Iraqi Police Crackdown on Gays Continues

Dan82 · Jul 15, 2010

http://www.ukgaynews.org.uk/Archive/10/Jul/1301.htm

Hard on the heels of an Iraqi police raid on a Kerbala ‘safe house’ for gays, run by the London-based Iraqi LGBT, comes news that there has been another raid – on a Baghdad male beauty parlour, with five men arrested.

Iraqi LGBT reported this evening that five gay mean were seized by “Interior Ministry forces” in the raid on June 25.

The latest raid was on a house used as a business for services such as waxing and massage in the Baghdad district of Karada.

Such services have long been used in a country with a body building tradition.

Iraqi media coverage, which included three days of TV reports, however described the house as used for prostitution, according to Iraqi LGBT.

However, witnesses have told Iraqi LGBT that this was not the case. Neither waxing nor massage is illegal in Iraq however it is ‘forbidden’ by Shia clerics.

Despite claims to the contrary, homosexuality is illegal in Iraq, and it is on this basis that the raid happened and the men were arrested, the London group claims.

The house was managed by Sabah and the workers arrested are Ehsan, Samer, Alaha and Mustafa.

Eyewitnesses who were outside the building say Ministry of Interior forces raided at 3pm. Those on rooftops heard screams for help and saw the men being severely beaten by uniformed men carrying cattle prods.

They say one was taken into custody on a stretcher, Iraqi LGBT reports.

One of the eyewitnesses who spoke with Amnesty International has since disappeared.

Iraqi LGBT has received no information about where the men were taken. However, previous seizures of gays, lesbians and transgender people have resulted in them being handed to religious militia and their subsequent torture. Often this is followed by the discovery of their mutilated bodies...
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Just Adam · Jul 15, 2010

ist great to see invading iraq brought democracy and a more open accepting way of living >.>

Iraqi Police Crackdown on Gays Continues

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