The right decision

The Refugee Status Appeals Authority has granted refugee status to a gay Iranian despite the fact that he had lied in his initial application. While some who want to play hardball with human suffering would disagree, its the right decision. For those who don't know, homosexuality is illegal in Iran, and gays there are subject to arrest, torture, and execution. The Refugee Convention defines a refugee as someone with a well-founded fear of persecution due to their race, religion, political opinion or membership of a particular social group - the latter of which certainly includes homosexuals. And it absolutely forbids refoulement to persecution - which is what refusing refugee status would have entailed. And this applies regardless of the applicant's honesty.

Sadly, it seems that some disagree:

But NZ First associate immigration spokesman Peter Brown said accepting homosexuality as grounds for refugee status showed New Zealand was a "soft touch".

No; it shows that we are decent people who take humanitarianism and our international obligations seriously - unlike the New Zealand First Party.