Petrelis Files

Spanish Gays Protest Pending Iranian Executions, Hanged Gay Teens

July 19 marks two years since Iran hanged two gay teenagers and unlike last year, in which hundreds of activists in dozens of countries and cities worldwide took the streets to stage vigils and protests, this year's commemorative events will be smaller.

It's because of the unnecessary obstacles placed before activists by the LGBT staffers at the Human Rights Watch that so few cities are involved this year.

HRW staffers have hurled unfounded accusations at organizers and volunteers, refused to engage in respectful dialogue, ignored pleas to stop their character assassinations, nor have they expressed any willingness to finally learn to work with activists also concerns about gay Iranians.

At too many times to count, the vitriol from HRW staffers over these matters of mutual concern has poisoned not only LGBT interest worldwide in gay Iranians, but also polluted international gay activism. The time for HRW to collaborate with fellow activists and stop undermining us was yesterday.

Having said all that, gay activists in Madrid on July 18, yes, the day before the executions happened two years ago, will protest at their local Iranian embassy.

Here is a rough English translation of an article that appeared last week in a Spanish magazine about the action in Madrid, followed by the announcement from the Spanish gay group Federation of Lesbians, Gays, Transsexuals and Bisexuals of Spain.

And don't forget about the other July 19 vigils in Cologne, Moscow and San Francisco. Click here for info on those events.

From the Spanish press:

Spanish activism LGBT requests to gays and Iranian lesbians to leave their country

The State Federation of Lesbians, Gays, Transsexuals and Bisexuals of Spain (FELGTB) today made a call to the Iranian homosexual people so that they leave that country and asked the government of Iran the immediate halt of the announced executions

The spokesman of the Iranian Judicial Power, Ali Reza Yamshidi, informed the press yesterday of the pending executions of 20 people who were condemned of rape, adultery and homosexuality, and that there are 15 others in the middle of the corresponding judicial procedure facing same crimes. All within a plan that has an aim “to clean to the cities of criminals and evildoers”.

The president of FELGTB, Antonio Poveda, has made a call to the international community for “that one in the exigency of respect to the human rights” in Iran. “The scorn to the life of the people and the total absence of freedom are something more than a sporadic article in a newspaper: they have to mean in our countries the social rebellion and it repulses it, and the exigency to the governments of a forceful action in defense of the values of coexistence world-wide decided and that they take shelter in the Declaration of the Human rights”, he adds.

On the other hand, David Montero, person in charge of the FELGTB for international subjects, condemned the “strategy of criminalization of the homosexual love which they carry out all the religious fundamentalisms, that are fomenting hatred towards lesbians, gays, transsexuals and bisexuals.

The FELGTB is going to start up mobilizations against the Iranian Government before this violation of human rights is executed and on 18 July, at 12:30 local time, will make a concentration before the embassy of Iran to demand the end of the planned executions.

And this comes from the Spanish gay group:

Concentración frente a la Embajada de Irán en protesta por las ejecuciones de mujeres y de homosexuales

Ante el anuncio del portavoz del Poder Judicial iraní, Ali Reza Yamshidi, de que se va a proceder a la ejecución de 20 personas, mujeres y hombres, condenadas por adulterio y homosexualidad, y que otras 15 se encuentran en medio del correspondiente procedimiento judicial, dentro de un plan que tiene como objetivo “limpiar las ciudades de criminales y malvados” la FELGTB y Red Feminista no pueden quedarse cruzadas de brazos.

Por tanto anunciamos la puesta en marcha de movilizaciones contra el gobierno iraní ante esta vulneración total de los derechos humanos mas fundamentales. Para comenzar, el próximo miércoles 18 de julio a las 12,30h convocamos a la ciudadania a una concentración ante la embajada de Irán, c/Jerez, 5, Villa "El Altozano", Metro Pio XII, para exigir a Irán que paralice inmediatamente las ejecuciones anunciadas.

Hacemos un llamado a toda la ciudadanía para que asistan a la concentración del miércoles, puesto que consideramos de capital importancia que se haga visible la repulsa ciudadana a estas ejecuciones homófobas por que las vulneraciones de los derechos humanos, indpendientemente del genero, raza u orientacion sexual de las vicitmas, nos afectan y amenazan a todas y todos.