In post-occupation Iraq being gay, or even looking gay, can be a death sentence.
It’s very difficult to determine how many homosexuals have died in so called “honour killings” by their own families or in the hands of the militias. But a BBC investigation has found that law enforcement agencies are involved in ongoing, systematic and organised violence against gay people, while the government refuses to acknowledge it…
Iraq’s Western-backed government is in violation of its international obligations and the government’s failure to prosecute acts of violence against homosexuals makes the state a perpetrator in the crime, the UN says.
Iraq’s Human Rights Ministry says it cannot help gay people because they are not considered a minority in Iraq. The ministry also says it has passed several cases of persecution and murder onto the Interior Ministry.
Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Maliki has direct command of the Interior Ministry, which did not respond to numerous requests for comment. Mr Maliki’s spokesman did talk to the BBC. He denies any organised persecution and says gay Iraqis should “live their lives a normal way”.
— from “Witch-hunt in Iraq” on BBC (Sep. 11, 2012)
