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Four men are to be hung in the town of Choram in the Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad
province of Iran. Named as Saadat Arefi, Vahid Akbari, Javid Akbari and
Houshmand Akbari, the men have been sentenced to death for alleged sodomy,
according to the Iranian Human Rights Activist News Agency (HRANA).
News
of their pending execution coincide with the launch of ‘LGBT Republic of Iran’,
a new report that documents the experiences of LGBT Iranians who live, or have
lived in the country, infamous for its homophobic nature. The report explains
the importance of the internet to their lives, as means to meet, support each
other, learn about LGBT life in the outside world and evade the censorship of
their repressive government.
The
report can be read online by clicking HERE (opens a PDF)
The
situation, as confirmed by this report, is dire. LGBT Iranians are routinely
harassed both by the public and by the state. Abuse and arrests are
commonplace, and others have been sentenced to death.
The
official launch of the report is open to both the public and the media, and
will take place tomorrow (Wednesday 16 May 2012) at 6:30pm, at Amnesty
International's Human Rights Action Centre, based at 17-25 New Inn Yard, London, EC2A 3EA. Though it is free to
attend, you need to register your attendance in advance. You can do this by visiting: lgbtrepublic.eventbrite.co.uk
As
well as a summary of the report's findings, the event will include a music performance
from Iranian guitarist Ramtin Montazemi, a Q&A panel of Iranian experts (moderated
by the Guardian's Brian Whitaker), a poetry reading, a short film about Iranian
LGBT refugees and video messages from those enduring the situation in Iran.
This event is brought to you by Small Media and the Peter Tatchell Foundation
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