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Thursday, November 16, 2006

Iran Reportedly Executes Gay Man

Flag of IRAN(London)(Associated Press) The Iranian government is again coming under scrutiny for its treatment of gays following reports a man was executed after being found guilty of homosexuality. The Western English language Iran In Focus reports that the man was found guilty of sodomy and hanged Tuesday in Kermanshah in western Iran. The state Iran News Agency reported that a man, identified as Shahab Darvishi had been hanged in the city for corruption, assault and "lavat" the Iranian word for sodomy. The reports and extent of the reported crimes cannot be independently verified. Assault and lavat in the past have been used in cases of rape, incest and pedophilia. Homosexuality is a capital crime under Sharia, or Islamic, law. In July 2005 two teens were reportedly hanged for being gay. The Iranian Students News Agency first reported the executions in the northeastern city of Mashhad, saying that the teens had been caught in a sexual relationship. One teen, ISNA said was 18, the other was a minor, believed to be 16 or 17. The organization ran a picture of what it said was the execution on its Web site. The English language Iran In Focus also reported the executions. But the Iranian government claimed the teens were guilty of raping a minor - something many international LGBT rights groups dismiss as propaganda aimed at saving the Islamic regime from criticism abroad. No independent international observers were present at either the trail or the hangings. Some international gay rights groups believe that more than 4,000 lesbians and gay men have been executed since the Ayatollahs seized power in 1979. Following last year's reported gay executions several European countries halted the extradition of gay Iranians.


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