by Chris Bodenner
Highlighting a horrifying account of anti-gay brutality, this report paints a bleak picture for homosexuals in Iraq:
Coming out as gay is not easy in any country, but to do so in Iraq could mean a death sentence or torture. ... Since the fall of Saddam Hussein in 2003, the situation for gays and lesbians in Iraq has deteriorated. Ridiculed under Hussein, many now find themselves the targets of violence, according to humanitarian officials. ... When CNN asked Iraqis in Baghdad how they felt about homosexuals, we found intolerance to be widespread. One man said he considers gays no different from "criminals and terrorists." Another claimed that homosexuality was "illegal under Islamic law, and [gays] should be punished by law like criminals."