Three Iranian men face execution for having gay sex, reports
Human Rights Watch.
The international rights watchdog calls on Iran to halt the planned executions. The group also notes that the three men were all under the age of 18 at the time of their “offence.”
“No date has been set for their execution
yet, but the lawyer representing two of the men fears that it could happen any
day,” says the report.
The Islamic republic’s system of sharia law dictates the
death penalty for gay sex. Although there are only vague details about these latest cases, Human Rights Watch notes some sketchy court proceedings. Two of the men denied the charges and no witnesses testified against them, yet the Iranian criminal code allows judges to use their personal “knowledge” to determine guilt when no evidence is available.
See the full Human Rights Watch release for more details, including a run-down of the legal no-nos for gays in Iran:
Read more about gays and Iran on Xtra.ca:
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