The 'Six Colors' Network: Sexual and Gender Minorities Victimized by the Islamic Republic's 'Crimes' Against Humanity

'Six Colors', a network of Iranian lesbians and transgender individuals, has described the behavior of government forces and judicial authorities during the nationwide protests of 2022 towards sexual and gender minorities as a crime against humanity. In its report titled 'War Against Body and Soul', 'Six Colors' stated: 'LGBTQ+ protesters have been targeted for gender-based violence, which is one of the manifestations of crimes against humanity.' The network claims this report is based on the testimonies of 70 members of the LGBTQ+ community who participated in the protests, some of whom were arrested and imprisoned, and shows that 'these protesters, due to their sexual orientation, gender identity, and actual or presumed gender expression, have been subjected to higher levels of repression compared to others who conformed more closely to societal norms.' The report further emphasizes that 'government agents, detention center officials, and judicial authorities, upon noticing the protesters' appearance, inspecting their mobile phone contents, or through other interrogations, targeted them for sexual, verbal, and physical violence related to their gender.' During the crackdown on the nationwide protests in the second half of 2022, Islamic Republic forces killed over 500 citizens, including at least 70 children. The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom in a report published on September 12, 2023, referenced sexual assault and violence by Islamic Republic agents against several protesters, including children and adolescents present at last year's nationwide protests; peaceful protesters seeking freedom of religion or belief. This commission also recommended to the Biden administration to reclassify the Islamic Republic as one of the 'countries of particular concern' in its annual 90-page report on the status of religious freedoms worldwide. The repression of sexual and gender minorities, including the execution of four homosexual individuals and the issuance of death sentences for two others based on religious laws, was among the human rights violations mentioned in this report. The legal system of the Islamic Republic explicitly prohibits homosexuality, and homosexual relations are punishable by death under the Islamic Republic's penal laws.