An Iranian refugee in Britain who stitched up his eyes, lips and ears in protest at the threat of deportation has spoken for the first time in days after the threads were cut from his mouth.
Abbas Amini wept as a nurse cut the stitches holding his lips together and spoke in whispers through an interpreter.
The 33-year-old married father-of-two was weak and dehydrated after nine days without food and warnings from doctors that he would die, but he vowed to continue his fight for asylum seekers.
Dozens of supporters surrounded him as a poem was read out by a spokesman, giving his message to the British Government.
It said: "He sewed up his lips so that he could speak out. He sewed up his eyes to make others see.
"He sewed up his ears to make others hear. You whose eyes, ears and mouths are free, see, hear and speak out."
Mr Amini was given indefinite leave to stay in the UK after an independent appeal tribunal refused the Home Office permission to seek a judicial review of the decision.
PA
