Gay rights group OutRage has received reports and pictures of the beatings given to gay men in Iran.
Press Release
20 September 2005
International
Iran sanctions state violence against gay people
Gay Amir, aged 22, given 100 lashes
Iran 2005 - Gay Amir given 100 lashes
By OutRage! News Service
The bruised and bloodied body of a 22 year old gay Iranian, Amir, bears witness to the brutality of the Ayatollah's regime.
Amir escaped Iran after the authorities threatened him with execution for being gay – but not before he was subjected to the barbarism of 100 lashes, which left his back covered in huge bloody welts.
A copy of Amir’s story, together with photos of his savage injuries, has been sent to the British LGBT human rights group OutRage! by Iranian LGBT activists (see below).
View the photos of Amir:
http://www.outrage.org.uk/imagezoom.asp?file=Iranian_gay_flogging1
http://www.outrage.org.uk/imagezoom.asp?file=Iranian_gay_flogging2
http://www.outrage.org.uk/imagezoom.asp?file=Iranian_gay_flogging3
http://www.outrage.org.uk/imagezoom.asp?file=Iranian_gay_flogging4
http://www.outrage.org.uk/imagezoom.asp?file=Iranian_gay_flogging5
http://www.outrage.org.uk/imagezoom.asp?file=Iranian_gay_flogging6
"This is a further example of the violent homophobia of the Iran’s Islamic fundamentalist regime," said Brett Lock of OutRage!
OutRage! is appalled that large sections of liberal and left opinion in the West shows little concern regarding the murderous brutality of the clerical fascist regime in Tehran.
"We deplore the gullibility of many gay, left and human rights groups concerning the abuse of LGBT human rights in Iran.
"Too many are willing to believe the smears and slurs of the Iranian government and state-approved newspapers like Qods.
"When two young men were executed for same-sex acts in the Iranian city of Mashad in July, some left and human rights organisations accepted at face value claims by the state-controlled media that the youths were hanged for rape.
"Similar gullibility has been shown by some left-wingers. They have long swallowed Iran's homophobic propaganda.
"Believing the stories in Iran’s state-sanctioned media is like accepting the news as reported by the press in Franco’s Spain or Pinochet’s Chile.
"Where are the left-wing campaigns in western countries to support the freedom struggles of Iranian LGBTs, women, democrats, socialists and workers?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Copy of a news release received by OutRage! from the Persian Gays & Lesbians Organisation
Iranian homosexuals live in fear
The police savagely tortured Amir, aged 22
Amir, a young Iranian homosexual, recently spoke out about the torture he has suffered at the hands of the Iranian authorities.
His father was a martyr in the war between Iran and Iraq.
Amir is gay and due to his sexual orientation he experienced a lot of homophobia during his university studies.
From the time he got to know other homosexuals, his difficulties increased.
He was arrested at a party and was convicted and had to pay a fine.
On several more occasions he was arrested and put in custody by police, the basij (fundamentalist militia) and the revolutionary guard.
Because he was the son of a martyr, they tortured him more. They believed Amir had dishonoured the martyrs blood.
He had, of course, done nothing but followed his own orientation.
The police and basij (fundamentalist militia group) have infiltrated gay sites on the internet. This has made homophobic persecution worse.
One of the undercover men got to know Amir in a chat room and fixed a date with him. He then arrested Amir and took him into custody. Detained for more than a week after being arrested, he was convicted and sentenced to 100 lashes, which was carried out in the jail.
After being released, Amir was put under surveillance and further interrogated by police officers and revolutionary guards. He was threatened with death.
Following the execution of the two youths in Mashhad for Lavat (same sex act) the police called Amir back to the station and threatened that if they caught him once more he would face the same fate as these youths.
Due to fear and pressures, Amir has not spoken out about the injustice he suffered. But now he has escaped from Iran, he is willing to tell about his victimisation.
There are some photos showing the wounds caused by the lashings he received.
http://www.pglo.org/pglo-web/persian/pdf%20archive/Amir-p1.pdf
The Persian Gay and Lesbian Organisation condemns the torture and execution of gay people in Iran and asks for International action.
Iranian homosexuals are usually subjected to extreme oppression and sometimes they are killed. Only small fraction of this violent homophobia comes to light. The largest part is hidden behind a curtain of fear. Many persecutions get mixed up with false accusations of crimes like rape, so that the real reasons are disguised.
The Persian Gays and Lesbians Organisation asks all human rights activists and GLBT defenders to protest against homophobic attitudes and crimes in Iran. Let’s work together to prevent such oppression and injustice.
Signed: PGLO
(Persian Gays & Lesbians Organisation)
Relevant Links:
The Persian Gay and Lesbian Organisation: http://www.pglo.org
-----------------------------------------------------------------
20 September 2005
International
Iran sanctions state violence against gay people
Gay Amir, aged 22, given 100 lashes
Iran 2005 - Gay Amir given 100 lashes
By OutRage! News Service
The bruised and bloodied body of a 22 year old gay Iranian, Amir, bears witness to the brutality of the Ayatollah's regime.
Amir escaped Iran after the authorities threatened him with execution for being gay – but not before he was subjected to the barbarism of 100 lashes, which left his back covered in huge bloody welts.
A copy of Amir’s story, together with photos of his savage injuries, has been sent to the British LGBT human rights group OutRage! by Iranian LGBT activists (see below).
View the photos of Amir:
http://www.outrage.org.uk/imagezoom.asp?file=Iranian_gay_flogging1 http://www.outrage.org.uk/imagezoom.asp?file=Iranian_gay_flogging2 http://www.outrage.org.uk/imagezoom.asp?file=Iranian_gay_flogging3 http://www.outrage.org.uk/imagezoom.asp?file=Iranian_gay_flogging4 http://www.outrage.org.uk/imagezoom.asp?file=Iranian_gay_flogging5 http://www.outrage.org.uk/imagezoom.asp?file=Iranian_gay_flogging6 "This is a further example of the violent homophobia of the Iran’s Islamic fundamentalist regime," said Brett Lock of OutRage!
OutRage! is appalled that large sections of liberal and left opinion in the West shows little concern regarding the murderous brutality of the clerical fascist regime in Tehran.
"We deplore the gullibility of many gay, left and human rights groups concerning the abuse of LGBT human rights in Iran.
"Too many are willing to believe the smears and slurs of the Iranian government and state-approved newspapers like Qods.
"When two young men were executed for same-sex acts in the Iranian city of Mashad in July, some left and human rights organisations accepted at face value claims by the state-controlled media that the youths were hanged for rape.
"Similar gullibility has been shown by some left-wingers. They have long swallowed Iran's homophobic propaganda.
"Believing the stories in Iran’s state-sanctioned media is like accepting the news as reported by the press in Franco’s Spain or Pinochet’s Chile.
"Where are the left-wing campaigns in western countries to support the freedom struggles of Iranian LGBTs, women, democrats, socialists and workers?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Copy of a news release received by OutRage! from the Persian Gays & Lesbians Organisation
Iranian homosexuals live in fear
The police savagely tortured Amir, aged 22
Amir, a young Iranian homosexual, recently spoke out about the torture he has suffered at the hands of the Iranian authorities.
His father was a martyr in the war between Iran and Iraq.
Amir is gay and due to his sexual orientation he experienced a lot of homophobia during his university studies.
From the time he got to know other homosexuals, his difficulties increased.
He was arrested at a party and was convicted and had to pay a fine.
On several more occasions he was arrested and put in custody by police, the basij (fundamentalist militia) and the revolutionary guard.
Because he was the son of a martyr, they tortured him more. They believed Amir had dishonoured the martyrs blood.
He had, of course, done nothing but followed his own orientation.
The police and basij (fundamentalist militia group) have infiltrated gay sites on the internet. This has made homophobic persecution worse.
One of the undercover men got to know Amir in a chat room and fixed a date with him. He then arrested Amir and took him into custody. Detained for more than a week after being arrested, he was convicted and sentenced to 100 lashes, which was carried out in the jail.
After being released, Amir was put under surveillance and further interrogated by police officers and revolutionary guards. He was threatened with death.
Following the execution of the two youths in Mashhad for Lavat (same sex act) the police called Amir back to the station and threatened that if they caught him once more he would face the same fate as these youths.
Due to fear and pressures, Amir has not spoken out about the injustice he suffered. But now he has escaped from Iran, he is willing to tell about his victimisation.
There are some photos showing the wounds caused by the lashings he received.
http://www.pglo.org/pglo-web/persian/pdf%20archive/Amir-p1.pdf The Persian Gay and Lesbian Organisation condemns the torture and execution of gay people in Iran and asks for International action.
Iranian homosexuals are usually subjected to extreme oppression and sometimes they are killed. Only small fraction of this violent homophobia comes to light. The largest part is hidden behind a curtain of fear. Many persecutions get mixed up with false accusations of crimes like rape, so that the real reasons are disguised.
The Persian Gays and Lesbians Organisation asks all human rights activists and GLBT defenders to protest against homophobic attitudes and crimes in Iran. Let’s work together to prevent such oppression and injustice.
Signed: PGLO
(Persian Gays & Lesbians Organisation)
Relevant Links:
The Persian Gay and Lesbian Organisation:
http://www.pglo.org -----------------------------------------------------------------
Comments
Hide the following 6 comments
All the arab/musl;im countries treat gays this way
20.09.2005 13:28
kelly
Re: "All the arab/musl;im (sic) countries treat gays this way"
22.09.2005 12:17
I'm reminded of sympathisers of Israel who also make the most mind-boggling claims regarding arabs and muslims - such as "99% of all Arabs/muslims are antisemites, except in Turkey (Israel's only muslim ally, by pure coincidence)". Easy, cosy and extremely unfounded platitudes/prejudices that are blown into smithereens the moment they are exposed to a moment's critical examination.
Now, the Iranian régime is very nasty in its treatment of homosexuals. But I know for a fact (unlike Kelly) that Saudia Arabia and Kuwait are worse still. Funny that.
So having failed to rid Iraq of its non-existent WMDs, empty Yugoslavia of its poet butchers and free the burkha-clad women of Afghanistan, our next mission will be to fail to liberate the downtrodden homosexuals of Iran. Give Hanx Blix a mandate now.
Josh
The usual 'lefty' excuses...
22.09.2005 15:54
As usual with these postings (the ones that are 'allowed' to stay up), it's followed by
a rag tag of 'leftie' comments to the effect that OutRage etc are all agents of the CIA etc etc
without a single solid fact to back it up.
We all know that Saudi etc are as bad if not worse than Iran and when a report comes
out of those countries one of more of OutRage/ ILGA/ Amnesty Int /Human Rights Watch
will report it and call for action... (or are they ALL in the pay of MI5/CIA? and/or are all the
reports 'false? I think not.
Despite the oppresion I would not support a militray attack on Iran, the regime there though does itself no favours at all by continuing with such acts.
-------------------------------------------
pirate
Shame
22.09.2005 21:48
Galloway, as much as I dislike him, happened to make a good point in his debate with Hitchens; that it hardly encourages people in muslim theocracies to choose democracy when "democracies" keep bombing the shit out of them.
So if gay people here want to support gays there, they ought to oppose war, because as we've seen from the example of Iraq, democracy *isn't* imposed by force.
And yes, maybe that would imply not briefing against the Iranians alone while it happens to support the warmonger's strategy...
Of course, the poster's agenda could be in evidence more than outrage's...
anon
Appalled by some of these comments
29.09.2005 14:10
knightrose
e-mail:
knightrose.geo@yahoo.com
Homepage:
http://www.af-north.org
.
04.11.2005 04:17
And yes, maybe that would imply not briefing against the Iranians alone while it happens to support the warmonger's strategy... "
What ludicrous logic. It's precisely because of twisted, hypocritical arguments like this that the warmongers get away with painting all anti-war types as apologists for dictatorships. In reality the best way forward is to criticise human rights abuses WHEREVER they occur without politicising it the way Bush and Blair do (but in reverse). Otherwise it's just like two sides of the same dirty coin.
It's absolutely essential for the anti-war movement to move away from simple opposition and to begin showing viable alternatives to violent regime change if the wider population is ever to be completely convinced. This should begin with support for such dissidents and human rights campaigns.
andrew