Humanity Denied: The Violations of the Rights of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Persons in IRAN

R. Bahreini

Discrimination and violence against lesbians, gays, bisexuals, and transgender (LGBT) persons in Iran is widespread in its scope and horrific in its consequences. This report does not undertake a comprehensive analysis of this culture of violence and discrimination. It is rather restricted to raising concerns about the most serious human violations faced by LGBT persons in Iran. As such, it examine three internationally recognized human rights which are of great relevance to sexual minorities: the right to life, the right not to be tortured or subjected to inhumane or degrading treatment, and the right to freedom of expression; and it examines the manner in which the Iranian government violates them with respect to sexual minorities.