Gay man rejected for asylum by Home Office told he is 'not truly gay' by judge

Monsur Ahmed Chowdhury , 38 , came to Britain as a student in 2009 from Sylhet , a city in northeastern Bangladesh , on a student visa.

Following years of applications, submitted evidence and rejections, Monsur had his application rejected by a judge following a First -Tier Tribunal, a court that handles immigration disputes, in March 2018 .

In a letter seen by Metro , the judge ruled: 'I conclude that the Appellant is not truly gay, but he is trying to pass himself off as gay' The judge said a photograph of Monsur looking at same-sex pornography was staged.

Monsur says the asylum process has been 'incredibly challenging and frustrating' Bangladeshi law prohibits same-sex sexual activity unnatural intercourse.

Homosexuality is illegal in Bangladesh and there are no anti-discrimination laws and people overwhelmingly do not support LGBTQ+ rights.

The Home Office has long maintained that Monsur ’s claim has been denied due to a lack of credibility’.

I’m hopeful the Home Office will reconsider my case and grant me refugee status.’ The Home Office has been approached for comment. The Ministry of Justice declined to comment. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at [email protected]. For more stories like this, check our news page..