By Kevin Kim
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East
TEHRAN, Iran – Homosexuals deserve torture and execution, an Iranian leader told British MPs during a private meeting at a peace conference. (Times Online)
Mohsen Yahyavi is the highest-ranking official to admit that Iran believes in the death penalty for homosexuality. When the British MPs during the meeting raised questions about public hanging of two boys in Mashhad, Iran widely reported back in 2005, the leader of the Iranian delegation said, “if homosexual activity is in private there is no problem, but those in overt activity should be executed.” (Times Online) He argued that “homosexuality is against human nature and that humans are here to reproduce. Homosexuals do not reproduce.” (Times Online)
Rights groups in Britain regularly challenge Iran about its gay hangings, stoning and executions of adulterers and perceived moral criminals. Furthermore, rights group such as Outrage! accuses Iran of cloaking executions for homosexuality with bogus charges for more serious crimes.
This policy is especially troublesome in light of the fact that an Iranian man accused of raping three boys were almost executed this week despite of retractions from his accusers. Fortunately, a court stepped in this time and a judge stopped the execution because he believed, without further elaboration, it was against Iran’s Islamic Sharia law. The 20-year-old Makwan Mouloudzadeh was 13 when the alleged rape happened.
Other countries that apply the death penalty for homosexuality include Mauritania, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, the United Arab Emirates, Yemen, and Nigeria, according to the International Lesbian and Gay Association.
Sharia “lawbreakers”
— Homosexuals Farbod Mostaar and Ahmad Chooka sentenced to death. Iran said Chooka had kidnapped, knifed and raped a student.
— A woman called Soghra was sentenced to stoning for adultery and being an accomplice to her husband’s murder.
— Two men executed in public after being found guilty of a homosexual relationship. A newspaper said they were convicted of sodomy, rape and kidnapping.
— Zhila Izadi, 13, sentenced to stoning after becoming pregnant with her brother’s child.
— Malek Ghorbany sentenced to stoning for adultery.
— Leila Qomi sentenced to stoning for adultery and assisting a man who killed her husband. He received 100 lashes.
— Jafar Kiana stoned for adultery. His female lover Mokarrameh Ebrahimi sentenced to the same fate.
Source: Foreign and Commonwealth Office documents released under Freedom of Information Act
For more information, please see:
Reuters – Iran reviews execution for accused teenage rapist – 17 November 2007
Gulf News – Iran reviews execution for accused teenage rapist – 17 November 2007
Times Online- Gays should be hanged, says Iranian minister – 13 November 2007
Fox News – Gays deserve torture, death penalty, Iranian minister says – 13 November 2007
