Execution Halted For Gay Iranian

Crediting the pressure of its global protest efforts, the International Gay & Lesbian Human Rights Commission announced yesterday that the impending execution of a gay Iranian man has been halted.

The International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission has learned that the Iranian Chief Justice, Ayatollah Seyed Mahmoud Hashemi Shahrudi, has nullified the impending death sentence of Mr. Makvan Mouloodzadeh, a 21-year old Iranian citizen found guilty of multiple counts of anal rape (ighab), allegedly committed when he was 13 years old. The Iranian Chief Justice described the death sentence to be in violation of Islamic teachings, the religious decrees of high-ranking Shiite clerics, and the law of the land.

"This is a stunning victory for human rights and a reminder of the power of global protest," said Paula Ettelbrick, IGLHRC's executive director, who on November 5 sent a letter in Persian and English asking that Iranian authorities intervene to halt the execution.

While this announcement comes too soon for JMG readers have had any hand in saving this man's life, I hope everybody who sent the emails suggested in my Tuesday post feels pretty good right now. It's probably impossible to know if the Iranian judge would not have come to this decision on his own, but this news does serve to spur hope that even Iran can be swayed by the voice of the international LGBT community.