Abdorrahman Boroumand Center

for Human Rights in Iran

https://www.iranrights.org
Omid, a memorial in defense of human rights in Iran
One Person’s Story

Seyyed Gholamhosein Bohluli (Afghani)

About

Nationality: Iran
Religion: Presumed Muslim
Civil Status: Unknown

Case

Date of Killing: December 21, 1979
Location of Killing: Mashhad, Khorasan\Khorasan-e Razavi Province, Iran
Mode of Killing: Shooting
Charges: Homosexual act; Drug trafficking

About this Case

The information regarding Mr. Gholamhossein Bohluli’s (also known as Afqani) execution along with 6 others was drawn from Kayhan Daily on 22 December 1979.

According to Kayhan, Mr. Bohluli committed homosexual rape before his trial in 1979 and was sentenced to three years of imprisonment with peonage but the plaintiff dropped the charges against him. He was subsequently released. But after some time, he was sentenced by a criminal court to life imprisonment for an unknown reason but he escaped during a riot in prison in the course of the revolution. After that he was jailed again for “sodomy”.

Arrest and detention

The circumstances of Mr. Bohluli’s arrest and detention are not known.

Trial

The Revolutionary Tribunal of Mashhad tired Mr. Bohluli.

Charges

Kayhan Daily reported Mr. Bohluli’s charges as “sodomy and distributing drugs involving heroin inside and outside prison”.

Evidence of guilt

No information is available concerning the evidence presented against the defendant.

Defense

There is no information about Mr. Bohluli’s defense and it is not clear if he had the opportunity to defend himself effectively, for example whether he had access to a lawyer or the possibility to summon witnesses in his favor, etc. Regardless of the legitimacy of the criminalization of a person’s sexual orientation, the validity of the criminal charges brought against this defendant cannot be ascertained in the absence of the basic guarantees of a fair trial. International human rights organizations have drawn attention to reports indicating that the Islamic Republic’s authorities have brought trumped-up charges against their political opponents and executed them for drug trafficking, sexual, and other criminal offences. The exact number of people convicted based on trumped-up charges is unknown.

Judgment

The Revolutionary Tribunal of Mashhad sentenced Mr. Bohluli to death. This verdict was carried out at dawn on 21 December 1979.

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