Anfragebeantwortung zum Libanon: Lage von Homosexuellen: Strafverfahren nach §534, gesellschaftliche Diskriminierung, Haltung der Hisbollah [a-10063]

23. Februar 2017

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Rechtslage und deren Anwendung, staatliche Behandlung

Das US-Außenministerium (US Department of State, USDOS) schreibt in seinem Menschenrechtsbericht vom April 2016 (Berichtszeitraum 2015), dass offizielle und gesellschaftliche Diskriminierung gegen homosexuelle Personen weiterhin bestehe. Es gebe kein umfassendes Antidiskriminierungsgesetz zum Schutz von LGBTI-Personen. Das Gesetz verbiete „unnatürlichen Geschlechtsverkehr“ und sehe ein Strafmaß von bis zu einem Jahr Gefängnis vor. Diese Strafe werde selten verhängt, es gebe aber oftmals Geldstrafen. Das Justizministerium führe keine Aufzeichnungen über derartige Gesetzesverstöße. Es habe im Jahr 2015 keine Berichte gegeben, dass die Behörden jemanden wegen Verstoßes gegen dieses Gesetz eingesperrt hätten. Es gebe Nichtregierungsorganisationen, die regelmäßig Treffen an einem sicheren Ort („safe house“) abhalten würden, um Beratung anzubieten. Es gebe keine Informationen zu offizieller oder privater Diskriminierung am Arbeitsplatz oder im Bereich Wohnen oder Staatenlosigkeit, oder zu mangelndem Zugang zu Bildung oder medizinischer Versorgung wegen sexueller Orientierung oder Geschlechtsidentität. Die Regierung sammle solche Informationen nicht, und Personen, die mit solchen Problemen konfrontiert seien, würden zögern, Zwischenfälle zu melden, da sie weitere Diskriminierung befürchteten. Es gebe seitens der Regierung keine Bemühungen, mögliche Diskriminierung zu thematisieren. Die NGO Marsa habe 2015 von einem Fall berichtet, wo eine Person ihre Arbeit verloren habe, nachdem sie den Arbeitgeber über eine HIV-Infektion informiert habe. Die NGO Oui Pour La Vie habe von einem Fall berichtet, wo drei Personen wegen ihrer sexuellen Orientierung oder Geschlechtsidentität entlassen worden seien, darunter eine homosexuelle Person. Laut NGOs würden LGBTI-Personen gewalttätige Zwischenfälle und Übergriffe wegen gesellschaftlicher Stereotype nicht in vollem Ausmaß berichten:

„Official and societal discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBTI) persons persisted. There is no all-encompassing antidiscrimination law to protect LGBTI persons. The law prohibits ‘unnatural sexual intercourse,’ an offense punishable by up to one year in prison but rarely applied; however, it often resulted in a fine. The Ministry of Justice did not keep records on these infractions. There were no reports authorities imprisoned anyone for violation of this law during the year.

Various NGOs, including Helem, AFE, and Marsa, hosted regular meetings in a safe house, provided counseling services, and carried out advocacy projects for the LGBTI community.

Information was not available on official or private discrimination in employment, occupation, housing, statelessness, or lack of access to education or health care based on sexual orientation or gender identity. The government did not collect such information, and individuals who faced problems were reluctant to report incidents due to fear of additional discrimination. There were no government efforts to address potential discrimination. During the year Marsa reported that a worker lost his job after informing the company’s human resources department that he was HIV positive. During the year Oui Pour La Vie, an NGO working on the issue of stigma and discrimination against LGBTI persons, reported employers expelled two transgender women and one gay person from their work because of their gender identity and sexual orientation [...].

NGOs claimed LGBTI persons underreported incidents of violence and abuse due to negative social stereotypes. Observers received reports from LGBTI refugees of physical abuse by local gangs, which the victims did not report to the ISF [Internal Security Forces]; observers referred victims to UNHCR-sponsored protective services.” (USDOS, 13. April 2016, Section 6)

Die wirtschaftsliberale Bertelsmann Stiftung, eine deutsche gemeinnützige Denkfabrik mit Sitz in Gütersloh, schreibt in ihrem 2016 veröffentlichten Transformationsindex, dass Homosexualität, die gesetzlich verboten sei, toleriert werde, dass jedoch jeder, der deswegen festgenommen werde, harter Polizeibrutalität ausgesetzt werden könne, darunter Arrest und „forensische Untersuchungen“:

„Homosexuality (which is forbidden by law) is tolerated, but anyone arrested under such accusations can experience harsh police brutality, including arrest and enforced ‘forensic’ examination.” (Bertelsmann Stiftung, 2016, S. 13)

Die international tätige Menschenrechtsorganisation Human Rights Watch (HRW) erwähnt in ihrem World Report 2016, dass Artikel 534 des Strafgesetzbuches „jeden Geschlechtsverkehr gegen die natürliche Ordnung“ mit bis zu einem Jahr Haft bedrohe. In den letzten Jahren hätten die Behörden Razzien durchgeführt, um angeblich in gleichgeschlechtliche Handlungen involvierte Personen festzunehmen. Manche von ihnen seien der Folter unterworfen worden, darunter erzwungenen rektalen Untersuchungen. Im Februar 2016 sei ein syrischer Flüchtling, der von Beamten des libanesischen Militärgeheimdienstes wegen angeblicher Homosexualität festgenommen wurde, angeblich in Gewahrsam in Einrichtungen verschiedener Institutionen gefoltert worden:

„Sexual relations outside of marriage—adultery and fornication—are criminalized under Lebanon’s penal code. Furthermore, article 534 of the penal code punishes ‘any sexual intercourse contrary to the order of nature’ with up to one year in prison. In recent years, authorities conducted raids to arrest persons allegedly involved in same-sex conduct, some of whom were subjected to torture including forced anal examinations. In February [2016], a Syrian refugee, arrested by Lebanese Military Intelligence officers apparently on suspicion he was gay, was allegedly tortured while detained at Military Intelligence, Ministry of Defense, Military Police, and Jounieh police centers.“ (HRW, 12. Jänner 2017)

In einem Bericht vom Juli 2016 erläutert Human Rights Watch (HRW) wie öffentlicher Druck gegen erzwungene rektale Untersuchungen im Jahr 2012 zu einer Anordnung des Chefs der Ärztevereinigung geführt habe, solche Praktiken einzustellen. Auch der Justizminister habe die Staatsanwaltschaft in einem Schreiben gebeten, eine Weisung zur Beendigung solcher Untersuchungen zu erteilen. Die Staatsanwaltschaft habe das Schreiben an die (vom Justizministerium unabhängigen) Staatsanwälte im Land weitergeschickt, jedoch ohne eine entsprechende Weisung:

„In August 2012, police conducted a mass arrest of 36 men, who were then subjected to anal exams to seek evidence of homosexual conduct. In response, Legal Agenda launched a campaign labeling anal exams ‘Tests of Shame,’ and calling for an end to the practice. Helem, an LGBT rights organization working in partnership with Legal Agenda, organized sit-ins in front of the Lebanese Order of Physicians and the Ministry of Justice. [...]

In response, the head of the Lebanese Order of Physicians, Dr. Sharaf Abu Sharaf, issued a directive on August 7, 2012, calling for an end to the procedure. [...] After much public pressure on the Ministry of Justice to institutionalize a ban on anal examinations, Justice Minister Shakib Qortbawi issued a communication addressed to the public prosecutor on August 11, 2012, asking him to issue a directive ending the examinations completely. Qortbawi told the BBC: ‘From a humanitarian point of view, this is totally unacceptable.’

The new public prosecutor, Samir Hammoud, reportedly forwarded the Minister’s communication to prosecutors throughout the country, without actually issuing a directive ordering them to abide by it. The office of the prosecutor is independent from the Ministry of Justice, and human rights activists told Human Rights Watch that only a definitive order from the public prosecutor could prevent prosecutors from ordering the exams.

Indeed, the Order of Physicians circular and the Ministry of Justice communication did not entirely put a stop to anal exams. In January 2014, police arrested five men in a private home, including two Syrian refugees. An investigator who seemed to be abiding by the public prosecutor’s instructions asked them to undergo the tests: the men initially refused, but ‘the investigator informed them that their objections would be used as proof that they have something to hide.’ When a physician arrived at the Moussaitbeh Internal Security Forces (ISF) station to conduct the tests, wrote Legal Agenda, ‘He did not introduce himself, neither by name nor by profession, and did not verify that the individuals concerned had agreed to be subjected to these tests.’” (HRW, Juli 2016, S. 34-35)

HRW scheibt weiter, dass rektale Untersuchungen bzw. die Drohung damit auch 2014 und 2015 angewendet worden seien, obwohl es auch laut Menschenrechtsaktivisten scheine, dass die Anzahl zurückgegangen sei:

„Anal exams or the threat of anal exams continued to be used in Lebanon throughout 2014 and 2015, although human rights activists in Beirut reported that the incidence of exams seemed to have diminished, probably due to some doctors, and prosecutors, respecting the circulars that were issued in 2012. Georges Azzi, of the Arab Foundation for Freedoms and Equality, said he was aware of at least one case, in 2014, in which a prosecutor general requested an anal examination, but the doctor who was requisitioned to conduct the exam refused to do it. But some members of the Internal Security Forces (ISF), Lebanon’s main police force, seemed to be unaware of the circulars altogether.” (HRW, Juli 2016, S. 37)

Das UN Human Rights Committee veröffentliche im Dezember 2015 den Bericht der Arbeitsgruppe für die allgemeine regelmäßige Überprüfung (Universal Periodic Review) des Libanon. Darin werden zwei Gerichtsurteile zur Auslegung von Artikel 534 des Strafgesetzbuches erwähnt, die festgestellt hätten, dass die Bestimmung nicht auf Homosexuelle anwendbar sei. Die Justiz habe eine wichtige Rolle dabei gespielt, Gewalttaten oder Diskriminierungen gegen Homosexuelle zu verhindern oder ihnen entgegenzuwirken, so der Bericht weiter:

„As for sexual orientation, although article 534 of the Penal Code stated that sexual intercourse contrary to nature was punishable, two court decisions had indicated that article 534 did not apply to homosexuals. The judiciary had played an important role in preventing and opposing acts of violence or discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender persons.” (UN Human Rights Committee, 22. Dezember 2015)

Human Rights Watch (HRW) berichtet im Februar 2017 von einem weiteren Gerichtsurteil, in dem Artikel 534 des Strafgesetzbuches als Grundlage für die Verhaftung von Homosexuellen in Frage gestellt worden sei:

„A Lebanese judge challenged the legal basis of the arrest of men for same-sex conduct, declaring in a Metn court ruling last week that ‘homosexuality is a personal choice, not a criminal offence’. In doing so, the judge, Rabih Maalouf, questioned the interpretation of Article 534 of the Lebanese Penal Code, which states ‘any sexual intercourse contrary to the order of nature is punishable by up to one year in prison.’ The vague wording – what is ‘the order of nature’? – is open to interpretation and has been used to prosecute people suspected of homosexuality. In his ruling, Judge Maalouf referred to a penal code provision protecting freedom of expression, Article 183, which states that, ‘An act undertaken in exercise of a right without abuse shall not be regarded as an offense.’ If no harm is done, there is no crime.

Maalouf is not the first judge to question the interpretation of Article 534. Ten years ago, in 2007, Judge Mounir Suleiman called a halt to a criminal investigation of two men arrested under the law. He disputed that homosexuality was ‘contrary to the rules of nature’ and noted that what was seen as ‘unnatural’ reflected the social mores of the time.

In 2014 a court dismissed a case against a transgender woman accused of having a same sex relation with a man. The judgement stated that homosexuality can no longer be considered a crime because it is not ‘unnatural.’ The court took into consideration a submission by the LGBT group Helem and Legal Agenda, which argued that a person’s gender identity is not only defined by legal documents but by their own subjective sense of self. In 2012, the justice minister at the time, Shakib Qortbawi, weighed in on the use of anal examinations on men accused of homosexual conduct, issuing a statement calling for an end to this abusive practice.

In 2013 the Lebanese Psychiatric Society issued a statement affirming that homosexuality is not a mental disorder and urging mental health professionals to rely solely on science in forming opinions and formulating treatment. In 2015, the Lebanese Psychiatric Society updated the statement to call for the abolition of article 534. Taken together, these developments strike a blow against typical misconceptions of homosexuality as unnatural, pathological, or anti-social. We hope they point to a future in Lebanon when consenting adults are no longer prosecuted for the free expression of their sexuality.” (HRW, 2. Februar 2017)

Das Nachrichtenportal Albawaba berichtet im Februar 2017 ebenfalls über diese Entscheidung des libanesischen Kassationsgerichts vom Jänner 2017, der zufolge Homosexualität nicht als Straftat betrachtet werden könne, weil es ein „natürliches Recht“ und eine persönliche Wahl sei:

„A new ruling looks set to turn the tide on institutionalised homophobia, however. The Lebanese Court of Cassation last week judged that homosexuality cannot be considered a criminal act, as it is a ‘natural right’. In the landmark case, Judge Rabih Maalouf ruled that a gay couple could not be prosecuted for having sexual relations, because ‘homosexuality is a personal choice, and is not a punishable offence.’ Previously, members of the Lebanese LGBT community had been imprisoned for up to a year under Article 534 which bans sexual relations that ‘contradict the laws of nature’. The decision is a controversial one in Lebanon, where many continue to adhere to strict interpretations of their respective religious laws. An online backlash followed the ruling, with many social media users calling for severe punishments for the defendants. Still, the ruling was hailed by some as a historic decision, which could pave the way for Lebanon to be one of the first Arab nations to decriminalize homosexuality.” (Albawaba, 1. Februar 2017)

Hivos, eine „von humanistischen Werten getragene internationale Entwicklungsorganisation“ mit Sitz in den Niederlanden, weist in einer Auseinandersetzung mit dem oben erwähnten Urteil darauf hin, dass dieses auf den örtlichen Zuständigkeitsbereich des Gerichts beschränkt sei und vom libanesischen Schura-Rat aufgehoben werden könne. Es mag Einfluss auf künftige liberale Auslegungen von Artikel 534 haben, doch es hindere Polizisten nicht, die Bestimmung für Menschenrechtsverletzungen zu verwenden. Der Artikel bleibe weiterhin in Kraft, und ein bedeutender Teil des Staatsapparats sei gewillt, ihn als Grundlage für homophobe Übergriffe zu verwenden:

„First the rulings mentioned above, however progressive, are still restricted to the jurisdiction of the judge’s court and can be overruled by Lebanon’s Shura Council. They may influence future liberal interpretations of article 534, but they do not deter policemen from using the article to commit human rights abuses against LGBTs. Nor are all judges willing to widen their interpretation of 534 or use its ambiguous language to dismiss cases against LGBTs. Not only does article 534 remain, but a significant portion of the state apparatus is willing to use it to commit homophobic offenses.” (Hivos, 12. Februar 2017)

Weitere Informationen zur Rechtslage und deren Anwendung finden Sie in folgenden Berichten:

·      UNHCR - UN High Commissioner for Refugees: Submission by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees; For the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights Compilation Report; Universal Periodic Review: 2nd Cycle, 23rd Session; Lebanon, 3. November 2015 (verfügbar auf ecoi.net)
http://www.ecoi.net/file_upload/1930_1447160151_5638627ad.pdf

·      Carroll, Aengus: State Sponsored Homophobia 2016: A world survey of sexual orientation laws: criminalisation, protection and recognition, Mai 2016 (veröffentlicht von ILGA, verfügbar auf ecoi.net)
http://www.ecoi.net/file_upload/90_1463724535_2016-05-ilga-state-sponsored-homophobia-2016-eng-web-150516.pdf

·      The Legal Agenda, Judging Identities: Beirut Criminal Court’s Phobia of Homosexuality and Right to Privacy, 25. Oktober 2016
http://legal-agenda.com/en/article.php?id=1738

·      Sexuality Policy Watch: Lebanon: How Public Health Can Affect LGBT Rights, 11. März 2016
http://sxpolitics.org/lebanon-how-public-health-can-affect-lgbt-rights/14388

Gesellschaftliche Einstellungen, Diskriminierung

In einer 2015 veröffentlichten umfassenden Studie der Arab Foundation for Freedoms and Equality zu Einstellungen zu Sexualität und Geschlechteridentität im Libanon schreiben die AutorInnen Nour Nasr und Tarek Zeidan:

„The authors of this report were interested in how Lebanese people thought society should behave towards homosexuals. Responses were fairly consistent across the survey with regards to whether homosexuals belong to society and how they should be treated. In fact, 64.6% felt that homosexuals should not be accepted into society and the majority (75.9%) disagreed that it would be beneficial for society to recognize homosexuality as normal with more than half, 51.5% feeling very strongly about their view. In addition, some 66.3% perceived homosexuals to be a threat to society and 72% were opposed to homosexuals having meeting places. A clear 82.2% majority viewed homosexuals as a threat to the traditional family, 85.1% saw homosexuality as endangering the institution of the family, and more than half of respondents felt strongly about both of those views.

In addition, homosexuality is frequently described and interpreted in the media as a form of sexual deviancy, which resulted in the survey asking respondents if they considered homosexuality to be related to issues such as rape and pedophilia. Responses were split halfway with around 46% of respondents in agreement that homosexuals were more likely to commit deviant acts (such as child molestation and rape), and 43.6% disagreeing with that statement. Comparable results were also found when respondents were specifically asked whether they thought homosexuals were pedophiles. Overall, the results indicated that, not only did most respondents not feel strongly about these views, but both questions indicated a higher number of individuals who were undecided (10.4% and 14.1% respectively).” (Nasr/Zeidan, 2015, S. 15)

Weitere Details finden sich auf den Seiten 15-21 der Studie von Nasr und Zeidan:

·      Nasr, Nour/Tarek Zeidan: “As long as they stay away” - Exploring Lebanese Attitudes Towards Sexualities and Gender Identities, Arab Foundation for Freedoms and Equality, 2015, S. 15-21
http://gsrc-mena.org/gsrc/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/Report-high-resolution1.pdf

Eine aus dem Jahr 2012 stammende Studie zu Einstellungen von 200 erwachsenen Personen im Alter von 18 bis 22 Jahren zu Homosexualität findet sich unter folgendem Link:

·      Assi, Ghenwa Nizar: Attitudes of Lebanese Adults age 18-22 towards Homosexuality. In: American Academic & Scholarly Research Journal Vol. 4, No.5, September 2012
http://naturalspublishing.com/files/published/gzukesj1228247.pdf

 

In einem Artikel der auf Berichterstattung zum Nahen Osten spezialisierten Medienplattform Al-Monitor vom Juni 2015 wird Sarah Wansa, eine Forscherin bei der NGO Legal Agenda mit der Aussage zitiert, es wäre eine Übertreibung, die libanesische Gesellschaft als homophob zu bezeichnen oder die Schuld für die Verfolgung von LGBT-Personen zum großen Teil engstirnigen BürgerInnen anzulasten. Die meisten Rechtsverletzungen von LGBT-Personen im Libanon würden vom Staat verübt. Der Artikel fährt fort, dass der Libanon zwar weit entfernt davon sei, eine LGBT-freundliche Gesellschaft zu sein, doch hätten AktivistInnen einige Erfolge verzeichnen können, wie zum Beispiel zwei Gerichtsentscheidungen in den Jahren 2009 und 2014 im Zusammenhang mit Artikel 534:

„But Sarah Wansa, a researcher with nongovernmental organization Legal Agenda, said it would be an overstatement to label Lebanese society ‘homophobic,’ or to place blame for the persecution of LGBT people largely on the shoulders of bigoted citizens. Legal Agenda monitors law and public policy in Lebanon, documents the mistreatment of marginalized communities by the criminal justice system and engages in legal activism aimed at securing the rights of vulnerable groups. Wansa told Al-Monitor that Legal Agenda has found most of the rights violations experienced by LGBT people in Lebanon to have been ‘carried out by the state,’ which, she claimed, has displayed a tendency toward ‘mistreating members of all marginalized communities, including the lower classes, migrant workers and refugees.’ [...]

While Lebanon remains far from an LGBT-friendly country, activists have been able to log a few wins. In particular, two landmark rulings in 2009 and 2014 set important legal precedents in the fight to abolish Article 534. The judges in both cases acquitted defendants charged under 534, arguing that conceptions of nature are socio-cultural constructs, making it impossible to designate any behavior categorically unnatural.” (Al-Monitor, 15. Juni 2015)

In einem 2014 veröffentlichten Artikel der libanesischen Online-Zeitung Al-Akhbar zum zehnjährigen Bestehen der LGBT-Organisation Helem im Libanon wird erwähnt, dass Kritiker der Organisation angemerkt hätten, dass der Zugang zu sicheren Orten für Homosexuelle im Land mit der Klassenzugehörigkeit in Verbindung stehe. Die vorhandene Freiheit sei jenen vorbehalten, die es sich leisten könnten. Auch gebe es Unterschiede zwischen Beirut und anderen Landesteilen:

„Critics of Helem have lambasted what they claim to be the organization’s focus on issues affecting middle-class gay men, often to the detriment of other members of the LGBT community. Some of the most prominent gay safe spaces in Lebanon, like Bardo, exhibit prohibitive prices for many in the country, de facto limiting access to a select few. Azzi agreed that the gains obtained by Lebanon’s LGBT community were at least partially contingent on class. ‘The freedom we have now is limited to the people who can afford it,’ he said. ‘not just financially, but those who have an understanding family that supports them.’ Another issue is how Helem, as well as other smaller LGBT and LGBT-friendly groups, has confined the vast majority of its efforts to Beirut, a fact seen by an anonymous former member as short-sighted and ignoring the needs of LGBT individuals living outside of Lebanon’s urban spaces. ‘Beirut may be the center, but it is not the source,’ said the source, who requested anonymity so as not to be excluded from future activist work. ‘The real struggle is happening in the rooms and schools and villages and those unmapped informal spaces that evade the Beirutis. This is where the shift is happening.’ [...]

‘At the last meeting I attended at the national AIDS program, the police representative said very clearly that there are two types that he is dealing with: there are the respectable gays who are from good families and go to respectable places, and the men who have sex with men, the rabble who don't go to such places and might have sex in the street and who are poor,’ he said. ‘Even the state has created this distinction through a lot of the involvement upper-class and middle-class gay men.’ Makarem said he believed Helem has contributed to this distinction between middle- and lower-class LGBT as a way to preserve certain gay hangouts at the expense of ‘cruising spots,’ low-key locations where gay individuals meet to look for sex partners.” (Al-Akhbar, 30. September 2014)

Haltung der Hisbollah

In den ACCORD zur Verfügung stehenden Quellen konnten keine aktuellen Informationen zur Einstellung der Hizbollah zu Homosexuellen gefunden werden.

 

In einer bereits aus dem Jahr 2004 stammenden Anfragebeantwortung der kanadischen Einwanderungsbehörde (Immigration and Refugee Board, IRB) wird eine Zeitung zitiert, die von der Festnahmen von Homosexuellen durch die Hizbollah im Jahr 2003 berichtet. Die Hizbollah habe die Personen der Polizei übergeben. Auch die LGBT-Organisation Helem wird zitiert, der zufolge damals fünf „als homosexuell verdächtigte Männer“ von der Hizbollah entführt und anschließend der Polizei übergeben worden seien:

„Sources indicated that in 2003 Hezbollah is known to have arrested young men for homosexual acts, and turned them in to the police (Courrier International 24 June 2004). Lebanese NGO HELEM maintains that Hezbollah kidnapped five ‘suspected gay men’ before turning them in to the police (n.d.b).” (IRB, 13. Oktober 2004)

In einem Artikel des Irish Independent vom Oktober 2007 wird erwähnt, dass die Hizbollah gegen Homosexuelle sei, die Organisation „sei beschuldigt worden, einige homosexuelle Männer im Libanon ermordet zu haben“:

„The satellite broadcaster Al-Manar is owned by the radical Islamic movement Hezbollah - an organisation that also advocates the killing of homosexuals. [...] Hezbollah, which is supported by the Iranian government, is also fiercely anti-homosexual and has been accused of murdering a number of gay men in Lebanon.” (Irish Independent, 7. Oktober 2007)

Als Reaktion auf diesen Artikel veröffentlichte der nordirische Politiker, Journalist und Aktivist Eamonn McCann einen Beitrag in der irischen Publikation Hotpress. Darin versucht er, diese Aussage zu überprüfen. Bei seinen Recherchen bei der LGBT-Organisation Helem in Beirut sei ihm erklärt worden, dass Helem während der israelischen Invasion im Vorjahr Kontakt zur Hizbollah gehabt habe, und dass deren Vertreter sie täglich besucht hätten, um sich um die Unterbringung von Vertriebenen zu kümmern. Einer der Gründer von Helem habe versichert, dass die Aussagen der Zeitung nicht wahr seien, McCann schließt aus seinen Recherchen, dass es der Irish Independent journalistische Standards nicht eingehalten habe:

The Helem Centre came back to mind when I read Jim Cusack in the Sunday Independent (October 7) describing Hezbollah as ‘an organisation that advocates the killing of homosexuals... and has been accused of murdering a number of gay men.’ How do you get on with Hezbollah, I’d cautiously asked the gay activists in Beirut?

The first time they’d had close contact was during the invasion last year, when the centre had opened its doors to refugees fleeing the besieged villages of the South. ‘Hezbollah people were in and out every day, checking how many more we could accommodate or whether they needed somewhere else, and so on.’ Did they realise this was a gay centre? ‘Of course. It’s obvious when you come in.’ The posters and bookshelves alone would have left no doubt. I phoned Beirut the day after the Indo piece. Just to be sure.

Ghassan, one of the founders of the Halem Centre: ‘I can say categorically there is no truth in those claims. Since the aggression of last year, we’ve been working with Hezbollah’s health committee on projects, including AIDS projects. What you’ve read out is completely false.’ I called Ibrahim, whose mobile number had been given to me by a Hezbollah official as a useful contact if we got ourselves into trouble in south Beirut. Which we did, slightly.

I wasn’t sure that he’d remembered me. But I asked him, anyway: what did he think of homosexuals? There was a long pause. I asked again. ‘It depends,’ he said slowly, ‘on whether they support Zionist aggression.’ All of the gay activists we’d met in the Helem Centre were clear that they fully supported Hezbollah against the Israelis.

So, what are we to make of the claim that Hezbollah ‘advocates the killing of homosexuals... has been accused of murdering gay men?’ I don’t believe Jim Cusack wrote this knowing it to be untrue. I suspect he believed that it might be true, and understood that, even if it wasn’t, it would be an OK thing to write because, well, it’s what the Sunday Indo wants said about Muslim organisations that stand up to Israel and the US. In other words, it wasn’t reportage, but propaganda; journalistic standards didn’t apply.” (McCann, 30. Oktober 2007)

 

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Quellen: (Zugriff auf alle Quellen am 23. Februar 2017)

·      Albawaba: Okay to be gay in Lebanon: New ruling turns the tides on illegal homosexuality, 1. Februar 2017
http://www.albawaba.com/loop/okay-be-gay-lebanon-new-ruling-turns-tides-illegal-homosexuality-932282

·      Al-Akhbar: Lebanese gay rights organization Helem marks 10 years with a mixed legacy, 30. September 2014
http://english.al-akhbar.com/node/21786

·      Al-Monitor: The fight goes on for Lebanon's LGBT community (Autorin: Sophie Chamas), 15. Juni 2015
http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2015/06/lebanon-lgbt-gay-rights-article-534-helem-legal-agenda.html

·      Assi, Ghenwa Nizar: Attitudes of Lebanese Adults age 18-22 towards Homosexuality. In: American Academic & Scholarly Research Journal Vol. 4, No.5, September 2012
http://naturalspublishing.com/files/published/gzukesj1228247.pdf

·      Bertelsmann Stiftung: BTI 2016; Lebanon Country Report, 2016
http://www.bti-project.org/fileadmin/files/BTI/Downloads/Reports/2016/pdf/BTI_2016_Lebanon.pdf

·      Carroll, Aengus: State Sponsored Homophobia 2016: A world survey of sexual orientation laws: criminalisation, protection and recognition, Mai 2016 (veröffentlicht von ILGA, verfügbar auf ecoi.net)
http://www.ecoi.net/file_upload/90_1463724535_2016-05-ilga-state-sponsored-homophobia-2016-eng-web-150516.pdf

·      Hivos: Legal victory for LGBT activists in Lebanon gives hope despite small step, 12. Februar 2017
https://hivos.org/blog/legal-victory-lgbt-activists-lebanon-gives-hope-despite-small-step

·      HRW - Human Rights Watch: Dignity Debased: Forced Anal Examinations in Homosexuality Prosecutions, Juli 2016
http://www.ecoi.net/file_upload/1002_1468686184_globallgbtanalexams0716web.pdf

·      HRW - Human Rights Watch: World Report 2017 - Lebanon, 12. Jänner 2017 (verfügbar auf ecoi.net)
http://www.ecoi.net/local_link/334707/476540_de.html

·      HRW - Human Rights Watch: Lebanon Edges Closer to Decriminalizing Same-sex Conduct - Another Judge Questions Legal Basis of Prosecuting Homosexuality Under Lebanese Law , 2. Februar 2017 (verfügbar auf ecoi.net)
http://www.ecoi.net/local_link/335659/478192_de.html

·      IRB - Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada: Update to LBN38524.E of 1 March 2002 on the treatment of homosexuals by the authorities and the population; legal status of homosexuals [LBN43030.E], 13. Oktober 2004 (verfügbar auf ecoi.net)
http://www.ecoi.net/local_link/87699/185374_de.html

·      Irish Independent: War of words over Islamist's Irish visit, 7. Oktober 2007
http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/war-of-words-over-islamists-irish-visit-26323275.html

·      McCann, Eamonn: Hezbollah and homophobia: the truth, 30. Oktober 2007 (veröffentlicht auf Hotpress)
http://www.hotpress.com/politics/Hezbollah-and-homophobia-the-truth/4203352.html

·      Nasr, Nour/Tarek Zeidan: “As long as they stay away” - Exploring Lebanese Attitudes Towards Sexualities and Gender Identities, Arab Foundation for Freedoms and Equality, 2015, S. 15-21
http://gsrc-mena.org/gsrc/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/Report-high-resolution1.pdf

·      Sexuality Policy Watch: Lebanon: How Public Health Can Affect LGBT Rights, 11. März 2016
http://sxpolitics.org/lebanon-how-public-health-can-affect-lgbt-rights/14388

·      The Legal Agenda, Judging Identities: Beirut Criminal Court’s Phobia of Homosexuality and Right to Privacy, 25. Oktober 2016
http://legal-agenda.com/en/article.php?id=1738

·      UN Human Rights Committee: Report of the Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review; Lebanon [A/HRC/31/5], 22. Dezember 2015 (verfügbar auf ecoi.net)
http://www.ecoi.net/file_upload/1930_1457447004_g1528955.pdf

·      UNHCR - UN High Commissioner for Refugees: Submission by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees; For the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights Compilation Report; Universal Periodic Review: 2nd Cycle, 23rd Session; Lebanon, 3. November 2015 (verfügbar auf ecoi.net)
http://www.ecoi.net/file_upload/1930_1447160151_5638627ad.pdf

·      USDOS - US Department of State: Country Report on Human Rights Practices 2015 - Lebanon, 13. April 2016 (verfügbar auf ecoi.net)
http://www.ecoi.net/local_link/322488/461965_de.html