IRAQ: A leading gay activist in Iraq has been assassinated.
Last month, 27 year old Bashar the coordinator of Iraqi LGBT in Baghdad and a university student, was assassinated in a barber shop.
While homosexuality is not illegal in Iraq, several laws are used to persecute gay people.
Laws against loitering, indecent exposure, spreading "dangerous diseases," committing an “indecent” act in public and making "indecent" advances are all used.
But the main danger remains the threat of the militias groups.
Support Iraqilgbt: http://iraqilgbtuk.blogspot.com/
IRAN: Repression against labour activists in Iran is intensifying.
Sousan Razani and Shiva Kheirabadi, were recently sentenced to jail terms and whipping for the "crime" of having participated in a May Day demonstration in Iran this year. Sousan has been ordered to receive nine months in prison and 70 lashes.
Labourstart is running campaigns to put pressure on Iranian authorities and to highlight these and other cases, including that of Mansour Osanloo, who has been in prison since July 2007. www.labourstart.org/iran.
If you are on Facebook you can sign up to the campaign here:
http://apps.facebook.com/causes/110025.
