DUBLIN, February 18, 2008  – The Union of Students in Ireland (USI) has today called on the Iranian Government to halt the planned executions of Tayyeb Karimi and Yazdan who are both thought to be gay.

Both were described as “youths” in the original Iranian official Quds Daily newspaper report on January 2.

USI is supporting Amnesty International’s Irish Section in its efforts to secure clemency and commutation of the death sentences by appealing not only to Irish students but anyone worldwide to write emails to Iranian officials.

“Irish Students are appealing to the Iranian Government to call off the executions of Karimi and Yazdan, and all other defendants whose sentences rest on homophobic sections of the Iranian Penal Code,” USI Gay and Lesbian spokesperson Sonya Donnelly said this morning.

“The USI LGBT Campaign is committed to supporting Human Rights at home and abroad,” she continued.

“We support all efforts to secure clemency and commutation for the accused men, and are urging Irish students to write emails to officials with the influence to intervene and to put international pressure on the Iranian government.”

USI said it is urging Dublin’s Iranian ambassador, Ebrahim ‎Rahimpour, to raise Irish opposition to the part of Iran’s Penal Code which “stipulates execution” for gay men who have sex.

Amnesty International says that Iran’s Penal Code states in Article 110 that men who have gay sex “will be executed” and that “the manner of execution is at the discretion of the judge”.

Tayyeb Karimi and Yazadan (surname unknown) were sentenced to death by being “thrown from a height” or “thrown from a cliff”, after an Iranian court convicted them of abducting and allegedly raping two men.

For further information on this case and details of who to email with an appeal can be found on there Amnesty International Ireland website HERE, or on the Amnesty International USA website HERE

SEE ALSO

Two Youths To Be Executed in Iran for Possible ‘Gay’ Rape?  Commentary.  Unconfirmed reports coming from Iran suggest that two youths are facing brutal execution in the southern city of Shiraz. (UK Gay News, January 4, 2008)

Amnesty Demands Release of Six Facing Jail for Being Presumed to be Gay.  Amnesty International today called on its 2.2 million members worldwide to write to the Moroccan authorities demanding the release of six men who are facing jail because of their presumed sexuality. (UK Gay News, January 4, 2008)

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Posted: 18 February 2008 at 11:30 (UK time)