By Dan Littauer, 9.01.2012 (Translation by Hossein Alizadeh, IGLHRC)

Dr. Mohammad Javad Larijani, the international adviser to the head of Iranian Judiciary told a visiting delegation from German Parliament that; "there are some unethical behaviors in the West that are not acceptable to Iranians, including homosexuality."

In a meeting with Head of Human Rights Commission of the German Parliament Thomas Koenig, Mr Larijani said; "These days the Westerners claim that the individual's right to choose their spouse is guaranteed by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which also protects the rights of homosexuals to choose their same-sex partners. [we don't believe] homosexuality is a [legitimate] form of choosing partners. Homosexuality is a perversion and a form of sexual disease that till 20 years ago was classified as a from of sickness treatable by medicine in the West. "

The Official website of the Iranian High Council for Human Rights, which published the report of this meeting under the headline "The title of 'human rights defender' is being exploited" , also quoted Mr. Larijani as saying, "Even if one believes in the universality of Universal Declaration of Human Rights -which is debatable- why should we all subscribe to the Western interpretation of these principles? Why shouldn't they fashion their interpretation according to our understanding of homosexuality? That is why [we think] the West is trying to forcefully impose its own fate on others. This is not universality, this is expansionism"

Mr. Larijani, whose two brothers are the Speaker of the Iranian Parliament and the Chief of the Iranian Judiciary, added, "All cultures and societies have the right to protect their values. How come the Westerners can make a form of sickness into an acceptable life style in a matter of few decades, but we are not allowed to address homosexuality based on our own cultural values?"

In June 2011, Mr. Larijani was also quoted by the Iranian media as saying that the recognition of same-sex partnership in the West will probably lead to legalization of marriage between cats and human beings in the future.

This statement is consistent with the harsh sentences and treatment of LGBT people in Iran that enforces and enacts the death penalty for same-sex acts. In 2007, during a visit to Columbia University, USA, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad responded to reports of human rights abuses of LGBT people that "In Iran, we don't have homosexuals like in your country," he said. “In Iran, we do not have this phenomenon. I don't know who has told you we have that."

Speaking with Gay Middle East, Gorji Marzban, Chairperson Oriental Queer Organisation (ORQOA), stated: “The Iranian High Council for Human Rights is a governmental body and part of the Ministry of Justice in Iran. So in this context, Larijani is trying to separate LGBT rights as being part and parcel of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. His offensive views clearly reflect the homophobic attitudes of the Islamic Republic of Iran.”

“At any rate,” Marzban adds “it seems that Mr. Larijani accepts for the first time officially that homosexuals exist as a ‘disease’. Here he contradicts not only the official logic of the president but also the point for punishment by law: sickness cannot be immoral or punishable by death. Yet Iranian LGBT people exist everywhere, we are not sick or sinners nor is the issue of our Human rights one of disease!"

Reactions to Larijani's statement have been coming forth from many Iranian LGBT activists. Here are some of them: 

Nima (a pseudo name), a 27 year old Iranian man who had to flee from Iran to Australia told Gay Middle East: “When a person in this position makes such statements it means the leaders of Iran know we exist, they know we’re normal citizens with rights which they prefer to deny us. Just imagine if he said gay marriage and being gay is completely fine? The first question he would be asked is why don’t you let gay people to have their own life?”

Mehri Jafari, an Iranian Human Rights lawyer, who helped fight many cases of LGBT people against the Iranian government, now forced into exile in London stated to Gay Middle East: “If Larijani believes that sex with same gender is some kind of illness, why the death penalty? If a scientist proves the fact that homosexual people are not ill but are a natural development, would the government change the law? I think in this respect they should be sensible and as they couldn't deny the existence of LGBT people in Iran, they should accept that they are normal people and have equal rights as any other citizen.”