(RoyalPatriot.com )- Last Monday, an Iranian court sentenced two LGBT activists to death, prompting condemnations from human rights organizations worldwide.
The two activists, Zahra Sedighi-Hamadani and Elham Chobdar had been earlier convicted of “spreading corruption on Earth.” However, the official claim is that they were convicted of “trafficking young women” in the northwestern province of West Azerbaijan.
Earlier this year, Sedighi-Hamadani was detained for “her real or perceived sexual orientation and gender identity” and for her statements and social media posts defending LGBT rights.
In October 2021, she was initially detained in Erbil, Iraq after participating in a BBC documentary on the discrimination facing the LGBT community in the Middle East. Sedighi-Hamadani was released from detention but was arrested by Iranian authorities earlier this year as she attempted to flee to Turkey.
According to Amnesty, the two activists’ death sentences are being appealed in Iran’s Supreme Court.
Sedighi-Hamadani and Chobdar were tried separately and much of the court proceedings were kept secret. What is known is that Sedighi-Hamadani had been charged and convicted of “promoting homosexuality,” “promoting Christianity,” and “communication with anti-Islamic Republic media channels.”
Iranian state media, however, has emphasized that the two activists were tried for crimes related to “the trafficking of women and young girls.”
Earlier this week, Newsmax ran a story on the activists.
Watch that HERE.
