■ The photo that alerted the word to the
execution of two teenagers in Iran two years ago.
NEW YORK, July 18, 2007 – Despite
a widely publicized outcry two years ago when Iranian authorities executed
two young men in the northeastern city of Mashhed, the government continues
to target, arrest, prosecute, and execute individuals under its sodomy law.
The International Gay and Lesbian
Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC) condemns Iran's violations of human rights
law and asks that human rights groups around the world work to support those
targeted by the government.
Two years ago, on July 19, 2005,
two teenage boys, Mahmoud Asgari and Ayaz Marhoni, were hanged in public for
their alleged involvement in sodomy and rape. Both teenagers were juveniles
at the time of the offense, and one was believed to have been a juvenile at
the time of his execution.
The United Nations Convention on
the Rights of the Child, of which Iran is a signatory, forbids the execution
of juveniles under the age of 18 or those who were under 18 at the time of
the alleged crime..
Despite public responses from
lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) and human rights groups, the
Iranian government has continued to arrest, prosecute, and even execute
people on sodomy charges.
Just weeks after the above
executions, two young men in the northern city of Gorgan were executed for
allegedly engaging in same-sex sexual conduct in violation of Iran’s sodomy
On November 16, 2006, the Iran's
State-run news agency (IRNA) published a story about the public execution of
man convicted of sodomy in the western city of Kermanshah.
In May 2007, the Iranian Queer
Organization (IRQO) was the first to report that the police forces in the
city of Esfahan had raided a birthday party and arrested more than 80
The police apparently suspected
that the attendees were gay and were possibly engaged in sodomy, though nor
proof of either has been established. Later, police unconditionally
released most of those arrested, but required substantial bail for 17 of
A judge told the families of those
set free on bail that they would be tried on sodomy charges.
Based on IRQO’s reports and
IGLHRC’s investigation, some of the detainees were severely tortured while
In the last two years, IGLHRC has
worked with IRQO to find refuge for a number of gay Iranians forced to leave
their country and who have applied for refugee status, many of whom faced
arbitrary arrests, police brutality and even lashings for being gay.
The Iranian media regularly
publishes stories about the execution of alleged criminals on sodomy-related
Just a week ago the spokesperson
for the Iranian Judiciary announced that in the next few days some 20
criminals will be hanged in Tehran on a variety of charges, including sodomy
(ISNA News Agency, July 10, 2007).
The Iranian authorities continue to
use execution as a form of punishment for a variety of crimes, including
sodomy, adultery and rape.
Recently, Mr. Mohammad Javad
Larijani, the top advisor to the Iranian Justice Department and the head of
the Iranian Human Rights Committee, told reporters that “Iran’s
international obligation doesn’t prevent it from execution and stoning”
convicts. (ILNA News Agency, July 1
The International Gay and Lesbian
Human Rights Commission condemns the prosecution and execution of
individuals for consensual sex, including sodomy.
“Executions, in and of themselves,
constitute cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment under international law,
particularly in the context of consensual sexual conduct,” Paula Ettelbrick,
executive director of IGLHRC, said this evening.
“But the added problem in these
cases is that Iran seems to be arbitrarily targeting individuals perceived
to be gay for these forms of heinous abuse.
“The systematic use of torture,
forced confessions, and the inhumane treatment of detainees discredits
Iran's criminal and judicial systems.”
The refusal of the Iranian
authorities to allow independent investigation to examine the human rights
situation in Iran makes it impossible for IGLHRC and other human rights
organizations to verify many of the charges against alleged perpetrator and
to monitor their access to fair trials.
Iranian criminal law continues to
refer to “sodomy” as a serious crime, punishable by death.
This violates international
treaties, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
(ICCPR), which Iran ratified in 1976. Articles 2 and 26 of the ICCPR affirm
the equality of all people before the law and the right to freedom from
discrimination, while article 17 of the Covenant reiterates freedom from
arbitrary interference with privacy.
The United Nations Human Rights
Committee, which monitors states' compliance with the ICCPR, determined in
1994 that sodomy laws violate international human rights.
IGLHRC calls upon human rights
defenders to join the efforts by Iranian LGBT communities to support
Iranians who are targeted for persecution because of their perceived or
actual sexual orientation or gender identity in the following ways:
■ Support Iranian LGBT groups, such
as Iranian Queer Organization (IRQO). IRQO is a volunteer-based group of
Iranian activists who try to reach out to LGBT population in Iran through
publication of monthly magazines, phone counseling, and podcasts, educating
the Western media about the situation in Iran, and helping Iranian LGBT
asylum seekers outside the country. Find out more about IRQO by visiting
their website (see below).
■ Ask your own government to take
action in one of the following ways: a) Send a letter to your government’s
foreign ministry recounting these incidents and asking them to expressly
call on the Iranian government to abide by its international treaty
obligations by halting the abuse and prosecution of people who are or are
perceived to be LGBT. b) Ask that your government's immigration service
adopt policies to provide refuge to individuals who fear persecution based
on sexual orientation or gender identity. As with all refugees, housing,
food, and financial resources are needed to sustain them during the often
lengthy process of establishing asylum or other legal status.
Posted: 18 July 2007 at 22:30 UK