Aderonke Apata, a prominent Nigerian LGBT activist, has been granted refugee status in the UK, ending a 13-year legal battle. The Home Office had previously denied her asylum claim, accusing her of lying about being in a lesbian relationship.
Apata, 50, arrived in the UK in 2004 but did not immediately claim asylum on grounds of sexuality. In 2012, she filed a claim but was rejected. A judge ruled that she had presented herself as a lesbian solely to gain asylum, calling her actions 'a cynical way of gaining status in the UK.'
Her case was set for a new appeal in late July 2024, with 11 prominent witnesses including human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell and Liberal Democrat peer Liz Barker. The Home Office requested an adjournment and later granted her refugee status.
Apata described her reaction: 'I was just crying on the phone with my solicitor when he broke the news to me.' She recalled being kept in solitary confinement at Yarl's Wood detention centre in 2012, saying she felt 'dehumanised and demeaned' by the Home Office's assertions.
Her solicitor, Sean Mcloughlin of TRP Solicitors, welcomed the decision but criticised the Home Office's handling of LGBTQ+ cases. Barrister S Chelvan of No5 Chambers said the case highlights a system that 'still dehumanises LGBTQ+ applicants.'
