Petrelis Files

Conflicting Updates: Death Row Gays in Arak, Iran

I'm sharing these conflicting and definitely confusing emails about the situation in Arak, where two homosexuals are in jail, awaiting execution, for a number of crimes, because I hope that in posting the emails, more information will be revealed from additional sources.

There may be stories in Farsi about the homosexuals in Arak and their plight, and if you have the articles or their URLs, please send them to me. I can have them translated.

At this point in time, I doubt articles in English regarding developments in Arak are in print somewhere, making monitoring the Farsi-language media and blogs all the more crucial.

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Forwarded Message:
Subj: Re: Fwd: IRNA reports on possible gay executions in Iran??
Date: 8/29/2005 12:16:40 P.M. Pacific Daylight Time
From: SamiiA@rferl.org
To: MPetrelis@aol.com
CC: woosterht@state.gov

Sir:
I looked into the alleged execution of two homosexuals described below and did not find an IRNA report that refers to this issue.

I did find, however, a report from the semi-official Iranian Students News Agency (ISNA), which says that the Arak prosecutor, Hamzeh Pakbin, denied reports that two males under the age of 18 have been sentenced to death for homosexual activities.

Pakbin described two current cases. He said Ahmad Choqa is 25 and worked as a taxi driver. He took a 22 year old male passenger at knifepoint to his home, and he and two confederates kept the man there from midnight until 9 in the morning. The 22 year old male escaped and made it to the police, who subesquently arrested Choqa and his confederates. Choqa has a lengthy criminal record that includes fighting with police, drinking, rape, highway robbery, and pickpocketting. The only "criminal" behavior that could relate to his sexual preference is, according to the official from Arak, relations with a member of the same gender (lavat in Persian). He has not been sentenced yet. The 25 year old Mahbod Kord Afshar was sentenced to six years in prison in 2002, and he has served three years of his sentence.

Capital punishment is used with some frequency in Iran, and the charges that are used can be vague -- e.g. "at war with God," "corruption on earth." Therefore, it is not impossible that the formal reason given for executing an individual does not, in fact, have any connection with the real reason.

Nevertheless, I should advise you that Iranian opposition groups frequently fabricate such reports. They seek to manipulate Western concerns and to enlist foreigners' support in pursuit of their objectives.

Regards,
Bill Samii

**************************************************
A. William Samii, M.Phil., Ph.D. (Cantab.)
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Inc.
voice: 1-202-457-6973
fax: 1-202-457-6992
mobile: 1-202-236-7213
**************************************************


Dear Friends:

Our Russian friend sent this email today. I've searched and searched the Islamic Republic News Agency site, http://www.irna.ir/en/ , and have not found anything about the alleged August 28 story regarding the supposed execution of two homosexuals over the weekend in Arak.

I am forwarding this information along to you in the hope that you can either verify or debunk what is claimed regarding the IRNA news report from yesterday.

If you have any other information, please share it with me.

Thanks.
Michael Petrelis




Dear Michael,

This is what I received today. We did not publish anything on the site and as want to try to verify the information we received. Just let me know if you have more on that.

Have a nice day
Yours,
Nikolai

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For more information please contact:
Farshad Hoseini on 0031630414073
farshadhoseini@yahoo.com

International Federation of Iranian refugees (IFIR)
28 August 2005

The world could stop on coming two executions of homosexuals in Iran

The Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) On Sunday 28th August, 2005 has reported on Execution of two homosexuals in Iran. IRNA reported from Public prosecutor of Arak Mr. Hamzeh Pakbin that the news bye France press on oncoming execution of two under legal age (18) is not correct.

Mr. Pakbin said that the Paris mayor claim on execution of two under legal age named Farid Mostear and Ahmad shoka is totally wrong. He said there is not any criminal with these names and identities here.

Mr. Pakbin said that at the moment we have just two files with name of Ahmad Choqa, 24 years old and Mahbod kord Afshar, 26 years old. He said Ahmad choqa is under the procedure of sentences on the charges of kidnapping and rape to a student. He said their death sentences have not decided yet and the Islamic Judiciary is going to decide about them".

This news of IRNA and denial of Iranian authorities on execution of two homosexuals proves that our news on executions is true. Islamic Republic of Iran under the international pressures uses false rape charges in order to execution of homos. We strongly believe that Iran executes people for engaging in consensual homosexual acts and hides this by charging them with rape.

At the moment and after world wide protest against this barbaric act of IRI, they retreat and could to stop it. With worlds human we could till now save the lives of two innocent people on obvious death penalty. Without world solidarities Ahmad and Farid (or Amir) could be simply dying.

The International Federation of Iranian Refugees (IFIR) appreciate and welcoming to these world solidarities against executions in Iran. We urge all Human rights organizations to keep these solidarities with large number of people who are in row of execution in Iran.