THIS shocking picture shows an asylum seeker in Newport, his lips sewn together in protest over the Home Office's decision to return him to Iran.

Hamid Biak, 28, sealed his mouth shut with three rough stitches five days ago to protest against the government's refusal of his asylum application.

He is also on hunger strike.

Now the authorities want him to leave Newport, where he has lived for a year, and return him to Iran.

Mr Biak, of London Road, Maindee, is a Christian who left the Middle East after, he claims, facing religious persecution. He has pledged not to remove the three rough stitches and is only drinking water.

Zahid Noor, of the Welsh Refugee Council, said: "This is an act of desperation and he's in a very distressed state.

"He has documentation that proved to the Home Office that he was a Christian in Iran. It shows he has been persecuted.

"We've been encouraging him to end his protest but in these circumstances there's very little we can do."

Mr Biak was unable to speak to the Argus, but wrote to confirm his name, and nodded as interpreters explained his story. He looked weak as he lay under a blanket on a sofa.

A close friend of Mr Biak's said: "He told me before he would do this and I didn't believe it. But no attention was given to his case.

"He has been drinking water but we are worried about him."

Mr Noor added: "The authorities are trying to boot him out of the country now.

"Nurses have been down to check up on him. If he goes on then at some stage his health will deteriorate and they will section him. He will be put on a drip so that he doesn't starve."