Bahareh Zare Bahari, an Iranian former beauty queen who had been detained at the Manila airport since October 17 on account of an Interpol Red Alert notice, has been granted asylum by the Philippines.
Bahari, who had been based in the Philippines since 2014, had been described as a vocal critic of the Iranian authorities and a public opponent of forced veiling” by Amnesty International, who had urged the Philippines government not to deport her, saying that she faced the risk of arrest, torture and other ill-treatment, as well as unfair trial and imprisonment.
Philippine Justice Undersecretary Markk Perete told AFP that she had been granted political asylum, adding that she was detained because Iran had asked Interpol for help in arresting and returning her on assault and battery charges.
Bahari had spent over three weeks at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (formerly known as the Manila International Airport).
The Philippine justice department recognised Bahari as a refugee on November 6, releasing the report two days later. She was ordered to report to the Bureau of Immigration in order to receive a visa and registration certificate. In addition, she could be issued a travel document with work permit requirements waived in case she wants to work in the Philippines.
According to the notice issued by the Philippines government, shared by news website Rappler, Bahari was recognised as a refugee under the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees and the 1967 Protocol related to it.
However, Bahari had reportedly refused to leave the airport on Saturday, saying that she feared for her life if she stepped out of it.
Bahari claimed that she had irked Iran by featuring a prop at one of her shows which resembled the Iranian flag used by the ousted Shah of Iran’, who was toppled in the 1979 Islamic revolution. The controversy emerged over an August photo posted by her where she is seen holding a spear with a photo of Reza Pahlavi, the toppled Shah’s son.
