IRANIANS MAY HAVE BEEN EXECUTED FOR BEING GAY

expatriate Iranian sources are reporting that some of the 16 people hanged last week, labelled 'the most famous hooligans in Tehran', were executed for being gay. Islamic law states that all sexual acts outside of a heterosexual marriage, referred to as sodomy, are forbidden. "In Iran, these sodomy laws are grouped together with sexual violence laws such as child rape," Hossein Alizadeh of the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission said. As part of a wide-ranging crackdown on 'indecent behaviour', police arrested over 1000 men in May in poor districts around Tehran. The annual targeting of 'indecency' usually starts in the summer, with Iranian security forces cautioning, arresting and beating women for 'flaunting' the countries strict dress codes. According to Alizadeh and Poore, the ‘indecency’ label is often also used to discredit vocal critics of the regime.