Amir, an Iranian homosexual, recently shared his heartbreaking story of torture, oppression and injustice that has followed him throughout his life.

When Amir was still a child in the 1980's, his father was killed (and therefore considered a martyr) during the Iran-Iraq war.  Even as a teenager he felt different, he knew he was gay, and felt hostilities during his studies and through his years at university.

During his studies, he got acquainted with other gay people.  However, the hostility he felt aimed at him by society increased as time went on.  He was arrested at a party, convicted, and had to pay a fine.  A number of times he was stopped and held by the police and revolutionary guard.  As the son of a martyr, instead of his sentences being made lighter, he was tortured and the authorities accused him of dishonoring the blood of his father.

 Police and basij`s(1) undercover operations in the Internet made the situation  worse. One of the under covered men got to know Amir in a chat room and fixed a date with him when he arrested Amir   and took him to the custody. More than a week after being arrested he was convicted to 100 lashes and the sentence was carried out in the jail.

After this Amir was under surveillance and interrogation by police and the revolutionary guards.  His life was repeatedly threatened. 

After the execution of the two youths in Mashhad for Lavat (same sex act) the police called Amir back and threatened him that if they caught him once more he would face the same fate as the youths in Mashhad.

While in Iran, Amir did not dare speak out about the oppressions suffered by gays on a daily basis.  However, now that he is out of Iran, he is trying to let the world what is happening in his homeland. 

Iranian Gay and Lesbian Organisations condemn the tortures and injustice and ask for international attention to this matter.

Iranian homosexuals are often subject to oppression, injustice and death.  It is likely that only asmall fraction of the situation is  coming to light.  The suffering of most of the gay victims by the Iranian authorities remain hidden behind a curtain of fear. 

The dark scars from the lashes Amir suffered on his back, along with his blackened eyes tell the story. 

Amir says when they were lashing me, I felt I was dying, something hot tore my back to pieces and I woke up.

One can ask why sexual orientation should cause such a disaster.

Iranian Gays and Lesbians Organization ask all Human Rights activists and GLBT defenders to protest against such homophobic attitudes.

Let's prevent such oppression and injustice.