It is now clear that HJ (Iran) in 2010 left many questions unresolved. The development of the law was not consistent with customary international law, 'sexual orientationrights' were unjustifiably elevated above political and religious rights in refugee law 'social pressures' leading to 'living discreetly' could not be distinguished so easily from 'political pressures', and the steps required for proof of sexuality to be established were left unexplained by the UK Supreme Court. As a result, and as this article shows, the refugee become a space for politics, not as an exception to politics, the world became divided into territorial spaces and places of 'barbarism' and 'civility', Orientalist mappings showed a world incapable of self-governance and in turmoil - and the orientation of refugee law became altogether more 'sexualised'. © 2015 by Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, The Netherlands

persecution Orientalism HJ(Iran) Sexual orientation and gay rights post-colonialism Refugee

United Kingdom immigration policy policy approach governance approach refugee international law sexuality