The Department of Justice Refugee and Stateless Persons Protection Unit has granted refugee status to Iranian beauty queen Bahareh Zare Bahari.
In a two-page document released by Bahari’s legal counsel Martelino Bacungan and Associates, the RSPPU sent a Notice of Recognition to 31-year-old Bahari indicating that her application for refugee status has been approved last Nov. 6.
“You are hereby informed that you are recognized as a refugee under the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees and its 1967 Protocol in a decision, dated 06 November 2019… This serves as Notice of Recognition,” the RSPPU said.
The DOJ-RSPPU also provided the Iranian beauty queen with a Refugee Identification Card.
Justice Undersecretary Markk Perete explained the difference between refugee and asylum.
According to him, refugee is “the status accorded under international law to one who is outside his or her country of nationality (or if without nationality, his or her habitual residence) because of a well founded fear of being persecuted on account of race, religion, and others.”
“Asylum is the protection given to that person by the country in which the application for recognition as a refugee is filed,” Perete said.
The RSPPU also informed the Bureau of Immigration that Bahari is now a refugee, and that when she reports to the BI for registration, they have waived the need for her to pay for an alien registration and immigration fees.
On the matter on the issuance and stamping of 47 (b) visa on the passport, if the refugee has no passport or valid passport, visa stamping is not required per memorandum to the BI from DOJ Secretary, dated 20 May 2013, “on account of the exceptional circumstance that refugees are under.”
There is also no need for Bahari to avail herself of an issuance of Alien Certificate of Registration (ACR) I-Card and capture of fingerprints and other requirements.
If she will look for employment, the RSPPU can provide her with a Certification of Exemption or Alien Work Permit from the Department of Labor and Employment.
The RSPPU also recommended to the Department of Foreign Affairs that Bahari be issued a travel document, if she needs it.
Bahari was Iran’s representative in the Miss Intercontinental 2018 pageant in Manila and is currently studying dentistry in the Philippines and is on her last year.
For the last 21 days, or until last Nov. 7, the Iranian has been living at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport after she was excluded and waited for the resolution of her application for asylum.
It was reported that since Oct. 17, she has been held at the NAIA upon her arrival from Dubai for allegedly assaulting a fellow Iranian national in the Philippines. This reportedly resulted in the issuance of an Interpol Red Notice against her.
It was earlier reported that she feared that the Iranian government would kill her as soon as she is deported because she violated certain traditions such as joining pageants and speaking out for women’s welfare.
She said that joining beauty pageants is forbidden in Iran and being a political activist would merit a severe punishment. Perete earlier said she used an old flag of Iran and refused to use the veil.
“I am against our government. The Iran government is a terrorist. I always try to (give a) voice (to) my people on media,” she said.
On her profile, Bahari said she decided to “leave Iran and start a new life” because Iranian society has limited options for its women.