Ciarán Cuffe (Dún Laoghaire, Green Party)
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Question 497: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the number of persons who have been extradited or deported to Iran in recent years; if, in view of a recent report that two gay teens were hanged after being found guilty of homosexuality in that country, sufficient safeguards will be put in place to prevent persons here from being put at risk by being sent against their will to Iran. [30601/05]

Michael McDowell (Dublin South East, Progressive Democrats)
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In considering a case for deportation, I must have regard, inter alia, to section 5 of the Refugee Act 1996, prohibition of refoulement. This means that a person shall not be expelled from the State or returned in any manner whatsoever to a State where, in my opinion, the life or freedom of that person would be threatened on account of his or her race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion. My Department uses extensive country of origin information drawn from different independent sources, including the UNHCR, when evaluating the safety of making returns to third countries. Only one person has been deported to Iran since the commencement of the Immigration Act 1999. The deportation took place on 6 June 2002. No persons have been extradited to Iran from Ireland and no extradition arrangement is in existence between the two countries.