■  The 'makeshift memorial' in Moscow on Saturday to the two Iranian teenagers, Aiaz Marhoni and Mahmud Asgari, who were executed three years ago.

MOSCOW, July 23, 2008  –  A small group of gay activists ignored the ban imposed by the homophobic mayor of Moscow, Yuri Luzhkov, on any form of small organised gathering outside the Iran Embassy in the city last Saturday, the third anniversary of the execution of the two gay teenagers.

There were extra police around the embassy, but, on the lookout for obvious gay people with flags and banners, they paid little attention to a small number of individuals carrying flower stems and candles.

When the police realised what was going on – and that they didn’t have a ‘demonstration’ on their hands, they made no effort to prevent the short vigil.

However, the activists were not allowed to leave the flowers and candles outside the Iranian Embassy.  But the police had no objection to the flowers and candles being left in a nearby park.

“The police respected our wish to honour the memory of the executed teenagers,” said LGBT rights activist Vyacheslav Revin who, in a statement, attacked the Moscow authorities for banning what was originally planned to protest a state “murdering children”.

It was on July 19, 2005 that Aiaz Marhoni, aged 18, and Mahmud Asgari (16) were publicly hanged in Mashad for, according to initial reports from inside Iran, ‘labat’ (homosexual sex).