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Friday 25 June 2010

Examiner: Bisexual man beaten to death in Iran, another bi man lashed for bisexuality







June 21, 9:55 PM · Mike Szymanski - Bisexuality Examiner

One bisexual man was tortured to death in prison and another was lashed 74 times and faces the death penalty in the Court of Sari in Iran, according to reports from the Iranian Railroad for Queer Refugees.

The report came from the brutal region of Sari (the capital of the northern Iranian province of Mazandaran) and the reports have n
ot been confirmed by CNN, but were posted on the news site.

The first case was of Hamid, a 40-year-old well-respected businessman. In early June, Hamid was arrested when his wife called policed and reported that her husband was having relationships with a 17-year-old boy.

Hamid was sentenced to 74 lashes with a whip, and still faces the death penalty, even though the 17-year-old boy was never identified.

Also, 23-year-old activist Amir Hossein, who was out as a bisexual man, was transferred to a prison in early June where he was severely tortured and died from his injuries. He was taken into custody while having dinner with his girlfriend. The Basij security force took him into custody on charges of his sexuality, which is punishable by death.

The
Iranian Railroad for Queer Refugees has a mission to try to stop repression of GLBT Iranians. They state: "We believe that Iranian queers are entitled to live, free from persecution and the threat of death just because of who they love. The IRQR works to increase public awareness about, and provide support such as legal services and financial assistance, to refugees and immigrants leaving Iran because of persecution bases on their sexual orientation and gender identity."

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