Court orders reconsideration of asylum for persecuted gay man

A MUSLIM man who was imprisoned in Chad on grounds of his sexual orientation and fled to South Africa after he was released as he fears persecution, has been given a lifeline, as the Western Cape High court ordered that his application for asylum status be heard afresh.

- ZELDA VENTER

The man, only identified as MA, turned to the Western Cape High Court on Friday, where he asked that the decision by the Refugee Status Determination Officer, in refusing his refugee status, be overturned.

Judge Gayaat da Silva-Salie ordered that his application for asylum status had to be heard afresh, by another officer. The judge remarked that the reasons given by the officer for refusing his application were nonsensical.

MA fled to South Africa to join his lover, a doctor working here. He explained that homosexuality is criminalised in his country of origin.

He was arrested in Chad in September 2022, after which he was convicted on charges of homosexual activities and sentenced to 18 months imprisonment.

On appeal, his sentence was reduced to 12 months with the option of paying a fine.