Ali "Alireza" Fazeli Monfared (January 2, 2001 – May 4, 2021) was a 20-year-old

Iranian Iranian () may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Iran ** Iranian diaspora, Iranians living outside Iran ** Iranian architecture, architecture of Iran and parts of the rest of West Asia ** Iranian cuisine, cooking traditions and practic ...

man who was kidnapped and

decapitated Decapitation is the total separation of the head from the body. Such an injury is invariably fatal to humans and all vertebrate animals, since it deprives the brain of oxygenated blood by way of severing through the jugular vein and common ...

by three men, namely his half-brother and two cousins, near the city of

Ahvaz Ahvaz (; ) is a city in the Central District of Ahvaz County, Khuzestan province, Iran, serving as capital of the province, the county, and the district. It is home to Persians, Arabs and other groups such as Qashqai and Kurds. Languages spok ...

in Iran's

Khuzestan Province Khuzestan province () is one of the 31 Provinces of Iran. Located in the southwest of the country, the province borders Iraq and the Persian Gulf, covering an area of . Its capital is the city of Ahvaz. Since 2014, it has been part of Iran's R ...

because of his

sexual orientation Sexual orientation is an enduring personal pattern of romantic attraction or sexual attraction (or a combination of these) to persons of the opposite sex or gender, the same sex or gender, or to both sexes or more than one gender. Patterns ar ...

. News of the situation garnered significant social media attention and coverage and calls by activists and celebrities to challenge

homophobia Homophobia encompasses a range of negative attitudes and feelings toward homosexuality or people who identify or are perceived as being lesbian, Gay men, gay or bisexual. It has been defined as contempt, prejudice, aversion, hatred, or ant ...

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

History

Identified as a case of

honor killing An honor killing (American English), ''honour killing'' (Commonwealth English), or ''shame killing'' is a type of murder in which a person, usually a woman or girl, is killed by or at the behest of male members of their family or their male ...

, the murder by beheading was committed days after Fazeli Monfared's half-brother learned about his sexual orientation from his military service exemption card. Iran's military laws exempt gay people from mandatory military service. It is reported that Fazeli Monfared was planning to move to

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

and seek asylum after receiving his military service exemption. Fazeli Monfared's mother was hospitalized after learning of the death, according to the Iranian LGBTQ+ rights group 6Rang, and his half-brother and cousins were arrested. Iran's anti-LGBT military law outing gays has been blamed for Fazeli Monfared's murder. According to individuals who had known Alireza Fazeli Monfared prior to his murder, he had faced years of homophobic and transphobic harassment, which he never reported to the police "out of a fear of facing violence and prosecution at the hands of the authorities."

Response

Activists and celebrities, including American singer

Demi Lovato Demetria Devonne "Demi" Lovato ( ; born August 20, 1992) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. After appearing on the children's television series ''Barney & Friends'' (2002–2004), she starred in the Disney Channel short series ...

, posted on social media about the murder to raise awareness of homophobia in Iran. Iranian LGBT activist

Masih Alinejad Masih Alinejad (, born Masoumeh Alinejad-Ghomikolayi (), September 11, 1976) is an Iranian Americans, Iranian-American journalist, author, and women's rights activist. Alinejad works as a presenter/producer at Voice of America Persian News Networ ...

, who lives in the United States, told

Insider Insider(s) or The Insider(s) may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Comics * ''Insiders'', a comic series by Mark Millar and Paul Grist, published in ''Crisis'' * The Insiders, a team of DC Comics characters in the Brainiac stories * ''I ...

that "I went to look at his page and I found that he was so full of life. Immediately, I posted about his death on my social media and it went viral. I wish he had received this sort of attention while he was alive." Many LGBT Iranians secretly filmed videos walking with their partners and exhibiting rainbow flags to protest against the killing. Human rights organization

Amnesty International Amnesty International (also referred to as Amnesty or AI) is an international non-governmental organization focused on human rights, with its headquarters in the United Kingdom. The organization says that it has more than ten million members a ...

called for a full investigation into the murder and a revocation of Iran's anti-gay laws.

References

External links

Instagram account
2001 births 2021 deaths 21st-century Iranian people Fratricides Honor killing in Iran Honor killing victims LGBTQ in Iran Violence against gay men Violence against LGBTQ people in Asia Violence against men in Asia People murdered in Iran 2021 murders in Iran {{LGBT-bio-stub

History

Response

See also

References

External links