Urgent action by Amnesty International for maltreated Iranian LGBTI+ rights defender

* Photo: csgorselarsiv.org/Fatoş

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Amnesty International has called urgent action for gender nonconforming rights defender Zahra Sedighi-Hamadani, known as Sareh, who "has been arbitrarily detained in Urumieh, West Azerbaijan province, since October 27, 2021 due to her real or perceived sexual orientation and gender identity as well as her social media posts and statements in defence of LGBTI rights."

The organization has raised concerns that the "authorities have ill-treated her and threatened to convict her of 'spreading corruption on earth'." As noted by Amnesty, this charge carries the death penalty.

She was to seek international protection in Turkey

In an appeal to Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, the head of judiciary in Iran, Amnesty has recalled that "Revolutionary Guards arrested Sareh on October 27, 2021 near the Iranian border with Turkey while she was attempting to irregularly enter Turkey to seek international protection."

Following her arrest, Sareh was reportedly disappeared by force for 53 days. It subsequently transpired that the Revolutionary Guards held her in solitary confinement in a detention center in Urumieh:

"During this period, she says a Revolutionary Guard agent subjected her to intense interrogations accompanied by verbal abuse and insults directed at her identity and appearance and threatened to execute or otherwise harm her and take away the custody of her two young children. These acts violate the absolute prohibition on torture and other ill-treatment.

"On January 16, 2022, Zahra Sedighi-Hamadani was brought before the lead investigator of Branch 6 of the Office of Revolutionary and Public Prosecutor in Urumieh who informed her that she is accused of 'spreading corruption on earth' including through 'promoting homosexuality', 'communication with antiIslamic Republic media channels' and 'promoting Christianity'.

"Her case has since been referred to the head of the Office of Revolutionary and Public Prosecutor in Urumieh to issue a formal indictment."

Appeal to the authorities in Iran

Accordingly, Amnesty International has made the following appeal to the relevant authorities in Iran as part of its urgent action:

I ask you to immediately and unconditionally release Zahra Sedighi-Hamadani as she is detained solely based on discriminatory reasons related to her real or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity and for the peaceful exercise of her human rights including rights to privacy and freedom of expression and association. Pending her release, ensure that she is given regular access to a lawyer of her choosing and family and that the allegations involving her subjection to enforced disappearance, torture and other ill-treatment are investigated and those responsible are held to account in fair trials. I further urge you to repeal laws which criminalize consensual same-sex sexual conduct and which ban clothing and other forms of gender expression that do not conform to strict binary gender "norms", and to adopt legislation to protect LGBTI people from discrimination, violence and other human rights violations.

What happened?

Amnesty has shared the following background information:

"Zahra Sedighi-Hamadani, aged 30, decided to leave the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KR-I) for Turkey and seek asylum there after being arbitrarily arrested by Asayish (the Kurdistan Regional Government primary security and intelligence agency) in Erbil in early October 2021 and detained for 21 days in connection with her appearance in a BBC documentary aired in May 2021 about the abuses that LGBTI people suffer in the KR-I.

"During this period, she said intelligence and security agents subjected her to torture and other ill-treatment, including with beatings, electric shocks, and prolonged solitary confinement. Following her release from detention, she was in constant fear of being rearrested.

"Prior to embarking on the hazardous segment of her journey across the Iran-Turkey border, she recorded a video message and asked a trusted contact to release it if she does not make it to Turkey safely.

"In the video circulated by the Iranian Lesbian and Transgender Network (6Rang) on 7 December 2021, she says,

"I want you to know how much pressure we LGBT people endure. We risk our lives for our emotions, but we will find our true selves... I hope the day will come when we can all live in freedom in our country... I am journeying toward freedom now. I hope I'll arrive safely. If I make it, I will continue to look after LGBT people. I will be standing behind them and raising my voice. If I don't make it, I will have given my life for this cause."

(EMK/SD)