Where is the public outcry?

LGBTQIA+ activists sentenced to death in Iran. This act of terror must be condemned by the world.

Berlin, March 08.09.2022th, XNUMX. We are shocked and desperate. Earlier this week we were shocked by the latest news from Iran that Sareh (Zahra) Sedighi and Elham Choobdar, two Iranian activists working for the rights of the LGBTQIA+ community in Iran, had been sentenced to death. It is the first time that the Iranian judiciary has directly requested the death penalty for allegations of same-sex relationships. At least 251 people have been executed since the beginning of the year, according to human rights organizations. The actual number will be even higher.

We know: Iran acts so hard against LGBTQIA+ people and non-heteronormative orientations because they contradict the strongly religious and traditional family image. The Iranian state is revealing itself for what it is: a regime of terror, of fundamentalist patriarchy, a totalitarian regime disguised as an Islamic theocracy.

The harshness of the totalitarian regime against women is not only about the women themselves, but also about a demonstration of power against the self-determination of women and members of the LGBTQIA+ community and a demonstration of power for the hardening of traditional role models.

We call on the intersectional and international community not to simply overlook these shocking verdicts.

We call on the German government not only to continue to communicate indignation, but to apply real political pressure to stand up for the rights of those affected and not to stand by in silence.

The Iranian Lesbian and Transgender Network (Rank 6) has one Online Petition started to protest against the death sentences. We urge you to sign this petition.

DaMigra eV represents the interests of women migrant organizations and their concerns and advocates equal opportunities, equal participation and the equality of women with a history of migration and refugee experience in Germany. DaMigra follows the approach of anti-racist feminism.