[LAF] Iran executions: Five-city protests

[Joy Wood]

>
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: sean at principiadialectica.co.uk
>[mailto:sean at principiadialectica.co.uk]
>Sent: 10 August 2005 11:20
>To: Aufheben; Joy Wood; martin peacock; Sharon Kinsella; Wildcat
>Distribution Mailbox; brightonabc at email.com; info at borderland.co.uk
>Subject: Fw: Iran executions: Five-city protests
>
>
>------ Forwarded Message
> > From: "Simon Forbes" <simon_f38 at hotmail.com>
> > Date: Wednesday, August 10, 2005 10:15 AM
> > To: sean at principiadialectica.co.uk,
> > debordinternationalfilms at hotmail.com
> > Subject: FW: Iran executions: Five-city protests
> >
> > Hope you can make it. Please pass on to anyone else who you think
> > might be interested.
> >
> >
> >>From: OutRage! News Service <media at outrage.org.uk>
> >>To: "simon_f38 at hotmail.com" <simon_f38 at hotmail.com>
> >>Subject: Iran executions: Five-city protests
> >>Date: Wed, 10 Aug 2005 08:38:53 (GMT)
> >>
> >>Five-city protest against Iran executions
> >>
> >>Thursday 11 August 2005
> >>
> >>Five cities in the US and Europe will stage protests against the
> >>execution of two teenage boys in Iran on charges involving homosexual
> >>acts.
> >>
> >>Dublin, San Francisco, London, Paris and Montpelier will join forces
> >>on Thursday 11 August 2005 to oppose Iran s use of the death penalty
> >>and its persecution of lesbian, gay and bisexual people.
> >>
> >>London protest - 1pm to 2pm
> >>
> >>Embassy of Iran, 16 Prince s Gate, London SW7
> >>(near the Royal Albert Hall, by the junction of Kensington Road and
> >>Exhibition Road)
> >>
> >>Mahmoud Asgari (16) and Ayaz Marhoni (18) were hanged in Edalat
> >>(Justice) Square in the city of Mashhad, in north east Iran, on 19
> >>July 2005.
> >>
> >>Photos of the executions can be seen at:
> >>
> >>http://www.outrage.org.uk/imagezoom.asp?file=37
> >>http://www.outrage.org.uk/imagezoom.asp?file=38
> >>http://www.outrage.org.uk/imagezoom.asp?file=39
> >>
> >>
> >> Some reports say the youths were hanged for gay sex. The Iranian
> >>government claims they were hanged for the rape of a 13 year old boy,
> >>reports Ramzi Isalam of the LGBT human rights group OutRage!.
> >>
> >>Fact: Iran executes lesbians and gays. The Iranian government has
> >>executed 4,000 homosexuals since 1979, according to estimates in the
> >>mid-1990s by the exiled Iranian gay rights group, Homan.
> >>
> >>Fact: The Iranian government often pins false charges on the victims
> >>of its murderous policies in order to discredit them and discourage
> >>public protests.
> >>
> >> We are not prepared to give the violently homophobic Iranian
> >>government the benefit of the doubt. It has previously lied to justify
>
> >>public executions. In any case, the death penalty is a
> >>disproportionate punishment. It is barbaric and should be abolished,
> >>added Mr Isalam.
> >>
> >>Email, phone, fax and write your protests to the Iranian Ambassador:
> >>
> >>info at iran-embassy.org.uk
> >>
> >>Tel: 020 7225 3000
> >>Fax: 020 7589 4440
> >>
> >>Iranian Ambassador
> >>Embassy of Iran
> >>16 Prince s Gate
> >>London SW7 1PT
> >>
> >>More info: info at outrage.org.uk
> >>
> >> OutRage! s sources for this story include clandestine gay and lesbian
>
> >>activists inside Iran, members of the democratic and left Iranian
> >>opposition, and the websites of government-sanctioned news agencies in
>
> >>Iran,  reports Aaron Saeed, gay Muslim spokesperson for OutRage!
> >>
> >> The Islamic fundamentalist regime in Iran enforces Sharia law, which
> >>dictates the death penalty for gay sex: variously including hanging,
> >>stoning, beheading or dropping from a high place like a tall building
> >>or cliff-top.
> >>
> >> The teenagers admitted to having gay sex, probably under torture, but
>
> >>claimed in their defence that their crime was common and they were not
>
> >>aware it was punishable by death.
> >>
> >> Prior to their execution, the teenagers were held in prison for 14
> >>months and severely beaten with 228 lashes.
> >>
> >> Their length of detention suggests that they committed the so-called
> >>offences more than a year earlier, when Mahmoud was 15 and Ayaz was
> >>17. In other words, both youths were minors at the time of the
> >>offence.
> >>
> >> Ruhollah Rezazadeh, the lawyer of the youngest boy (16), had appealed
>
> >>that he was too young to be executed and that the court should take
> >>into account his tender age. He was quoted by the IRIN news agency as
> >>saying that  the judiciary had trampled on its own laws , explaining
> >>that the Iranian courts usually commute death sentences on children to
>
> >>five year jail.
> >>
> >> Despite his pleas, the Supreme Court in Tehran ordered Mahmoud to be
> >>hanged.
> >>
> >> Under the Iranian penal code, girls as young as nine and boys as
> >>young as 15 can be hanged.
> >>
> >> Three other young gay Iranians are being hunted by the police in
> >>connection with the same so-called crime. They have gone into hiding
> >>and cannot be found. If caught, they will probably also face
> >>execution,  said Mr Saeed.
> >>
> >> The allegation of rape may be a trumped up charge to undermine public
>
> >>sympathy for the youths. The Iranian regime often resorts to smears
> >>and false allegations to discredit people it has executed and to
> >>undermine human rights campaigns,  continued OutRage! campaign
> >>coordinator, Brett Lock
> >>
> >> It could be that the 13 year old was a willing participant but that
> >>Iranian law (like the laws of many western nations) deems that no
> >>person aged 13 is capable of sexual consent and that therefore even
> >>consensual sexual contact is automatically deemed in law to be
> >>statutory rape.
> >>
> >> The use of torture is routine in Iran. These two boys were violently
> >>abused in prison, receiving more than 200 lashes.
> >>
> >> Iran is a fascist-style tyranny based on a fundamentalist version of
> >>Islam. We join with progressive Muslims to denounce the
> >>fundamentalists and to support democratic and left Iranians striving
> >>to topple the Ayatollahs.
> >>
> >> OutRage! wholeheartedly supports the struggle of the Iranian people
> >>to overthrow clerical tyranny and to secure democracy and human
> >>rights.
> >>
> >> Without an end to the fundamentalist regime, there can never be
> >>justice for LGBT people, women, trade unionists and minority religions
>
> >>and nationalities in Iran.
> >>
> >> The lack of liberal and left support for the victims of the Iranian
> >>tyranny is truly shocking. We deplore the absence of international
> >>solidarity with Iranians fighting for freedom,  concluded Mr Lock.
> >>
> >>Email this news release and photos to your friends. Urge them to
> >>protest too.
> >>
> >>Further information: Brett Lock 0770 843 5917
> >>
> >>END
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
>------ End of Forwarded Message
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