German court: Lesbian cannot be deported to Iran

A German court said Monday it has ruled that an Iranian lesbian cannot be deported to her homeland because she risks facing punishment there for her sexual orientation. The 27-year-old woman, whose name was not released, traveled to Germany in September 2003 and applied for asylum. The woman argued that she felt excluded from society in the Islamic republic and wanted to "live out her homosexuality openly without having to fear persecution," the Stuttgart administrative court said.