N.Z. ‘deplores’ death threat

Press, 28 May 1979, Page 1

N.Z. ‘deplores’ death threat

NZPA-Reuter Teheran The New Zealand Ambassador to Iran (Mr C. Beeby) said yesterday that his Government regretted a reported death threat against the Iranian Minister of Justice (Mr Assadollah Mobasheri) by a group of New Zealand homosexuals. Mr Beeby told Mr Mobasheri at a meeting yesterday that his Government deplored the incident, which is being investigated by the New Zealand authorities. Mr Mobasheri recently said in a newspaper interview that he had received a letter from a New Zealand homosexual group condemning him to death in retaliation for the execution for sodomy of several persons immediately after last February’s revolution. In Wellington yesterday, the co-ordinator of the National Gay Rights Coalition (Mr R. Duff) said that an executive meeting had condemned the New Zea-

land Government’s failure to defend its citizens against malicious Iranian Government accusations of "death threats" against the Iranian Minister of Justice. It has asked the International Gay Association to refute the allegation that New Zealand homosexuals had threatened the Minister’s life. “We cannot let such malicious lies go unchallenged,’’ Mr Duff said. The association had been asked to protest against the New Zealand Government’s failure to take a stand against the executions of homosexuals in Iran and failure to use official channels to refute the false “death threat” report. Mr Duff said it seemed that the New Zealand Government was more interested in its material imports and exports than in helping prevent gross violations of human rights.