The police savagely tortured Amir, aged 22
 

■ This is the full text of the press statement from PGLO (Persian Gays & Lesbians Organisation) received by email received at Outrage! in London

Amir, a young Iranian homosexual, recently spoke out about the torture he has suffered at the hands of the Iranian authorities.

His father was a martyr in the war between Iran and Iraq.

Amir is gay and due to his sexual orientation he experienced a lot of homophobia during his university studies.

From the time he got to know other homosexuals, his difficulties increased.

He was arrested at a party and was convicted and had to pay a fine.

On several more occasions he was arrested and put in custody by police, the basij (fundamentalist militia) and the revolutionary guard.

Because he was the son of a martyr, they tortured him more. They believed Amir had dishonoured the martyrs blood.

He had, of course, done nothing but followed his own orientation.

The police and basij (fundamentalist militia group) have infiltrated gay sites on the internet. This has made homophobic persecution worse.

One of the undercover men got to know Amir in a chat room and fixed a date with him. He then arrested Amir and took him into custody. Detained for more than a week after being arrested, he was convicted and sentenced to 100 lashes, which was carried out in the jail.

After being released, Amir was put under surveillance and further interrogated by police officers and revolutionary guards. He was threatened with death.

Following the execution of the two youths in Mashhad for Lavat (same sex act) the police called Amir back to the station and threatened that if they caught him once more he would face the same fate as these youths.

Due to fear and pressures, Amir has not spoken out about the injustice he suffered. But now he has escaped from Iran, he is willing to tell about his victimisation.

There are some photos showing the wounds caused by the lashings he received.

http://www.pglo.org/pglo-web/persian/pdf%20archive/Amir-p1.pdf

The Persian Gay and Lesbian Organisation condemns the torture and execution of gay people in Iran and asks for International action.

Iranian homosexuals are usually subjected to extreme oppression and sometimes they are killed. Only small fraction of this violent homophobia comes to light. The largest part is hidden behind a curtain of fear. Many persecutions get mixed up with false accusations of crimes like rape, so that the real reasons are disguised.

The Persian Gays and Lesbians Organisation asks all human rights activists and GLBT defenders to protest against homophobic attitudes and crimes in Iran. Let’s work together to prevent such oppression and injustice.

Signed: PGLO

(Persian Gays & Lesbians Organisation)

ENDS

See also Iran: Gay Amir, Aged 22, Given 100 Lashes.  The bruised and bloodied body of a 22 year old gay Iranian, Amir, bears further witness to the brutality of the Ayatollah’s regime.  Yet many gay and human rights groups in “the West” are sweeping the matter under the carpet. (earlier today), Outrage! suggests.

LINKS

Outrage! website