Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Iran sentences two LGBTQ rights activist to death for 'spreading corruption on earth'

They are also found guilty of promoting Christianity and communicating with the media opposing the Islamic Republic.

Iran sentences two LGBTQ rights activist to death for 'spreading corruption on earth'

Iran has handed down capital punishment to two female gay rights activists for “promoting homosexuality” on social media.

Zahra Sedighi Hamedani and Elham Chubdar were convicted of "spreading corruption on earth" - a charge the Hengaw Kurdish rights organisation said was often imposed on people deemed to have broken the country's sharia laws.

In addition to their conviction for homosexuality, they were also found guilty of “promoting Christianity” and “communicating with the media opposing the Islamic Republic”.

Iran has banned homosexuality as its penal code criminalises same-sex sexual behaviour for both men and women.

Rights groups raised alarm over the verdicts, with Amnesty International expressing concern that their convictions by a court in the Iranian province of West Azerbaijan were discriminatory in nature.

The Iran Human Rights, a Norway-based organisation, called for an immediate intervention by the international community and civil society to save their lives.

Hamedani, also known as Sareh, was arrested by Iranian authorities in October last year when she was attempting to cross the border to Turkey, after returning to Iran from Iraqi Kurdistan where she had been based.

The arrest of the prominent LGBTQ activist came months after she appeared in a documentary for the BBC Persian service. She was allegedly subjected to various forms of torture including electrocution.

Before leaving Iraqi Kurdistan, Hamedani had sent videos to 6Rang, an Iranian lesbian network based in Germany, asking it to make them public if she was unsuccessful in her attempt to reach Turkey where she planned to seek asylum.

"We, the LGBTI community, are suffering,” she had said in one of the clips.

“Whether through death or freedom, we will remain true to ourselves," Hamedani had said.

Activists said Hamedan and Choubdar heard the sentence last week and were denied access to lawyers.

A 6Rang activist said rights groups had no hope of saving the women without international support.

More For You

british-muslims-iStock

The study noted that this identification was not due to any doctrinal obligation but was influenced by the perception that many Muslims do not feel fully accepted as British. (Representational image: iStock)

iStock

Majority of British Muslims identify by faith first, study finds

A STUDY by the Institute for the Impact of Faith in Life (IIFL) has found that most British Muslims identify primarily with their religion rather than their nationality.

The research, based on a survey of 815 British Muslim adults by Whitestone Insight, revealed that 71 per cent of respondents identified as Muslim first, while 27 per cent identified as British, English, or Scottish first.

Keep ReadingShow less
Car Tax Changes: EV Owners Now Required to Pay for the First Time

Owners of electric vehicles registered on or after 1 April 2025 will pay £10 for the first year, followed by the standard VED rate of £195 from the second year. (Representational image: iStock)

iStock

Car tax changes take effect: EV owners to pay for first time

FROM today, 1 April 2025, electric cars, vans, and motorcycles in the UK will be subject to Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) for the first time.

The change, introduced in the 2022 Autumn Statement by former Conservative Chancellor Jeremy Hunt, aims to make motoring taxation fairer.

Keep ReadingShow less
scotland-minimum-wages-iStock

Full-time workers on the National Living Wage will receive an annual pay increase of £1,400 in real terms. (Representational image: iStock)

iStock

Wage increase takes effect for thousands of workers in Scotland

HUNDREDS of thousands of workers in Scotland will see a pay increase as new National Living Wage and National Minimum Wage rates take effect from Tuesday.

The changes will benefit approximately 220,000 people, according to STV News.

Keep ReadingShow less
uk-energy-bill-iStock

Water bills, energy prices, and council tax are rising, while the minimum wage has also increased (Representational image: iStock)

iStock

April bill increases put financial strain on single parents

A RANGE of essential household bills are increasing from April, with Citizens Advice warning that single parents will be among the hardest hit.

Water bills, energy prices, and council tax are rising, while the minimum wage has also increased, BBC reported.

Keep ReadingShow less
Netflix drama Adolescence to be screened in UK schools
Stephen Graham and Owen Cooper in 'Adolescence'
Netflix

Netflix drama Adolescence to be screened in UK schools

THE NETFLIX drama Adolescence will be shown in UK secondary schools as part of efforts to address harmful online influences on young boys, officials announced on Monday.

The show has sparked debate over the impact of toxic and misogynistic content on the internet. Prime minister Keir Starmer met the show's creators, charities, and young people at Downing Street, calling the initiative an important step in starting discussions about the content teenagers are exposed to online.

Keep ReadingShow less