Profile: Refugee family from Iran, living in Indonesia.

Advantages: UN-certified, good English skills, Abolfazl is an experienced reseller and human rights activist.

Risk: At risk of being tortured and killed by IRGC (The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps) if returned home.

Canadian contact: Stephen Watt

Abolfazl was arrested and tortured in Iran for protesting against poverty and compulsory hijab laws. Fearing for his and his family’s lives, he, his wife Mahnaz and their daughter Hana fled to Indonesia in 2017 and registered with UNHCR. As refugees, they face severe restrictions, including a lack of access to education and work.

As a father, Abolfazl dreams of seeing his daughter get a proper education and live a life of freedom. They now need a group of 5 Canadian friends who can bring them to Canada where they can start a new life again.

His Story 

Abolfazl was born on December 14, 1983, in Kuwait.

In 1990, his family moved back to their hometown Shiraz, Iran where Abolfazl grew up.

On May 14, 2014, Abolfazl married Mahnaz. They had a happy life together in Shiraz, Iran. Abolfazl had a business of selling shoes and his income was excellent. Besides working, he began volunteering as a human rights activist and protested against poverty and compulsory hijab rules in Iran. Also, he used to write and post articles regarding human rights violations in Iran. 

Consequently, on October 28, 2016, Abolfazl was arrested by Iranian authorities and was taken to an unknown place.

“I was subjected to the most severe physical and mental torture for ten days.”

Ten days later, Abolfazl was presented at the Revolutionary Court of Shiraz where he was released by the judge’s order with the condition of bail, and until the investigation and determination of the status of the case, Abolfazl was prohibited from leaving the city.

Danger Arises

After one and a half months of his release, on January 3, 2017, the IRGC (The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps) agents entered Abolfazl’s house. Fortunately, Abolfazl was not at his home at that time, but the agents seized Abolfazl’s computer and other documents. Also, they arrested his mother who was at home.

Journey to Indonesia

Knowing that he would be tortured and killed by the Iranian authorities this time, Abolfazl decided to leave Iran immediately to save his and his family’s lives. After his friend arranged for a people smuggler to get Abolfazl and his family out of Iran, Abolfazl, his wife Mahnaz and their daughter Hana hid somewhere outside of the Shiraz City until their travel documents were arranged by the people smuggler.

On January 17, 2017, they flew from Shiraz, Iran to Doha, Qatar where they had a transit for a few hours. On that same day, they went to Jakarta, Indonesia by plane.

Life in Indonesia

In early February 2017, Abolfazl and his family registered themselves with the UNHCR office in Jakarta. Since then, they have been living in Jakarta.

As refugees, Abolfazl and his family cannot get a proper education, work, drive and even travel to another city. Abolfazl is very concerned for his daughter’s school education. He says:

“As a father, it’s my dream for my daughter to have access to a proper education and life with freedom. I feel so helpless when I see my daughter being deprived of her basic human rights.”

How You Can Help!

This is time for Abolfazl, his wife Mahnaz and their daughter Hana to resettle in a safe country where they can live a life with freedom. Since Abolfazl, his wife Mahnaz and their daughter Hana are officially certified as refugees by the UNHCR – unlike the vast majority of the world’s refugees – they qualify for Canada’s private sponsorship program.

If you would like to sponsor them – or if you’re just interested in helping to bring them here – please contact their friend Stephen Watt on Facebook.

You can reach out to Abolfazl directly on Facebook – or through WhatsApp: +62 813-1822-2885.

Reach out and discover how wonderful it is to privately sponsor a good family to start a new life – with your help – in Canada!

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