Iran Hangs Two Gay Teens: Protest
dublin |
gender and sexuality |
news report 
Wednesday July 19, 2006 22:38
by Dave Donnellan
First Anniversary Protest
In 2005 two Iranian teenagers, Mahmoud Asgari (16) and Ayaz Marhoni (18), were both sentenced to death for what some human rights groups claimed was "consensual gay sex". Today, on the first anniversary of the executions a protest meeting was held outside the Central Bank in Dame to commemorate the event.
The meeting was organised by the BeLonG To youth project. Oisin O'Reilly from BeLonG To addressed the meeting saying, "Mahmmoud and Ayaz were born in Iran and they were executed for who they were and how they loved." Reports that they were executed for the rape of a 13-year-old were dismissed by Colm O'Gorman, founder of One-In-Four, who also addressed the meeting saying, "Iranian officialdom would have us believe that these two children, and they were children, were executed for the rape of a 13-year-old. There's extensive evidence to completely dismiss that assertion. These two boys were in some type of loving relationship. It's also clear they were involved with a group of other teenagers who identified as gay. There's a suggestion that a family member reported their relationship which resulted in their arrest and execution." Senator David Norris complimented the "brilliant group" BeLonG To for their work and said "The one thing I regret about this demonstration is that it is not right outside the Iranian embassy to let them know what we think about them and their filthy work."
Between 1979 and 1990 107 people were executed in Iran on charges related to homosexuality. In January 1990 2 lesbian women and three gay men were the publicly beheaded as a result of charges relating to homosexual behaviour.
Michael Barron - BeLonG To youth project
Comments (8 of 8)
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Colm O'Gorman
Ailbhe Smyth
David Norris
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m
Dave
This is a good photo feature and report. It was certainly a good protest. David Norris spoke exceptionally well. After he finished i felt like burning down the Iranian Embassy, with the Ambassador inside!
To all who turned up yesterday I wish to thank you all sincerly, it was a brilliant protest and I was suprised with the turnout, thanks a million to all who turned up or helped to organise it in any way.
Oisin O' Reilly
BeLonG To
Great to see this sort of rally take place with strong and broad support from across the political spectrum.
We need more frequent news and in-depth analysis of the social situation in Iran in order to fight their deplorable extremist policies.
Great to see Dublin being such a big part of this worldwide day of protest.
Makes me proud to be Irish...
I am proud to see Ireland show solidarity and outrage. Shamefully, the Vatican have been blocking measures to protect the rights of gays and lesbians, and have been doing so in cahoots with Islamicist countries. The collective guilt for Iran's obscene actions reaches worldwide, perhaps touches each of us.
The Vatican & Catholic hierarchy are one of the few groups in the U.S. to oppose the death penalty along with Amnesty International.
Liberals have a dodgy position on the death penalty in the U.S. When I was in jail in Texas for 9 months a liberal feminist Governor Anne Richards was executing one person a month (neo-con George W Bush doubled it to one a fortnight!).
Anne Richards was no embarrasment to the Democratic Party even though she had the most active execution chambers in the U.S. at the time. She chaired the Democrat convention in NYC that nomiated Clinton first time around.
The Pope, Mother Teresa, 16 Bishops and the victims religious order all tried to get Richards to call off the execution of a man (with a long history of childhood sexual abuse including being exploited in child porn) who had raped and killed an elderly nun in Amarillo. The church said that the execution of this man would be, amongst other things, an affront to everything that elderly nun had lived for and her respect for the sanctitiy of all human life.
Clinton of course saved up a mentally challenged black inmate on his Arkansa death row to execute in his run up to the Presidency to show he was tough on crime. The issue had undermined anti death penalty Democraty Governor of Mass Dukakeis against Bush Sr. in the "Willie Horton scam" in the previous Presidential election.
Jeb Bush is in town today (Friday) , it would be great if some of this anti-death penalty could be taken to the Conrad Hotel 12noon-2pm where one of the U.S. greatest Death Penalty enthusiasts will be speaking today.
Where is Amnety Internatiojnal in relation to the Jeb Bush visit and their opposition to the death penalty?
If the degree of murder goes on how premeditated it is-the death penalty is the most premeditated of all.
Many thanx to those who attended this demonstration featured here, I'm a bit distracted with trial and didn't know it was on.
Solidairty
Ciaron
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