Death sentence for Sedighi Hamedani, LGBTQ activist, in Iran

Two gay rights activists in Iran have been found guilty of advocating homosexuality and were sentenced to death.

According to the Hengaw Kurdish rights organisation, the court in the northwest town of Urmia sentenced the two women, Elham Chubdar, 24, and Zahra Sedighi Hamedani, 31, to death. They were found guilty of “promoting corruption on earth,” which is a common allegation used against individuals who are thought to have breached the Iran’s sharia regulations, it added.

The Iranian legal system confirmed the verdicts’ in a brief statement.

Hengaw said that they had also been tasked with spreading Christianity and interacting with media that was critical of the Iranian government.

Sedighi Hamedani, commonly known as Sareh, a well-known Iranian LGBTQ activist, has been the subject of worry for months. She attempted to flee into neighbouring Turkey in October after returning to Iran from Iraqi Kurdistan, where she had been located, but was stopped by Iranian security authorities. After that, Sedighi Hamedani spent approximately two months in solitary prison.

Hengaw said that throughout her arrest, Sedighi Hamedani had been denied the right to an attorney, and that agents had mocked her looks, threatened to have her executed, and told her she may lose custody of her two children.

Sedighi Hamedani had given footage to 6Rang to be made public in case she could not make it safely to Turkey. 6Rang is a Germany-based Iranian LGBTQ rights group.

“The LGBTI community as a whole is struggling. We shall be faithful to ourselves whether via death or freedom “In one of the videos, she stated.

She continued, “I hope to be free,” while also claiming that while she was being held by Iraqi Kurdish authorities, she had been subjected to torture, including electrocution.

Activists claim that Iran is undergoing a severe crackdown that is touching every aspect of life, including a renewed campaign against the Bahai religious minority, an increase in executions, and the detention of foreign citizens.

Homosexuality is illegal in Iran, with the penal law specifically criminalising same-sex sexual behaviour for both men and women. However, this is the first time in Iranian history that a woman has been sentenced to death for her sexual orientation.