"The Worst, Most Severe Way"

Democracy on the march in Iraq!

Human rights groups have condemned the “barbaric” murder of a 14-year-old boy, who, according to witnesses, was shot on his doorstep by Iraqi police for the apparent crime of being gay.

Ahmed Khalil was shot at point-blank range after being accosted by men in police uniforms, according to his neighbours in the al-Dura area of Baghdad.

Campaign groups have warned of a surge in homophobic killings by state security services and religious militias following an anti-gay and anti-lesbian fatwa issued by Iraq’s most prominent Shia leader, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani.

Time for another Pajamas Media open challenge to human rights activists! Or perhaps another “link-rich refutation” of the idea that human rights was not the overriding reason fro the Iraq War! But, in fairness, who would have thought that installing an Islamic theocracy could have such results?

And, of course, as Tim points out, gay rights is one issue on which the Bush administration is willing to engage in some diplomacy with Iran:

Human rights organizations and the co-chairman of the Congressional Human Rights Caucus protested on Thursday a decision by the Bush administration to back a measure introduced by Iran denying two gay rights groups a voice at the United Nations.

In a vote Monday, the United States supported Iran’s recommendation to deny consultative status at the United Nations’ Economic and Social Council to the Danish National Association for Gays and Lesbians and the International Lesbian and Gay Association, based in Belgium.

But if you squint really hard, you’ll see that the war was really fought to help liberal hawks spread liberal democracy and freedom! Really, I can’t imagine why anyone may not have believed that this was Bush’s overriding priority…