Russian Gay Leaders Appeal Against Executions in Iran During Special Press
Conference in Moscow
Russian politicians were scared to come, they did not
want “to sit next to gays”. Russian authorities should do everything to
pressure Iran to fulfill its international obligations
GayRussia.Ru,
July 28, 2005
On 28 July 2005 a press conference took place in the
National Information Group (www.newsinfo.ru)
in Moscow in order to attract attention of the Russian and International
community to the recent executions of young gays in Iran. Press conference was
given by Nikolai Alekseev, head of the Project GayRussia.Ru, and Evgeniya
Debryanskaya, leader of the Russian lesbian community. The organizers of the
event invited several Russian politicians. A few of them agreed to come but
later denied. Deputy of the State Duma, lower chamber of the Russian
parliament, A. Chuev, author of the bill to ban propaganda of homosexuality,
said that he was ill and that he was “not ready to sit close to gays”.
Representatives of the Russian party Union of Rights Forces, known for their
human rights actions and support, said that the topic was very controversial
and that they were not ready to take part. Press centre of the
pro-presidential youth movement “Nashi” said the following: “we just
lacked giving speeches together with gays”. Nikolai Alekseev said that it is
a real shame that Russian politicians were so scared to come. “The press
conference today is clearly about the effects of the policy of repression some
of them are pressuring for even here in Russia”.
Several journalists from leading Russian information
agencies came to the press centre, representative of Interfax and ITAR-TASS.
Nikolai Alekseev and Evgeniya Dedryanskaya condemned the executions of gays in
Iran and once again appealed to the Russian authorities, including President
Vladimir Putin, to use all diplomatic ways to pressure Iranian regime. They
said that by killing those, who committed their so called “crimes” under
the age of 18, Iran breached its international obligations, including those
embodied in the International Covenant of Civil and Political Rights and
Convention on the Rights of the Child. Both clearly forbid such executions.
Iran is currently among the leaders of child executions. Nikolai Alekseev
underlined that the problem of Iran should be considered in two dimensions.
Firstly, criminal prosecution for homosexuality and retaining capital
punishment for these actions. Secondly, retaining of death penalty for
children.
During the press conference journalists were also
interested in the situation of gays in Russia, some of the facts of homophobia
were given as well as the results of the poll on the issues of homosexuality.
Russian gays also announced their intention to conduct the first ever gay
pride in Moscow in May 2006.
Project GayRussia.Ru will continue its actions against
barbarism in Iran and pressure for changes in this country.
For further information please write to: contacts@gayrussia.ru
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