AN 18-year-old Iranian is facing execution on charges of homosexuality in the Islamic basket-case of a country.
Ebrahim Hamidi, who is not gay, was sentenced to death for lavat, or sodomy, on the basis of “judge’s knowledge”, a legal loophole that allows for subjective judicial rulings where there is no conclusive evidence.
Hamidi had been represented by human rights lawyer Mohammad Mostafaei, who has since been forced to flee Iran after bringing to international attention the case of another of his clients, Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani, a 43-year-old Iranian mother of two who has been sentenced to death by stoning for adultery.
Mohammad Mostafaei
According to this report, Mostafaei was due to arrive in Norway at the weekend to begin a life in exile while continuing his campaigns on behalf of his clients, including Hamidi.
At the same time, human rights activist Peter Tatchell has written to the foreign secretary, William Hague, urging him to contact the chief justice of Iran and ask that the execution be halted. Said Tatchell, co-founder of the London-based gay rights group OutRage:
Ebrahim’s case is evidence that innocent heterosexual people can be sentenced to death on false charges of homosexuality [in Iran].
Hamidi was arrested two years ago in the suburbs of the western city of Tabriz in the East Azerbaijan province after a fight with members of another family. Three of his friends were also involved in the incident and were subsequently arrested. Later, the four were accused of homosexual assault on a man and of attempting to abuse him sexually.
A person convicted of homosexuality in Iran can be lashed, hanged or stoned to death. The law includes a variety of penalties for different acts: 99 lashes if two unrelated males sleep “unnecessarily” under the same blanket – even without any sexual contact. A boy raped by an adult man would also be lashed if the court decided that he had “enjoyed” the experience.
After three days in detention, Hamidi confessed to the crime, allegedly under torture. The other three were cleared of all charges when promised by officials that they would be freed if they testified against Hamidi.
However, last month Hamidi’s alleged victim admitted that he had been under pressure from his parents to make false accusations. Nevertheless the local judiciary has insisted that Hamidi should be executed.
Mostafaei, whose office in Tehran is now sealed off, is credited with saving at least 50 people from execution during his career, among them many juvenile offenders. A recent client, Ali Mahin-Torabi, 21, was released in July after Mostafaei’s efforts commuted his death sentence. With Mostafaei exiled, activists are worried for Hamidi.
Mostafaei said:
It’s shocking that although Hamidi’s accuser admitted in a recorded testimony that he had lied, he is still facing execution.
Hat tip: Rog
The Freethinker was founded in 1881 by GW Foote, an outspoken critic of religion. After the publication of 
August 9th, 2010 at 10:09 am
It may be shocking but it most certainly is not surprising.
The best he can hope for is a ‘pardon’ with a reduced sentence to, say, 20 lashes.
There is no way that a ‘divine’ court could be wrong (or the ‘pious’ people who beat him up and tortured him) however, the court could decide to be merciful – if forced.
August 9th, 2010 at 12:33 pm
I would be interested to know what the Iranian public think about these cases and how they bolster support for the opposition. Iran has a well educated and progressive population labouring under a medieval theocracy. It can’t last.
August 9th, 2010 at 2:01 pm
Well done, Peter Tatchell. Any chance that The Archbishop of Canterbury and the RC Archbishop, those exemplars of goodness, might way in with support. Or are they too busy getting ready to welcome the Pope.
August 9th, 2010 at 2:23 pm
I remember the last time there was a case like this in iran and that prick george galloway said that the iranian regime wasn’t homophobic and that the men being executed were being hanged in public because they had commited sexual assault, the man really is a tosser.
As for the iranian public, well I know some iranian people living in Glasgow and one of them was filling me in on the stuff that goes on in iran including public executions and fashion police (my friend was threatened with arrest and imprisonment because he had on hair gel, they accused him of trying to be european and of having a sattelite TV link up which is illegal) and he told me a lot about the paranoia and fear among the public because you don’t know who is an informant or who is listening in.
On meeting these people I get the impression that they want to enjoy the things we take for granted and it’s quite ironic that these people I know came to this country to escape islamic fundamentalism when fundies in this country seem to be becoming more and more vocal.
August 9th, 2010 at 2:30 pm
“Look, over here! See? We found a homosexual! A dirty, stinking Gay! No need to look behind the curtain, we have Gays among us. What? He’s not gay? He didn’t assault anyone sexually? Well, let’s just make sure of that. Yep, looks like a Gay. Well, hang him! Or lash him, either way, really. No, it’s not a violation of human rights, because he’s not human, he’s a Gay, and our God says Gays aren’t human! Now, if you all just trust me, when we kill this guy, everything’s going to be better. See? Just trust me. No, NO! Don’t look in there! Those are forbidden, um, by God, yeah, that’s the ticket! Your unholy eyes will blaspheme those chunks of money that we, um, liberated. Yeah! And look, see? All those homophobes, violent and sexually repressed individuals? They’re on our side. That’s a good thing, right? RIGHT!?”
August 9th, 2010 at 3:53 pm
I fear that the “well educated and progressive” Iranians only live in the cities, and that the vast majority think that these religious laws are just what’s needed to stave off the wrath of Allah!
August 9th, 2010 at 5:01 pm
This regime is too cruel to last. It will collapse one day just as communism did, taking us all by surprise. The bomb/firework/”Israeli plot” was interesting.
August 9th, 2010 at 5:38 pm
barriejohn: You got it spot on there. The vast majority will accept any putrid nonsense served to them as long as it comes from their religious leaders. You can see the same in the rural fundies of the USA although not so extreme. Also, the educated elite better keep their views to themselves or they know what to expect.
August 9th, 2010 at 5:49 pm
No, 2/3rds of Iran populace is Urban city dwellers, not ignorant goatherds. If you read Hitchens on the subject, he knows the place well visiting often, there is a strong pro-west political undercurrent. Young Iranians in particular are fed up and mobilizing.
August 9th, 2010 at 6:00 pm
According to CIA Iran is 68% Urban with 77% literacy and is joint second highest spending on education in the Muslim world at 5.1% of GDP. (Highest is Brunei at 5.2%. Compare with secular EU candidate Turkey at 4.0%.)
August 9th, 2010 at 6:14 pm
Broga
Being a sharia fan, Rowan Williams is unlikely to intervene:
http://image.guardian.co.uk/sy.....lly512.jpg
August 9th, 2010 at 6:22 pm
I remember Western outrage at some executions in Khomeini’s Iran during the eighties. One man was apparently killed for “thinking evil thoughts”, that must have been “judges knowledge” too.
August 9th, 2010 at 7:14 pm
Broadsword: Thanks. That rules that out. No hope from Charles Windsor either as he is an even bigger fan. Mind you, Peter Tatchell punches his weight and has the courage to go with it.
August 9th, 2010 at 7:26 pm
It is a pretty low trick to make up a false accusation against someone that you have had a falling out with even in a country were the criminal justice system at least pays lip service to the balance of evidence. In a country like Iran the actions of those making false accusations are positively evil. Not the actions of someone well educated and progressive. Arnold is probably right that such people are a minority but these stories are sadly far from rare.
August 9th, 2010 at 10:48 pm
The witch hunts continue…
August 10th, 2010 at 12:16 am
Justice must bseen to be done, even if that means finding an innocent someone to do it to…
It seems to me that they wish to put the fear of ‘god’ into people, if they will kill someone for that then no one can feel safe; I think this is the point of it.
I wonder if the people of Iran will ever turn against the theocracy and it’s evils? We can only hope, not for us, but for themselves.
August 10th, 2010 at 9:07 am
Talking of witches. This case is similar to the old test for those accused witchcraft: tie up a witch and throw her in the river, if she floats = guilty, drowns = innocent.
August 10th, 2010 at 9:24 am
Surely the root cause of the problem is that Iran is ruled by religious law rather than secular law. So as soon as a judgement has been passed it is virtually impossible to rescind it, even if the evidence and witness testimonies prove otherwise, because that would mean that god’s judges are fallible. Extrapolate from there, and suddenly your entire precious religion is in a whole load of bother on the credibility front.
August 10th, 2010 at 9:48 am
But didn’t Ahmedinejad say that there are no homosexuals in Iran that time he was in America?
August 10th, 2010 at 1:22 pm
Another nutter calling for sharia law, Marcus:
http://www.thejakartapost.com/.....state.html
August 10th, 2010 at 5:00 pm
Has anyone asked: Why all the focus on Iran lately? Might it have anything to do with the current anti Iranian propaganda campaign being built by the US.
Does the torture perpetrated by western powers in the Middle East and beyond to thousands of people, if not hundreds of thousands, not constitute a far worse case of human rights abuse?
Oh maybe I forgot that everyone in the Middle East is a terrorist, and that they want to kill us all? (thats sarcasm for the un-initiated)
Im not saying this is right – everyone on here knows its mind blowingly wrong. I am saying we all need to assess the reasons the media feed us a story. There is always a reason, and seldom if ever the reason is because we, as the human race, need to know.
Alan
P.S. Just in case you think im one of the ‘terrorists’, Im from Ireland, as are every generation of my family since the Normans.
August 10th, 2010 at 10:57 pm
But didn’t Ahmedinejad say that there are no homosexuals in Iran that time he was in America?
Of course there aren’t; because they execute them all.
August 12th, 2010 at 4:30 am
Big Al – I can think of a few political reasons, like coverup, justification, and imperialism. However, as far as humor goes, Ahmadinejad and Khameini are fucking gold mines. You don’t need to dig through and quote-mine. Hell, most of the time you don’t even need a punchline.