英国内政部因指控她的团体帮助庇护申请人伪造LGBT迫害主张而逮捕了萨贾德·米亚。此案加强了当局对如何区分真实的保护请求与所谓的庇护系统滥用的审查。
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.
一名跨性别女性因声称因性取向而面临迫害而在英国获得庇护，现因被指控帮助其他庇护申请人编造类似主张以留在该国而被捕。
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.
据《每日邮报》报道，42岁的萨贾德·米亚创立了Apanjon，该组织位于东伦敦，宣称支持来自孟加拉国的LGBT人士。她因涉嫌欺诈和移民罪行被捕，原因是内政部官员突击搜查了她的住所，并查获手机、珠宝和数千英镑现金。
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.
英国内政部指控该组织向男性收取高达4500英镑，以准备支持其为同性恋并声称若被遣返将面临迫害的证据材料。所谓的材料包括支持信、照片及其他旨在佐证其主张的文件。
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.
米亚于2013年获得庇护，她否认有任何不当行为，并坚称Apanjon帮助的是真正因性取向而面临迫害的人。
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.
英国正审查超过100份庇护申请 据报道，内政部正在审查超过100份可能与Apanjon相关的过去和当前庇护申请。移民执法官员在对其伦敦住所的清晨突袭中逮捕了米亚。另一名被认为与该组织有关联的人也因涉嫌欺诈和移民罪行被捕，而第三人则因涉嫌非法滞留英国被拘留。
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.
官员们还搜查了白教堂的商业中心，Apanjon曾将其总部设于此处。
Officers also searched the business centre in Whitechapel where Apanjon had its headquarters.
米亚在保释后接受《每日邮报》采访时说：“他们早上在我的家里逮捕了我，并把我带到警察局接受审问。”她说，她在获得庇护后创立了Apanjon，因为她想帮助那些处境与她相似的人。
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.
米亚坚持认为，Apanjon在发放支持信之前会核实申请人，声称该组织会观察个人六个月以评估其主张的可信度。她否认提供虚假文件或收取费用来伪造证据，坚称该组织真正支持面临迫害的孟加拉国LGBT群体。她还指责当局不公平地针对该组织并质疑其可信度，尽管该组织一直在努力帮助寻求保护的人。
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.
被问及突袭期间被查获的金钱和贵重物品时，她说：“这些钱是用来付房租的，珠宝是我姐姐的。”庇护欺诈是如何运作的基于性取向的庇护申请允许个人因同性恋、双性恋或属于LGBT群体而面临迫害时寻求保护。在同性关系被刑事化或遭受严重社会敌意的国家，申请人可能会主张，返回祖国会使他们面临风险。
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.
内政部指控，一些与Apanjon有关联的男性在其原始庇护申请（包括基于政治理由的申请）被拒绝后，才声称自己是同性恋。
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.
该组织据称提供了信件和照片以支持这些后续主张。报告中引用的一起案件显示，一名申请人据称在其原始庇护申请九年后才提出自己的性取向。每日邮报报道称，移民法官此前曾质疑与Apanjon相关证据的可靠性。在一起案件中，一名法官据称认定，一名声称参加该组织活动的申请人提交的照片是被摆拍的。
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.
然而，目前尚不清楚Apanjon网站上展示的照片是否属于被指控为伪造的图像之一。对米亚的指控尚未在法庭上得到证实。APANJON是什么？它做什么？
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自称为一个致力于在孟加拉国为LGBT人群争取平等与正义的组织。其声称的活动包括每月会议、文化和社会活动、支持出柜的同性恋者，以及提供法律咨询。
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.
该组织的网站称，它与律师和大律师合作，为成员提供法律指导和最新信息。该服务旨在帮助面临迫害、仇恨犯罪、身体或言语虐待以及歧视的LGBT人群。Apanjon曾位于伦敦东部怀特查佩尔的一家商务中心，该地区拥有较大的孟加拉国社区。基于性取向的庇护申请据每日邮报报道，2023年，有2133名以性取向为依据的庇护申请人获准留在英国，这是目前可获得的最新数据。这一数字较2022年的762人和2021年的677人有显著增长。
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.
巴基斯坦的此类案件最多，2023年达578例，其次是孟加拉国175例、尼日利亚103例和印度39例。这些数据涉及与性取向相关的庇护申请，但未说明其中有多少（如果有的话）是欺诈性的。
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.
英国的法律框架承认，如果LGBT人士在其祖国面临迫害，他们可能有资格获得庇护。2010年，英国最高法院裁定，同性庇护申请者不能仅仅因为他们可能通过隐藏性取向来规避伤害而被拒绝保护。
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.
此案重新引起了人们对真实迫害主张与庇护程序被滥用指控之间区别的关注。英国内政大臣沙巴纳·马赫莫德表示，虚假声称遭受迫害的庇护申请者破坏了体系，而真正需要保护的人则应得到支持。"伪造迫害的庇护申请者令人唾弃，他们嘲弄真正需要保护的受害者。对于那些从这场可耻欺诈中获利的犯罪团伙：你们将被起诉，被剥夺肮脏的钱财，并被关闭，"她说。"
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.
而那些欺骗体系的人，你们的申请将被驳回，你们将被遣逐出境，"她补充道。调查仍在进行中，针对她和阿帕尼翁的指控尚未得到证实。
"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.