S1, E12 Kaweh Beheshtizadeh's journey from asylum seeker to refugee lawyer
In this bonus episode, Kaweh Beheshtizadeh speaks to Jenifer Elmslie about his extraordinary journey from asylum seeker to refugee lawyer. Kaweh arrived in the UK in 2004, seeking political asylum from Iran due to his pro-Kurdish political activism.
In this bonus episode, Kaweh Beheshtizadeh speaks to Jenifer Elmslie about his journey from asylum seeker to refugee lawyer. Kaweh sought asylum from Iran after participating in pro-Kurdish activism in the country, a group which is heavily persecuted and discriminated against. After a short stay in Turkey under the protection of UNHCR, Kaweh entered the UK in 2004 and gained asylum status after one year. His experience motivated him to study for the bar at University and he now represents the cases of other asylum seekers. He discusses how the UK government’s hostile environment policy has affected the asylum cases of those who he represents today.