proven.
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