Iraqi group says gays are targets of killings

Left: 3 men suspected of being gay after being gunned down in Ramadi last June. In 2005, Grand Ayatollah Sistani issued an anti-gay fatwa which said: "Those who commit sodomy must be killed in the harshest way". The fatwa was later reported to be withdrawn.

The Iraqi lesbian and gay community and NGOs dealing with gay issues have called for urgent action to protect gays and lesbians in the country.

The groups say that the number of victims of "sexual cleansing" is growing on a daily basis.

"In the past three months, more than 30 gays have been executed in Baghdad. The bodies have been found tortured, mutilated - sometimes with signs of rape," said Mustafa Salim, spokesman for the Rainbow for Life Organisation (RLO), a Baghdad-based gay rights NGO.

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Related Link:
The Iraqis' Stories: Hunting Gays In Iraq