Ex-Iran beauty queen granted refugee status

The Department of Justice (DOJ) has granted refugee status to former Iranian beauty queen Bahare Zare Bahari, who has been stranded at Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 after she was denied entry into the country.

In an order dated Nov. 6, Rosario Elena Laborte-Cuevas, officer in charge of the DOJ Refugees and Stateless Persons Protection Union, said a notice of recognition as refugee was issued to Bahari on orders of Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra.

Bahari’s refugee status was recognized under the 1951 Convention Relation to the Status of Refugees, Cuevas said.—JEROME ANING