Human-rights groups have said that two LGBTQ+-rights activists have been sentenced to death in Iran, the BBC reported.
A court in Urmia found Zahra Seddiqi Hamedani, 31, and Elham Choubdar, 24, guilty of “corruption on Earth.)
The Hengaw Organization for Human Rights reported that they were accused of promoting homosexuality, promoting Christianity and communicating with media opposed to the Islamic Republic.
Iran”s judiciary later confirmed the sentences but said they were connected to human trafficking and not activism.
Amnesty International previously described Hamedani as a “gender non-conforming human-rights defender” who it said had been detained “solely in connection with her real or perceived sexual orientation and gender identity as well as her social-media posts and statements in defense of (LGBTQ+) rights.”
“This is the first time that a woman has been sentenced to death in Iran for her sexual orientation,” Germany-based Iranian Lesbian and Transgender Network spokeswoman Shadi Amin told AFP news agency.