Former Miss Iran stranded in Philippines airport pleads for asylum
Bahareh Zare Bahari says she is being sought for praising critic of Tehran regime
A former Miss Iran has spent a week in a Philippines airport as she fights to claim asylum in the south-east Asian country, saying she fears execution in Iran on politically motivated charges.
Bahareh Zare Bahari was accused of assault by an Iranian national in the Philippines, a charge she said was false, and made because she had showed support for Tehran’s critics in the past. Iranian authorities put out a red notice about her to Interpol, resulting in her being held in Ninoy Aquino international airport in Manila when she tried to enter the country on 17 October.