Gay men attacked, executed in Iraq, rights group says

[Appaholic]

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Hundreds of gay men have been tortured and killed in Iraq in recent months, some by the nation's security forces, Human Rights Watch said Monday.

Interviews with doctors indicate hundreds of men had been killed, but the exact number was unclear because of the stigma associated with homosexuality in Iraq, the New York-based watchdog group said in its report.

"Iraq's leaders are supposed to defend all Iraqis, not abandon them to armed agents of hate," said Scott Long, director of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Rights Program at Human Rights Watch. "Turning a blind eye to torture and murder threatens the rights and life of every Iraqi."

Four victims who spoke to CNN gave accounts of the attacks, which they say have intensified in the past few months.

"In 2004, militias and unknown groups started to go after the gays ... but the peak was six months ago," said Qaisar, who uses a pseudonym for fear of reprisal. "It has become wide scale war against gays in Iraq."

Iraqi officials acknowledged that the nation's culture stigmatizes homosexuality, but said the government does not condone such attacks. Authorities are unable to provide homosexuals with special protection, said government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh.

According to Human Rights Watch, which is urging a government crackdown, attackers target people on the streets or storm homes, where they conduct interrogations and demand names of suspected gay men. Many end up in hospitals and morgues, the organization said, basing its conclusion on reports from doctors.

Men have been threatened with "honor killings" by relatives worried that their "unmanly behavior" will ruin the family's reputation, Human Rights Watch said.

http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/meast ... index.html

[dbackjon]

It is disgusting what is going on there.

Anuses being super glued shut, etc.

Under Saddam, gays were protected. Under American control, open warfare on gays. There is even GOOD evidence that some of our troops participate in some of this.

[CID1990]

It is disgusting what is going on there.

Anuses being super glued shut, etc.

Under Saddam, gays were protected. Under American control, open warfare on gays. There is even GOOD evidence that some of our troops participate in some of this.

LMAO @ the continued "blame Bush" whining.

Get caught queer in ANY Muslim country and watch what happens. Even in progressive Jordan your ass will be in prison AT BEST. I've been inside a Jordanian jail and I have seen the guys who are in there just because they were fags. They weren't very well treated, either.

Remember how Ahmadinejad says there are no gays in Iran, right? This stuff gets the press that it does because there are ten gajillion western journalists in Iraq. Put one hundredth that number in any other Arab country (Syria or Yemen, for instance) and you would see the same thing.

You lessen your own credibility when you point the finger at the U.S., Dback. Get rid of the impulse to be so politically correct, call it what it is: ISLAMIC INTOLERANCE. Honor killings? You think gays are the only ones subjected to that? Is that also the US's fault?

And BTW- I agree that what is going on there is disgusting.

[AZGrizFan]

It is disgusting what is going on there.

Anuses being super glued shut, etc.

Under Saddam, gays were protected. Under American control, open warfare on gays. There is even GOOD evidence that some of our troops participate in some of this.

Yep, good ol' Saddam.
And please provide a link to the GOOD evidence that our troops are participating in "open warfare" on gays.

[AZGrizFan]

It is disgusting what is going on there.

Anuses being super glued shut, etc.

Under Saddam, gays were protected. Under American control, open warfare on gays. There is even GOOD evidence that some of our troops participate in some of this.

Yep, good ol' Saddam.
And please provide a link to the GOOD evidence that our troops are participating in "open warfare" on gays.

Six hours later, and still no "GOOD evidence". I thought so, Jon.

Buddy, you KNOW I sypathize with your plight, but firing across the bow like this with unsubstantiated crap does NOT help your cause. Romanticizing Sadaam because conditions for gays were a little less bad doesn't do much to garner support for your cause either. Whats happening is bad. Period. You don't need to take every opportunity to pile on and make a statement concerning a war about which we all know you disagree.

[dbackjon]

Posting from iPhone. Will respond fully tomorrow.

No one is romatisizing Saddam. He was a cruel dictator that killed hundreds of thousands. But for minorities, women etc his rule was far better than the Islamic rule in place today

[D1B]

Yep, good ol' Saddam.
And please provide a link to the GOOD evidence that our troops are participating in "open warfare" on gays.

Six hours later, and still no "GOOD evidence". I thought so, Jon.

Buddy, you KNOW I sypathize with your plight, but firing across the bow like this with unsubstantiated crap does NOT help your cause. Romanticizing Sadaam because conditions for gays were a little less bad doesn't do much to garner support for your cause either. Whats happening is bad. Period. You don't need to take every opportunity to pile on and make a statement concerning a war about which we all know you disagree.

But not enough to vote independent or democrat.
But not enought to not financially support McCain/Palin
But it would cost me too much money to abandon the republican party
But I still voted for Cheney/Bush........OK.....here it comes.........TWICE
But I still voted Palin/McNumbnuts

Z = hero for all gays, minorities, the poor and women!

[Cleets Part 2]

Six hours later, and still no "GOOD evidence". I thought so, Jon.

Buddy, you KNOW I sypathize with your plight, but firing across the bow like this with unsubstantiated crap does NOT help your cause. Romanticizing Sadaam because conditions for gays were a little less bad doesn't do much to garner support for your cause either. Whats happening is bad. Period. You don't need to take every opportunity to pile on and make a statement concerning a war about which we all know you disagree.

But not enough to vote independent or democrat.
But not enought to not financially support McCain/Palin
But it would cost me too much money to abandon the republican party
But I still voted for Cheney/Bush........OK.....here it comes.........TWICE
But I still voted Palin/McNumbnuts

Z = hero for all gays, minorities, the poor and women!

D1B and AZGF have the best battles...

[wkuhillhound]

Six hours later, and still no "GOOD evidence". I thought so, Jon.

Buddy, you KNOW I sypathize with your plight, but firing across the bow like this with unsubstantiated crap does NOT help your cause. Romanticizing Sadaam because conditions for gays were a little less bad doesn't do much to garner support for your cause either. Whats happening is bad. Period. You don't need to take every opportunity to pile on and make a statement concerning a war about which we all know you disagree.

But not enough to vote independent or democrat.
But not enought to not financially support McCain/Palin
But it would cost me too much money to abandon the republican party
But I still voted for Cheney/Bush........OK.....here it comes.........TWICE
But I still voted Palin/McNumbnuts

Z = hero for all gays, minorities, the poor and women!

[AZGrizFan]

Six hours later, and still no "GOOD evidence". I thought so, Jon.

Buddy, you KNOW I sypathize with your plight, but firing across the bow like this with unsubstantiated crap does NOT help your cause. Romanticizing Sadaam because conditions for gays were a little less bad doesn't do much to garner support for your cause either. Whats happening is bad. Period. You don't need to take every opportunity to pile on and make a statement concerning a war about which we all know you disagree.

But not enough to vote independent or democrat.
But not enought to not financially support McCain/Palin
But it would cost me too much money to abandon the republican party
But I still voted for Cheney/Bush........OK.....here it comes.........TWICE
But I still voted Palin/McNumbnuts

Z = hero for all gays, minorities, the poor and women!

D- purveyor of all things "strawman". Never mind that jon threw out a wild accusation with NO documentation to back it up. He's a liberal, so he must be correct, right?

NONE of those things make me unable or unwilling to be sympathetic to Jon's plight.

[Pwns]

Six hours later, and still no "GOOD evidence". I thought so, Jon.

Buddy, you KNOW I sypathize with your plight, but firing across the bow like this with unsubstantiated crap does NOT help your cause. Romanticizing Sadaam because conditions for gays were a little less bad doesn't do much to garner support for your cause either. Whats happening is bad. Period. You don't need to take every opportunity to pile on and make a statement concerning a war about which we all know you disagree.

But not enough to vote independent or democrat.
But not enought to not financially support McCain/Palin
But it would cost me too much money to abandon the republican party
But I still voted for Cheney/Bush........OK.....here it comes.........TWICE
But I still voted Palin/McNumbnuts

Z = hero for all gays, minorities, the poor and women!

So every pro gay marriage right-winger is supposed to vote for a person like Obama? Why? Banning gay marriage is becoming less popular every year, and before long republicans preaching about "protecting marriage" will be talking about equality and tolerance on the gay issue.

[Cleets Part 2]

So every pro gay marriage right-winger is supposed to vote for a person like Obama? Why? Banning gay marriage is becoming less popular every year, and before long republicans preaching about "protecting marriage" will be talking about equality and tolerance on the gay issue.

I completely disagree...
There is no confusion in this division - it will always be a "hot issue" as long as the percentages of Americans polled stay anywhere even close to where they are today

[D1B]

But not enough to vote independent or democrat.
But not enought to not financially support McCain/Palin
But it would cost me too much money to abandon the republican party
But I still voted for Cheney/Bush........OK.....here it comes.........TWICE
But I still voted Palin/McNumbnuts

Z = hero for all gays, minorities, the poor and women!

D- purveyor of all things "strawman". Never mind that jon threw out a wild accusation with NO documentation to back it up. He's a liberal, so he must be correct, right?

NONE of those things make me unable or unwilling to be sympathetic to Jon's plight.

Okay, Chief. Whatever you say.