Last edited: April 03, 2005


Anger as Saudi Arabia Executes Gay Men

Gay.com U.K., March 14, 2005

By Ben Townley

Two gay men have been executed in Saudi Arabia, according to news agency reports, after the government accused them of killing another man.

Ahmed al-Enezi and Shahir al-Roubli, who were apparently in a relationship, were apparently beheaded over the weekend.

The government claims that they had killed Malik Khan after he saw them together and threatened to “expose” their relationship, Reuters reports.

Homosexuality is still a criminal offence in the country, which is considered one of the most oppressive in the world.

Saudi Arabia’s Interior Ministry told the agency that the men were executed because they feared the man would tell authorities about their relationship.

It added that the man had “witnessed them in a shameful situation”.

Press reports suggest the men believed Khan would blackmail them over their relationship.

They are reported to have run him over, beaten him with stones and set fire to his body, in a bid to make his corpse unrecognisable.

The killing has angered gay rights groups, who have warned that the Saudi government often implements its harsh laws on lesbian and gay people for no reason other than a single complaint.

Previous examples of its no tolerance attitude to gay people include the censorship of gay websites.

The government blocked gaymiddleeast.com in June 2003 and 2004, despite the website offering news and health advice to gay men in the region.

It also censored international sites, including Gay.com.

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