Iran executes two gay teenagers (19July)

From: 'OutRage!News Service'

Iran executes gay teenagers

London - 21 July 2005

Two gay teenagers were publicly executed in Iran on 19 July 2005 for
the 'crime' of homosexuality.

The youths were hanged in Edalat (Justice) Square in the city of
Mashhad, in north east Iran. They were sentenced to death by Court No.
19.

Iran enforces Islamic Sharia law, which dictates the death penalty for
gay sex.

Shocking photos of the execution are at the links below
 http://www.outrage.org.uk/imagezoom.asp?file=37
 http://www.outrage.org.uk/imagezoom.asp?file=38
 http://www.outrage.org.uk/imagezoom.asp?file=39

One youth was aged 18 and the other was a minor under the age of 18.
They were only identified by their initials, M.A. and A.M.

They admitted to having gay sex (probably under torture) but claimed
in their defence that most young boys had sex with each other and that
they were not aware that homosexuality was punishable by death.

Prior to their execution, the teenagers were held in prison for 14
months and severely beaten with 228 lashes.

Their length of detention suggests that they committed the so-called
offences more than a year earlier, when they were possibly around the
age of 16.

Ruhollah Rezazadeh, the lawyer of the youngest boy (under 18), had
appealed that he was too young to be executed and that the court
should take into account his tender age (believed to be 16 or 17). But
the Supreme Court in Tehran ordered him to be hanged.

Under the Iranian penal code, girls as young as nine and boys as young
as 15 can be hanged.

Three other young gay Iranians are being hunted by the police, but
they have gone into hiding and cannot be found. If caught, they will
also face execution.

News of the two executions was reported by ISNA (Iranian Students News
Agency) on 19 July.

A later news story by Iran In Focus, allegedly based on this original
ISNA report, claimed the youths were executed for sexually assaulting
a 13 year old boy. But the ISNA report does not mention any sexual
assault.

A report of the executions on the website of the respected democratic
opposition movement, The National Council of Resistance Of Iran, also
makes no reference to a sexual assault.

The allegation of sexual assault may either be a trumped up charge to
undermine public sympathy for the youths (a frequent tactic by the
Islamist regime in Iran).

Or it may be that the 13 year old was a willing participant but that
Iranian law (like UK law) deems that no person of that age is capable
of sexual consent and that therefore any sexual contact is
automatically deemed in law to be a sex assault.

If the 13 year old was sexually assaulted, why was he not identified
and also put on trial (under Iranian law both the victims and
perpetrators of sexual crimes are punished)?

Full story in Farsi from ISNA, with three photographs:

 http://isna.ir/Main/NewsView.aspx?ID=News-556874

"This is just the latest barbarity by the Islamo-fascists in Iran,”
said Peter Tatchell of the London-based gay human rights group
OutRage!

"The entire country is a gigantic prison, with Islamic rule sustained
by detention without trial, torture and state-sanctioned murder.

"According to Iranian human rights campaigners, over 4,000 lesbians
and gay men have been executed since the Ayatollahs seized power in
1979.

"Altogether, an estimated 100,000 Iranians have been put to death over
the last 26 years of clerical rule. The victims include women who have
sex outside of marriage and political opponents of the Islamist
government.

"Last August, a 16 year old girl, Atefeh Rajabi, was hanged for 'acts
incompatible with chasity.'

"Britain’s Labour government is pursuing friendly relations with this
murderous regime, including aid and trade. We urge the international
community to treat Iran as a pariah state, break off diplomatic
relations, impose trade sanctions and give practical support to the
democratic and left opposition inside Iran," said Mr Tatchell.

Urgent action:

Protest to the Iranian Ambassador:

 info@iran-embassy.org.uk

Tel: 020 7225 3000
Fax: 020 7589 4440

Iranian Ambassador
Embassy of Iran
16 Prince’s Gate
London SW7 1PT

If you live outside the UK, protest to the Iranian Embassy in your
country, and press your government to break off diplomatic relations
and impose trade sanctions against Iran.

Email this news release and photos to your friends. Urge them to
protest.

END



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