Ghazaleh asked Denmark for safety. Denmark said no.
Ghazaleh is an Iranian woman who came to Denmark seeking protection. Danish authorities have refused it, and she has been told she must leave for Iran by 21 October 2026.
What we can say
Ghazaleh asked Denmark for asylum. The Danish authorities have rejected her case. She has been told she must leave Denmark for Iran by 21 October 2026.
The people closest to her believe that if she is sent back she will be arrested, abused and, in the end, killed. Everything we know about how Iran treats women in 2026 says that fear is real.
Some details of her case are being kept private on purpose. Anything published online can be read in Iran, and her safety, and the safety of people close to her, comes first.
Iran's authorities monitor campaigns abroad. If you know Ghazaleh, please don't post her surname, address, case number or photos of her family, and don't tag her online.
That Denmark does not send Ghazaleh to Iran, looks at her case again in the light of what is happening in Iran now, and restores the pause on returns to Iran that it brought in in January 2026.
What women face in Iran in 2026
These are not predictions. They are documented findings from the UN and from established human rights organisations.
Executions at a 36-year high
Iran executed at least 1,639 people in 2025, the most since 1989, including at least 48 women, the highest number of women in over two decades.
A crackdown the UN calls crimes against humanity
In January 2026 security forces crushed nationwide protests. Rights groups report thousands killed and tens of thousands arrested. In September 2026 the UN Fact-Finding Mission on Iran found that the crackdown involved crimes against humanity, including murder, torture and imprisonment. More than 70 people, including women, were at imminent risk of execution.
UN Fact-Finding Mission, via CHRI, September 2026 (opens in a new tab) · Amnesty International, January 2026 (opens in a new tab)
Rape and sexual violence in detention
The UN found in 2024 that Iran's security forces raped and sexually abused women and girls in detention, including gang rape, and that this formed part of crimes against humanity, along with persecution on the grounds of gender. Amnesty International documented the same pattern and found that prosecutors and judges covered it up.
UN OHCHR, March 2024 (opens in a new tab) · Amnesty International, December 2023 (opens in a new tab)
Denmark's own authorities saw the risk
In January 2026 the Danish Immigration Service and the Refugee Appeals Board paused Iranian asylum cases and postponed deadlines to leave, because of the situation in Iran. That pause was lifted for people already refused in August 2026.
New to Denmark, January 2026 (opens in a new tab) · Ritzau, September 2026 (opens in a new tab)
How we got here
Danish policy on Iran has changed twice this year. Ghazaleh is caught by the second change.
Denmark's Refugee Appeals Board pauses Iranian asylum cases and postpones departure deadlines.
The Danish Immigration Service suspends Iranian asylum cases. Deadlines to leave for Iran are extended automatically.
Radikale Venstre and Enhedslisten call for returns of rejected Iranians to be paused indefinitely. DR (opens in a new tab)
A new Danish government takes office: the Social Democrats with SF, Radikale Venstre and the Moderates. House of Commons Library (opens in a new tab)
The Refugee Appeals Board lifts the pause on departure deadlines in about 108 cases. On 27 August, the Immigration Appeals Board also ends automatic extensions for Iran. Udlændingenævnet (opens in a new tab)
Ghazaleh's deadline to leave Denmark.