Four LGBT Syrian refugees arrive in UK in time for Pride (Multiple sources) (8 July 2019)

A number of media outlets including The Guardian, Pink News and the Deccan Chronicle have reported that four LGBT Syrian refugees arrived in London in time for the Pride celebrations following their two year wait to be airlifted to safety. The four men are the first of 15 LGBT Syrian refugees expected to arrive in the United Kingdom after being stranded in Turkey earlier this year. The Home Office accepted all of the refugees onto a resettlement scheme which avoided the need for them to go through the lengthy asylum process; however, instead of being fast-tracked to the UK, they were made to wait. Public law director Toufique Hossain and solicitor Sheroy Zaq launched legal action against the Home Office, claiming the men had been abandoned to a life of danger in Turkey despite promises for them to be quickly brought to safety in the UK. They commented; “These men have been forced to conceal an enormous part of their identity, not just in their country of origin but also in Turkey. The detriment they suffered as a result of their sexuality in Turkey simply could not go on any longer; we had to ensure that their resettlement was expedited through legal channels. We are elated that they will at last be able to be open about their sexuality in all walks of life, just in time for Pride.”