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An Iranian woman who was among 299 migrants deported by the United States to Panama has appealed to President Donald Trump for a reprieve so she can avoid being sent back to Iran. 


Speaking to the FRANCE 24 Observers from the hotel in Panama City where the migrants are being held, Artemis Ghasemzadeh said: “Our first request is a reprieve from President Trump – just for our cases to be reviewed.”

Ghasemzadeh said US officials had confiscated many of the deportees’ phones and that she was the only one talking to the media: “Everyone, really everyone, has asked me to say please do not deport us to our country of origin.”

The Iranians were among the first group of 119 people flown to Panama on a US Army flight on February 12. A second flight followed a day later. A total of 360 people are expected to be removed from the US and sent to Panama.

Ghasemzadeh first gained attention by posting a dramatic call for help from the Decapolis Hotel in Panama City, where the deportees are being held. She described how the deportees were handcuffed and shackled by masked American soldiers before being placed on a military aircraft without being informed of their destination. After a seven-hour flight, they realised they had arrived in Panama when they saw the badges of the Panama police.

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