Iranian Gay Tells Of Torture

[movieguy]

Iranian Gay Tells Of Torture

by Peter Moore 365Gay.com, London Bureau

Posted: September 20, 2005 1:00 pm ET

(London) A gay Iranian group has released photos and details of a 22 year old man it says was given 100 lashes for being gay. The exiled Persian Gay & Lesbian Organization identifies the man only as "Amir".

The group said in a statement Tuesday that "Amir" escaped Iran following his incarceration and after he was threatened with rearrest and execution but did not identify the country where he now is living.

The Persian Gay & Lesbian Organization said that because of his sexuality Amir experienced continued homophobia during his university studies.

He was arrested at a party, was convicted and had to pay a fine. On several more occasions he was arrested and put in custody by police, the Basij - the fundamentalist militia - and the Revolutionary Guard.

During his last jailing he was whipped with a lash 100 times as part of his sentence.

The organization said that authorities have infiltrated gay sites on the internet posing as gays and entrapping others.

"This is a further example of the violent homophobia of the Iran’s Islamic fundamentalist regime," said Brett Lock of the British LGBT rights group OutRage!

Another exiled Iranian gay rights group, Homan, claims the Iranian government has executed at least 4,000 gays since 1979.

Last month the third gay man in a month was executed. (story)

On July 19 two gay teenagers were executed in the northeastern city of Mashhad. (story) The hangings sparked international outrage.

The Iranian government maintains the teens had raped a 13 year old boy - an allegation that many international rights groups discount.

Several European Union countries have placed a moratorium on deporting gays who entered their countries illegally as a result of concerns over the treatment of gays in Iran.

©365Gay.com 2005

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