Gay Amir, aged 22, given 100 lashes

Apathy of gay, left and human rights groups condemned

London - 20 September 2005

The bruised and bloodied body of a 22 year old gay Iranian, Amir, bears witness to the brutality of the Ayatollah's regime.

Amir escaped Iran after the authorities threatened him with execution for being gay - but not before he was subjected to the barbarism of 100 lashes, which left his back covered in huge bloody welts.

A copy of Amir's story, together with photos of his savage injuries, has been sent to the British LGBT human rights group OutRage! by Iranian LGBT activists (see below).

View the photos of Amir: (WARNING: Graphic)

"This is a further example of the violent homophobia of the Iran's Islamic fundamentalist regime," said Brett Lock of OutRage!

OutRage! is appalled that large sections of liberal and left opinion in the West shows little concern regarding the murderous brutality of the clerical fascist regime in Tehran.

"We deplore the gullibility of many gay, left and human rights groups concerning the abuse of LGBT human rights in Iran.

"Too many are willing to believe the smears and slurs of the Iranian government and state-approved newspapers like Qods.

"When two young men were executed for same-sex acts in the Iranian city of Mashad in July, some left and human rights organisations accepted at face value claims by the state-controlled media that the youths were hanged for rape.

"Similar gullibility has been shown by some left-wingers. They have long swallowed Iran's homophobic propaganda.

"Believing the stories in Iran's state-sanctioned media is like accepting the news as reported by the press in Franco's Spain or Pinochet's Chile.