This week, Iraq will begin executing 128 people, many of them for being homosexual, according to Amnesty International.
IRAQI-LGBT, a UK-based organization supporting Iraqi homosexuals, called on the UK government, human rights groups and the United Nations to act quickly to stop the executions. The organization also joined Amnesty International in demanding from Iraqi authorities a list of names and details of the charges of those convicted.
Ali Hili from IRAQi-LGBT warns that the Iraqi authorities would probably have used torture to force confessions from prisoners. “Allegations of torture are not adequately investigated by the Iraqi Criminal Court,” says Hili. “The Iraqi judicial system is incapable of guaranteeing fair trials for common crimes, let alone capital crimes. Therefore, we fear that a large number of people will be executed after being unfairly tried.”
Homosexuality has been punished by death in Iraq since 2004. From 2006 to 2008, official data show that 132 homosexuals were executed in the country. In 2005, 17 members of the IRAQI-LGBT group were convicted and killed by the Iraqi government.
