Who would have thought that Saddam Hussein was a friend to the gays? That might be going a bit far, since he wasn’t really a friend to any of his citizens, but according to gay Iraqis living in the current climate, things were much safer when he was in power and they had more freedom. Since he has been ousted, extremist religious groups have taken over the country and control the police force, which is supposed to protect all citizens, but fails when homos are the ones in need.
One man, Ahmed, stil has shrapnel in his face from a grenade attack that occurred before his boyfriend was shot to death in front of him outside their gym in Baghdad. Ahmed now lives in Jordan for his own safety.
Amnesty International says it has “no information” about any attacks on gays in Iraq, which we find preposterous. If you would like to write to Amnesty and ask that they stop turning the other cheek, you can send a message to the International Secretariat via this form, or contact them by phone or mail.
Gay Iraqis fear for their lives [BBC via VirtualMatter]
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