Petrelis Files

Did Iran Hang a Homosexual on Aug 14?

Roberto Rodriguez
International Lesbian and Gay Association
robertorodriguez@ilga.org

Dear Mr. Rodriguez:

In your August 15 open letter from sources inside Iran, the following was written:

"Even today another man has been executed in Arak for homosexuality and
killing another man ( We and our sources are not sure that the claim about
killing or... are correct as the islamic republic and its court always add
to gays so called crime)."

After I read your source's information, I recalled this story from the Iran Focus news web site:

"Tehran, Iran, Aug. 14 – An Iranian man was hanged on Sunday morning in front of a crowd at a public square in the city of Arak, central Iran.

"The man, identified by his first name Mehdi, was 21 years old at the time of his arrest on homicide charges. Another prisoner, identified by his first name Yaghoub, will be hanged in public in Arak in the coming days, according to the government-owned news agency Fars.

"Mehdi was originally sentenced to flogging, jail time, and execution, and his sentence was upheld by the clergy-dominated Supreme Court."

I've checked the Iranian government new agency Fars' web site for more information about the hanging yesterday, and unfortunately the English version of the Fars news site was unavailable.

My question for you and your sources in Iran is, was the publicly hanged 21 year old man named Mehdi in the Iran Focus news story the same man mentioned by your Iranian sources?

I'd appreciate any information about my question that you and your sources can provide.

Sincerely,
Michael Petrelis
San Francisco, CA