Iran sentences 2 women to death for ‘human trafficking’

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran says it has sentenced two women to death on charges of human trafficking, a penalty that sparked widespread condemnation online. Authorities accused the women, identified as Zahra Sedighi and Elham Chobdar, of “corruption on earth,” a term often used to describe attempts to undermine the Iranian government, saying they exploited young women. However, foreign-based rights groups described the two women as local gay rights activists. The country’s state-run IRNA news agency made no reference to the women’s activism. Homosexuality is illegal in Iran, considered one of the most repressive places in the world for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.