Iran has executed two gay men on
charges of sodomy, according to human rights groups.
The men, Mehrdad Karimpour and Farid
Mohammadi, were being held at the Maragheh prison in northwest Iran.
The men reportedly were executed by hanging in the prison.
“The Ayatollah regime in Iran just
executed two gay men for the crime of sodomy in Iran,” journalist
Karmel Melamed tweeted. “Where's the outrage from @StateDept
@SecBlinken @glaad & other LGBT groups in U.S. to this horrific
crime?!”
British LGBTQ rights activist Peter
Tatchell spoke to The Jerusalem Post about the executions.
“The execution of these men follows a
long-standing regime policy of the state-sanctioned murder of gay
men, often on disputed charges after unfair trials that have been
condemned by Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch,” he
said.
Gay sex is a crime in Iran punishable
by fines, imprisonment, and even death.