Iran: Reports of individuals bribing authorities at Mehrabad airport to exit Iran with an authentic passport
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 28 May 2002 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | IRN38794.E |
| Reference | 2 |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Iran: Reports of individuals bribing authorities at Mehrabad airport to exit Iran with an authentic passport, 28 May 2002, IRN38794.E, available at: http://www.refworld.org/docid/3df4be4920.html [accessed 25 January 2017] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
Reports of individuals seeking to bribe Mehrabad airport authorities to exit Iran while holding an authentic passport could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate.
Further, the Research Directorate found only one reported case of corruption associated with Mehrabad Airport custom officials; it took place in 2001 and concerned bribe-taking and faked certification for carpets (RFE/RL 12 Nov. 2001). According to the report, those charged were sentenced to death in July 2001 (ibid.). The Iranian reported one case where Iranian author Faraj Sarkoohi was "offered help obtaining an exit visa from an Iranian security agent" that, according to PEN American Center, Sarkoohi obtained at the Tehran airport after which he "disappeared while attempting to leave Iran" (20 Dec. 1996)
The Financial Times reported in December 2000 that the "Iranian Government imposes no restrictions on its citizens leaving the republic." However, according to the Final Report of the 7th European Country of Origin Information Seminar of 11-12 June 2001,
[e]xit formalities have considerably relaxed since the initial years after the revolution. ... In general, security checks at Tehran airport are still very strict and it is doubtful that anyone with a security record and convictions in Iran for political offenses would be able to leave the country legally by air. Yet, although the degree is hard to assess, corruption certainly exists and in individual cases people may be able to bribe their way out of the airport (108).
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please find below the list of sources consulted in researching this Information Request.
Reference
Financial Times [London]. 16 November 2000. Guy Dinmore. "Iranians Flee Poverty." (Hosted by The Iranian)
The Iranian Weekly Bulletin. 29 Dec, 1996. "PEN's Latest Statement on Sarkoohi Affair."
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL). 12 November 2001. Crime, Corruption, and Terrorism Watch. Vol. 1, No. 2. "Corruption in Iran."
UNHCR/ACCORD the 7th European Country of Origin Information Seminar held in Berlin. 11-12 June 2001. Iran-Country Report. European Country of Origin Network (ECOI), pp. 53-114.
Additional Sources Consulted
IRB Databases
One oral source was unable to provide an answer to this question
Internet sources including:
Amnesty International
BBC
CNN
Country Reports
Danish Immigration Service
Echo of Iran
Human Rights Watch
Iran News Watch
Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting Service
Migration News [Davis, Calif.]
Net Iran
Parslinks, Iranian search engine
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Iran Report
Transparency International
Tehran Times
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
Virtual Iran
World News Connection
Search engines:
Alltheweb.com
Google.com
Yahoo.com
