Two young men who filmed themselves having sex with a 17-year-old have been sentenced to death by stoning in Iran. It is reported that the stoning was to be scheduled “immediately to instill fear in the people of Iran.”
Agents of the Iranian regime discovered the film on the mobile phones of Ayub, 20, and Mosleh, 21, in the Kurdistan city of Piranshahr in northwest Iran.
The film allegedly showed the two men having sex with a 17-year youth who told religious police that the pair raped him in exchange for sparing his life.
Pictures of President Ahmadinejad, and a headshot of Supreme Leader Khamenei pasted over a donkey, were allegedly incorporated into the film.
The story originated from a Kurdish newspaper and has been distributed by the International Committee against Stoning. It has since been confirmed by other sources.
Iranian LGBT activists and human rights organizations have reported a number of other death sentences for homosexuality in the past two years. However, the Iranian government maintains that “most of these individuals have been charged for forcible sodomy or rape.”
Soheila Vahdati, an independent human rights defender for Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and the Iranian Queer Organization based in San Francisco, said: “They don’t differentiate between rape and homosexual acts. As well, there is a culture of shame. The families won’t defend their loved ones from this brutal punishment.
“We are very concerned even though we haven’t got all the details. We’ll try to save their lives but unfortunately Iran has quickly executed people in the past.”
There are few reliable statistics on the frequency with which stonings take place in Iran. Recent years have seen a rising number of cases reported. Some members of parliament are reportedly hoping that the Supreme Leader will pass a fatwa against stoning.
I don’t see the problem here. The two men raped someone, (via obtaining permission through threats or coersion)…then had sex with a child…and video taped it. They’re now being put to death. The tone of the article almost sounds like you’re defending the rapists.
I have to say, “Well done, Iran!”