Petrelis Files

SF Supervisor Sends Letter to Rice on Iran's Killings

The following letter is from Bevan Dufty, longtime gay and human rights activist who is also the openly gay member of the Board of Supervisors for the Castro district. Needless to say, I am quite proud of Dufty's letter to Secretary Rice protesting Iran's killing of two teenagers. Dufty will be at our action tonight, Thursday, Aug 11 at 5:00 p.m. at Harvey Milk Plaza, which is at Castro and Market Streets. Join us!

^^^

August 10, 2005

Condoleezza Rice
Secretary
U.S. Department of State
2201 C Street NW
Washington, DC 20520

Dear Secretary Rice:

I wish to express my deep concern over reports of the horrific public execution of two Iranian youth in Edalat Square, Mashad on July 19, 2005.

According to reports, at least one of the boys was under 18 years of age when he committed his crime. The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the UN Convention of the Rights of the Child both forbid the execution of persons who were under age 18 at the time of their crime. The Iranian government’s actions directly break the country’s obligations under these two agreements.

This latest execution is one more example of Iran’s consistent practices of flouting international human rights law and refusing to cooperate with international investigations of human rights practices.

I would like to echo the U.S. State Department’s concern about Iran’s judicial process that does not follow a due process of law nor provide adequate procedural safeguards.

I would also like to second U.S. Representative Tom Lantos, D-California, who has urged the U.S. State Department to do everything possible to investigate and clarify the circumstances of this case. If it is, in fact, true that these two boys were charged and convicted for engaging in consensual homosexual activity, I urge the U.S. State Department and the United Nations to issue a strong condemnation of such vicious executions as well as for Iran’s national policy of persecution of homosexuals.

If I can be of support in our country’s effort to bring an end to these awful practices, please let me know.

Sincerely,
BEVAN DUFTY