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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