Iran’s revolutionary guards round up ‘homosexuals and satanists’
Iran’s revolutionary guards have announced the arrest of “a network of homosexuals and satanists” in the western city of Kermanshah.
The arrests, which took place on Tuesday, were made by a branch of the country’s military intended to protect Islamic law.
According to Sepah News, the news site of the revolutionary guards, a “network of homosexuals and satanists” were detained after a raid on a rented hall where around 80 people, gay and straight, had gathered to dance and celebrate.
The exact number of arrests was not specified, but the report indicates that several of the people detained were foreign nationals including citizens of Iraq.
The arrests have prompted further concern over the way that LGBT people are treated in Iran, where they can face serious persecution. The revolutionary guards, who work independently of the government, actively track down gay people and same-sex sexual relationships can be punishable by death.
