■  Paula Ettelbrick

NEW YORK, April 20, 2006  –  The International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC) is calling on the Bush administration to take all appropriate measures to publicly condemn the escalation of violence against gay men and lesbians in Iraq and take all possible measures to ensure their protection.

This follows reports from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) that gay Iraqis are increasingly targeted for violent threats, kidnappings, attacks, and murder solely because of their sexual orientation.

IGLHRC executive director Paula Ettelbrick has written to US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice asking that immediate action be taken.

 “IGLHRC is alarmed by the documented escalation of violence against gay people in Iraq,” Ms. Ettelbrick said today.

“We call on the United States, political leaders around the world, and Iraqi authorities to take responsibility for speaking out and stemming the targeting of gay people for kidnapping and murder, and seeing that those committing these crimes are punished.

“The acts of violence within the Iraqi community are part of a larger pattern of violence that has arisen out of the current war and sectarian tensions.  We believe it is the responsibility and obligation of the United States, considering its present involvement in Iraq, to protect and support the most vulnerable and marginalized populations being targeted for this violence.

“It has been well documented and observed that war, particularly one as chaotic as the one in Iraq, leads to targeting and violence against groups that are more marginalized,” she continued.

“The rape of women being used as a weapon of war in Bosnia and the targeting of gay people in addition to millions of Jews during the Holocaust in Europe are only two such horrific examples,” she pointed out.

“The violent atmosphere of war often provides cover for more personalized violence, such as that against LGBT people.

“We are grateful to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs for reporting on the targeting of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) people in Iraq for violence and abuse.  We expect that the US State Department will condemn these acts as it recently has condemned homophobic acts in Nigeria and the United Arab Emirates.

“Whenever public leaders — whether political or religious — espouse homophobia one can expect an increase in violence against our community.

“Their calls for discrimination or murder of LGBT people create an atmosphere of impunity, as police and the public in general get the message that they won't be punished for kidnapping or torturing someone who is gay.  By the same token, the leaders who condemn such brutality have the power to stop it.

“IGLHRC will diligently follow up on these reports and offer whatever strategic assistance we can to Rainbow for Life, the Iraqi LGBT group cited in the UNOCHA report,” Ms Ettelbrick pledged.

SEE ALSO

BBC News:  Gays In Iraq Fear For Their Lives.  By Michael McDonough.  "I don't want to be gay anymore. When I go out to buy bread, I'm afraid. When the doorbell rings, I think that they have come for me."  That is the fear that haunts Hussein, and other gay men in Iraq.  (April 17, 2006)

UK Gay News: Male Homosexuality Still a Taboo in Iraq.  Living in the shadow of religious pressure and social discrimination, medical student Ahmed Fatah says there’s no way he could ever tell anyone about his sexuality. (February 6, 2006)