Iran executes 2 gay men accused of 'forcible sodomy,' human rights group says

• Iran executed two gay men on Thursday, according to a human rights group.
• The men spent six years on death row after being arrested on charges of forcible sodomy.

Iran has executed two gay men who were convicted on charges of sodomy, according to a human rights group.

Mehrdad Karimpour, aged 32, and Farid Mohammadi were executed on Thursday after spending years on death row in Maragheh Central Prison, the Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) reported.

The men were arrested six years ago on charges of forcible sodomy and were later sentenced to death, HRANA said.

Under Iranian law, forcible sodomy is defined as non-consensual same-sex intercourse. But even consensual sex between two men is punishable by death.

Human rights activist Shadi Amin, executive director of Iranian LGBTQ advocacy group 6Rang, is urging people to challenge the legitimacy of the charges against Karimpour and Mohammad.

"Rule of law and fair trials do not exist in the Iranian judicial system," Amin told Insider. "Therefore, any ruling issued in this system cannot be considered credible and legitimate."

According to the international LGBTQ advocacy charity OutRight International, most executions follow rushed trials and questionable investigative methods.

Convictions are sometimes based on confessions forced by torture, Outright International said, and attorneys face intimidation by the government.

A source familiar with the situation told Insider that Karimpour and Mohammadi were denied legal counsel.

The Iranian regime has not publicly addressed the purported execution.

Homosexuality is illegal in Iran, and LGBTQ+ communities face discrimination, prosecution, and being killed.

Last year, Insider reported that Alireza Fazeli Monfared, a 20-year-old Iranian man, was killed in an alleged "honor killing" by family members after learning that he was gay.