March 16: The International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC) and Amnesty International issued a press release calling for an end to a targeted campaign of violence against young people not conforming to traditional standards in dress and behaviour.  Emos, heavy metal fans and young people not conforming to gender conventions have been targeted in attacks that media reports vary in estimating deaths to number between a dozen and two hundred.

The Iraqi Interior Ministry has issued statements describing  emo culture as Satanic, whilst describing the reports of violence as ‘fabricated’ and condemning activists who they say seek  ‘to highlight this issue and build it out of proportion’.

According to IGLHRC, ‘People perceived to be gay, lesbian, transgender or effeminate are particularly vulnerable’, with the International LGBTI Association (IGLA) reporting that sources within Iraq have confirmed the torture and murder of at least 40 as a result of anti-gay violence.