The three were hanged for committing “forbidden acts against religion,” the report said, based on Articles 108 and 110 of the penal code.
Article 108 reads: “Sodomy (or lavat) is sexual intercourse between men.” Article 110 says: “Punishment for sodomy is execution; the Sharia judge decides on how to carry out the sentence.”
Mahmud Amiry-Moghad-dam, a researcher at Iran Human Rights, told The Independent of London: “Iranian authorities have previously presented such cases as rape, in order to make the execution more acceptable and to avoid too much international attention. But this time the news is not presented as rape.
“This case is the only one in recent years where the only basis for the death sentence has been a sexual relationship between two men, with reference to the Articles 108 and 110 of the Islamic Penal Code. These articles are very clear,” Amiry-Moghaddam said.
Gay Iranians seeking asylum in the West often claim they will be in danger of execution for their orientation if deported. Many Western immigration authorities respond that the Islamic Republic doesn’t actually carry out executions just for being gay.