Mohammad Karim Hemmati (Sam)
Mohammad Karim Hemmati, or ‘Sam’ as he is known to friends, fled to the UK from Iran in 2002 after experiencing racism, violence, and detention as a prisoner of conscience in his home country. Sam comes from an Ethnic minority (Qashqui) and spoke out against racism and violence against his people. Although Sam came from a prosperous and happy family, he was forced to leave Iran and move to a safe country in order to survive. Sam has been refused the right to asylum in the UK. The Home Office is not forcibly returning him to Iran for the present but they may choose to do so at any time and Sam fears torture and execution if returned.
While he awaits his fate, Sam is barred from working in the UK (he has previously worked as a sports coach and photographer among other careers) and receives no support of any kind. Sam has been forced to rely on the help of friends he has made since coming to the UK in order to survive. He has found it unbearable to be a financial burden on friends and loved ones for years and years and with no hope of his situation changing. At first, Sam was able to stay with friends, but they can no longer accommodate him and he has ended up sleeping rough. This precarious and humiliating situation has taken a toll on Sam’s mental and physical health and he now suffers from severe depression and insomnia.
Sam speaks good English, has lots of skills and is well-integrated, as attested to by the letters of support he has collected from friends in this country. He has become very close to the English family he has previously been living with and he regards them as his adopted family. If given the chance to live and work in the UK, he would contribute a lot to society and would be free from the fear of torture, imprisonment and execution in Iran, or homelessness on the streets of Sheffield.