"Tehran patronage of terror, antisemitism and homophobia demands it be on the agenda of the next UN Human Rights Council session in June."

Paris, 24 April 2017

In a letter to the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein, the Simon Wiesenthal Centre Director for International Relations, Dr. Shimon Samuels, noted that "recent exposure of the barbaric treatment of Chechen homosexuals has been brought to the attention of the Russian administration and is of worldwide indignation," adding, "apparently, however, the reported torture and execution of gays by the Iranian regime has slipped under the Human Rights Council's radar screen."

The letter recalled that, "Chechen leader, Ramzan Kadyrov's comment that "there are no homosexuals in Chechnya" is a repeat of former Iranian President Ahmadinejad that "there are no homosexuals in Iran"... "Our Centre suggests that this language was more a statement of policy than demography".

Samuels cited an Amnesty International report on a gay teenager hung in Arak prison last July: "Iran has proved that its sickening enthusiasm for putting juveniles to death, in contravention of international law, knows no bounds" and a British WikiLeaks 2009 source: "Iran had executed up to 6,000 gays and lesbians since the 1979 Islamic Revolution until 2008."

Another telling comment came from LGBT rights official, Stefan Schaden, "while the Islamic State throws gays from rooftops, the Islamic Republic of Iran hangs them."

"Apparently, none of this had any impact upon the United Nations Human Rights Council", exclaimed Samuels, continuing, "only last week, shots were reportedly fired as Esfahan province police forcibly arrested over 30 men aged between 16 and 30, to be medically examined for homosexuality, now held by Revolutionary Guards pending a death penalty under Sharia Law."

The Centre argued that, "Iran follows the Nazi doctrine in targeting both Jews (today the Jewish State of Israel) and homosexuals."

In its defence of all victims of persecution, the Centre had campaigned, three years ago, against the abuse of gays in Uganda. Likewise, it had joined in lobbying for the restitution of the building which today serves as the Schwules (Gay) Museum in Berlin.... This is one signpost stop along the itinerary of victims in that city: from the SS Topography of Terror to the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, to the Monument to the Sinti and Roma and to the extermination of the Disabled.

"Tehran is a patron of terrorism, antisemitism and homophobia. As such, Iran must be held to task for it Nazi policy towards homosexuals. We call on you to instruct Prof. Vitit Muntarbhorn, your newly appointed Investigator, who is mandated "to protect LGBT people from violence," to address the persecution of his constituency by Iran, as of highest priority… This matter should also be on the agenda of the next UN Human Rights Council session in June," concluded Samuels.