Resource
Timelines of Publicized Executions for Alleged Sodomy by the Islamic State Militias
Region(s)
Author(s)
Publish Date
June 23, 2016
The Islamic State militia has regularly reported its executions of persons accused of indecent behavior, sodomy, adultery, and other so-called morality-based crimes. Since 2014, the Islamic State militia has published photo reports purporting to show the execution of persons accused of “sodomy.” Reports have also surfaced through regional news media, NGOs and others. There have also been reports alleging the stoning of women accused and convicted of adultery while other accounts reveal how the Islamic State executed persons for their religious affiliations.
Outright International cannot verify the credibility of the executions depicted in this timeline. The Islamic State militia in Iraq and Syria compiled and published execution images corroborated by several independent sources. While Outright has made every effort to document sodomy-related killings that the Islamic State militia claims to have carried out during this timeframe, this timeline should not be considered comprehensive.
There are media accounts of other killings alleged to have taken place throughout the time period examined. Some of the extra accounts contain graphic footage, images and other related content. This timeline only includes executions the Islamic State militia has publicly taken responsibility for, or that have been corroborated by two or more independent sources. The killings reflected in this timeline, therefore amount to the minimum number of killings the Islamic State militia carried out as punishment for “sodomy” over this time period. This information will be updated to the extent possible as information becomes available.
In this timeline, Outright uses the terminology “sodomy” or “morality-related crimes” as shorthand for what members of the Islamic State militia generally usually refer to as the “acts of the people of Prophet Lot.” According to the Quran, Lot is a prophet whose people were destroyed for transgressing moral norms. Today, same-sex relations among men are often associated with the people of Prophet Lot. The word “Luti” is in Arabic and some other languages synonymous with “sodomite.” The term “lewat” (Arabic for sodomy”) is related to the story of the Prophet Lot in the Quran.
In this timeline, Outright also uses Islamic State terminology for the quasi-judicial structures and processes that lead to the executions (i.e. “court,” “ruling,” “charge,” “conviction”). This is for accuracy in reporting and does not reflect Outright’s endorsement of these structures. There is no indication that the Islamic State’s so-called courts seek evidence or otherwise follow due process procedures before alleging “crimes” and passing “convictions.” As such, allegations of “sodomy” have no relation to the actual sexual activity of the victims and they don’t necessarily reflect their sexual orientation. Likewise, the detailed descriptions of photos and video content are for the purpose of maintaining a historical record of Islamic State crimes and atrocities.
- June 12, 2016
- May 7, 2016
- April 19, 2016
- January 17, 2016
- November 23, 2015
- October 23, 2015
- October 6, 2015
- October 3, 2015
- September 17, 2015
- August 22, 2015
- August 3, 2015
- August 2, 2015
- July 26, 2015
- July 23, 2015
- July 1, 2015
- June 22, 2015
- June 2, 2015
- May 1, 2015
- April 23, 2015
- April 8, 2015
- March 10, 2015
- March 3, 2015
- February 27, 2015
- February 14, 2015
- February 9, 2015
- February 1, 2015
- January 17, 2015
- December 9, 2014
On June 12, 2016, the Islamic State Official Radio station, Radio Bayan (also Al-Bayan), claimed responsibility for the June 12 deadly shooting at the Pulse Club in Orlando, Florida. During their daily news broadcast, the newscaster stated, “We start with America, where the Almighty God had made it possible for brother Omar Mateen, one of the soldiers of the Islamic Caliphate in the US, to launch a security attack in which he managed to enter a gathering of the crusaders held in a nightclub for the followers of the [Prophet] Lot in the city of Orlando in the State of Florida… [H]e managed to kill and injure more than 100 of them.” (The audio file of the Arabic broadcast is available online at this address.) Earlier, Amaq News Agency, which is known to serve as the unofficial media outlet for the Islamic state, issued the following statement in Arabic and English: “Sources to Amaq Agency: The attack that targeted a nightclub for homosexuals in Orlando, Florida and that left more than 100 dead and wounded, was carried out by an Islamic State fighter.” Outright independently verified these events and can confirm that 49 people were killed in the attack by Omar Mateen and at least 53 people wounded.
On May 7, 2016, the Islamic State’s Information Office in the Aleppo Province (Syria), issued a photo report about “the imposition of Sharia punishment on a person who committed the acts of the people of [Prophet] Lot in the city of Manbij.” Their report (https://justpaste.it/u21p) contained seven photos:
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The first three pictures show a group of boys and men, including several children who seem to be below the age of ten, gathered in an open area in the city, below what it seems to be a four-story-building still under construction. The caption of these photos read, “Muslims gathered to witness the imposition of the sentence.”
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The fourth photo shows a blindfolded young boy, accompanied by several armed militias, on the edge of the top floor of the building, ready to be thrown off by Islamic State militia members. The caption reads, “the imposition of Sharia punishment on a person who committed the acts of the people of [Prophet] Lot”.
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The fifth photo shows the free-fall of the young victim, both blindfolded and handcuffed, from the top of the building. This photo, too, has a similar caption to the previous shot.
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The last two shots of this report show the body of the victim on the ground, with a bleeding head, rocks and stones surrounding the remains and people forming a circle around him. The two photos show several people in the crowd, all dressed in long dark robes and wearing long beards, and some carrying machine guns, throwing stones at the body of the victim. The caption of the two photos reads, “The imposition of Sharia punishment on a person who committed the acts of the people of [Prophet] Lot.”
On April 19, 2016, the Islamic State’s Information Office in Aljazirah Province (an administrative division of the area controlled by the Islamic State), in the city of Tel-Afar (in Iraq), issued a photo report about “the imposition of Sharia punishment on a person who committed the acts of the people of [Prophet] Lot in the city of Tel-Afar.” Their report contained four photos:
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The first photo shows a man with a long black beard wearing a black cloak and a black turban holding a microphone in his hand. The caption of the photo reads, “Explaining the Sharia punishment”.
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The second photo, taken from the street, shows the victim blindfolded, standing on the edge of the roof of a several-story-tall building, while two guards wearing ski masks are holding the victim. The caption of the photo reads, “The imposition of Sharia punishment on a person who committed the acts of the people of [Prophet] Lot in the city of Tel-Afar.”
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The third photo is a close-up view that shows dozens of people, including children, gathering and waiting for the punishment to be carried out. The caption of the photo reads: “Muslims gathered to witness the imposition of the sentence.”
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The last photo shows the victim free falling while six militants stand on the edge of the roof watching the imposition of the punishment. The caption of the last photo reads “The imposition of Sharia punishment on a person who committed the acts of the people of [Prophet] Lot in the city of Tel-Afar."
On January 17, 2016, the Islamic State’s Information Office in Fourat Province (an administrative division of the area controlled by the Islamic State), in the city of Rawa (in Iraq), issued a photo report about "the imposition of Sharia punishment on a person who committed the acts of the people of [Prophet] Lot." Their statement had eight photos:
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The first photo shows a man taken up the stairs by two other men.
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The second and the third photos show the victim blindfolded and hands tied from behind while standing on the edge of the roof while at least two guards whose faces are covered, observing the scene. The view from the roof shows an urban setting of a small town with wide streets and small buildings.
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The caption of the first three photos reads, "Summoning the person who committed the act to the execution place."
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The fourth photo, taken from the top of the building, shows dozens of people gathering and waiting for the punishment to be carried out. The caption of the photo reads, "Muslims gathered to witness the imposition of the sentence."
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The next photo shows a man pushing the victim off the rooftop while two subsequent photos show the victim free falling. The last photo is a close-up of the dead body of the victim, blindfolded and handcuffed, with his head covered in blood.
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The last four photos’ captions read: "The imposition of Sharia punishment on a person who committed the acts of the people of [Prophet] Lot in the city of Rawa."
On November 23, 2015, the Islamic State’s Information Office in Fallujah Province (Iraq) issued a photo report about the killing of two men for “committing the acts of the people of [the Prophet] Lot.” Their statement contained eight photos:
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The first photo shows two blindfolded and hand-cuffed men; one is dressed casually and looks younger, while the other, wearing a jogging suit, looks older and has a heavy black beard. They are being led by two masked men, on what appears to be a rooftop. The caption reads, "The imposition of Sharia punishment on a person who committed the acts of the people of [Prophet] Lot."
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The second photo is an aerial view showing people gathered on the street, listening to a masked man standing between two armed militants reading from a piece of paper. The caption reads, “The announcement of the Islamic punishment (known as hadd) for those Muslims who attended the event.”
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The next two photos show the two victims being pushed off the edge of a rooftop by two armed militia, one at a time. The fifth photo is an aerial shot, showing two lifeless bodies laying on the street.
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The next photo shows masked militants and three men carrying a body covered in a brown blanket to an ambulance. The caption of these four photos reads, "The imposition of Sharia punishment on a person who committed the acts of the people of [Prophet] Lot."
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The last two photos show a group of men burying dead bodies covered in white sheets in two graves next to each other. The caption reads, “The burial of the two [men] after fulfilling the Islamic shrouding and prayers.”
On October 23, 2015, the Islamic State’s Information Office in Aleppo Province (Syria) issued a photo report about “God’s ruling regarding those who commit the acts of the people of [Prophet] Lot.” Their statement had eight photos that show the alleged execution of two men:
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The report starts with a short religious text, praising God and reminding the audience of the Islamic punishment about “sodomy.”
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The first two photos show a large group of people including men and children gathered in an open space in a residential area, with at least six armed men (some in military uniforms and some covering their faces with ski masks) directing the people to stay away from the scene of the imminent alleged execution.
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The two photos read: “Muslims gathered to witness the imposition of God’s ruling.”
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The third and fourth photos show two victims blindfolded and handcuffed, sitting in a van. The victim’s faces are digitally blurred, though one can guess their age to be in their late teens or early twenties. One of them is wearing a red and black jogging suit while the other wears a blue checked shirt and jeans. The two photos read: “God’s ruling on a person who committed the acts of the people of [Prophet] Lot.”
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The fifth photo shows a few armed men and at least one civilian helping themselves to a stack of medium-sized rocks piled on the street. The photo reads: “Preparing the rocks to stone the two individuals who committed [the act] of the people of [Prophet] Lot.”
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The last three photos show the two victims laying on a large white plastic sheet on the ground. Their hands are tied up behind their backs and their bodies are surrounded by rocks that were presumably thrown at them. Their bloodied faces are digitally blurred. The caption of the three photos reads, "Stoning of the two persons who committed the act of the people of [Prophet] Lot.”
On October 6, 2015, the Islamic State’s Information Office in Aljazira Province (Iraq) issued a photo report, entitled, “The imposition of Sharia punishment on a person who committed the act of the people of Lot in Tal Afar.” The report contains three photos in which the captions read: "The imposition of Sharia punishment on a person who committed the acts of the people of [Prophet] Lot."
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The first photo shows three armed militants, wearing military uniforms and black ski masks covering their faces. Sitting in front of them is the victim, whose face is digitally blurred and blindfolded . The photo seems to be taken on a street, with buildings and trees in the background.
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The second photo shows one of the armed men behind the victim aiming a black pistol at the victim’s head from close range, execution style. More than a dozen men in the background can be seen watching the execution, though the bystanders’ faces are out of focus.
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The third image shows the lifeless body of the victim on the ground, with blood from his head covering the curb and the pavement. The report ends with the request by the Islamic State, “… and do not forget to include us in your prayers.”
On October 3, 2015, the Islamic State’s Information Office in Neinava Province (Iraq) issued a photo report about “the imposition of Sharia punishment on two persons who committed the acts of the people of [Prophet] Lot.” Their statement contains seven photos:
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The first two photos are captioned, “Muslims gathering to witness the imposition of the religious ruling.” The first photo shows a black van marked "Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice [Religious Police] Islamic State - Division 4" parked beside a group of mostly children and men who are gathered in what appears to be a construction area (the ground is covered with sand and gravel).
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The second photo shows a man wearing a brown vest marked as "Islamic State-Neinava Province-Religious Police [Hesba]," looking at the crowd.
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The third photo shows a black-bearded man standing next to two other bearded men wearing what appears to be the same brown vest. Behind them an armed man is seen with a microphone, reading from a piece of paper. The caption of the photo reads, “Reading the religious ruling issued by the Sharia Court against the two men who committed the act of the people of Lot.”
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The fourth photo shows three masked men with two of them wearing the same brown vest marked as "Islamic State-Neinava Province-Religious Police [Hesba]." They hold by his ankles a blindfolded and hand-cuffed young man dressed in black, then are shown throwing him off the roof of a building. The photo is captioned with "The implementation of the religious ruling against the person who committed the act of the people of Lot." The photo also shows the surrounding area of the alleged execution site, with people, motorcycles, and cars on the street of what seems to be an urban area.
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The next two photos have the same caption, with the first showing the young man upside down at the moment he is being thrown off the building by the three Islamic State militias, and the second shot showing the victim free falling.
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The last photo shows a body of a young man wearing a red t-shirt and black pants, which appears to be the second victim, laying on the ground with blood covering his head. The photo also shows a man wearing the brown vest marked as "Islamic State-Neinava Province-Religious Police [Hesba]," overlooking the victim's body.
On September 17, 2015, the Islamic State’s branch in an area it refers to as Fourat Province along the Syrian-Iraq border, posted a series of images announcing the execution of a man accused of “sodomy.” The photo report contains four images with the headline, “The imposition of God’s order on a person who has committed the act of the people of Lot.”
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The first image, taken from the top of a building, shows a group of people gathered on the street, with a group of armed men guarding them.
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A second group of photos supposedly shows the moment the victim is thrown from the top of a building. Four people, barely visible, are shown on the top of the building. One holds what appears to be a camera.
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A third photo shows the victim in midair, handcuffed and blindfolded. This image is taken from the top of the building. A crowd can be seen watching the victim fall. In front of the building where the alleged execution occurred, there is a sign for a dental office. The last photo shows the body of the victim on the street, with onlookers at a distance.
On August 22, 2015, the Islamic State’s Information Office in Neinava Province (in Iraq) issued a photo report about “the imposition of Sharia punishment on a person who committed the acts of the people of [Prophet] Lot.” Their statement (http://justpaste.it/snt9) had only two photos:
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One with a large group of people and cars in the middle of a busy city center. The photo is taken from the top of the building and reads: “Muslims gathered to witness the imposition of Sharia punishment on a person who has committed the acts of the people of [Prophet] Lot.”
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The second photo shows the body of a man, whose face is digitally blurred, on the street. It seems that he was thrown off the building. The caption reads, "The imposition of Sharia punishment on a person who committed the acts of the people of [Prophet] Lot."
On August 3, 2015, the Islamic State’s Information Office in what it terms the Aljazira Province (Iraq) issued a photo report captioned, “The imposition of Sharia ruling against a person who committed the act of the people of Lot.” The report contains 10 photos and ends with the request that the reader pray for the Islamic State militia and wish them well.
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The first two photos are captioned, “Muslims gathering to witness the imposition of the religious ruling.” This photo shows a large crowd of men, gathered in what appears to be an urban setting, while armed militias wearing ski masks or with their faces covered, are standing guard. An aerial view of the scene shows the heavy presence of gunmen on the ground and on the rooftop of the nearby buildings.
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The next photo shows a young bearded man, speaking through a microphone, with the caption noting that he is, “explaining the religious ruling before implementing the Sharia punishment.”
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Other photos in the series show four armed persons and the victim on the top of a tall industrial building. The victim is dressed in a long white robe and his head is covered in a black bag. Four photos show the progression of the victim being thrown off the building until his body is on the ground.
On August 2, 2015, the Islamic State’s Information Office in Hama Province (Syria) issued a video and photo report about the execution of three men on “sodomy” accusations and for spreading homosexuality.
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In the nearly 4-minute video (http://justpaste.it/mqjg), the Islamic State claims it is carrying out “the imposition of religious punishment against those who spread corruption on earth,” specifically in this case “promoting the acts of the people of Lot amongst Muslims,” thereby trying to change the “innate character of the Muslims.”
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The video shows the execution by shooting of three young men, interspersed with religious readings. It starts with a shot of the three victims, kneeling on the ground, all blindfolded , and one of them handcuffed. It then shows a man wearing a ski mask reading from a piece of paper to a group of people. The punishment is said to be for sodomy and for “promoting this act among Muslims.”
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The video ends with a direct shot of the execution (several gunshots to the head of each man), and a shot of the bodies of the three victims on the ground.
On July 26, 2015, the Islamic State’s Information Office in Neinava Province (Iraq) issued a photo report, entitled, “The imposition of Sharia punishment on a person who committed the act of the people of Lot.” The report contains 6 pictures.
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The first photo shows a large crowd gathered in a city center with cars behind them. The caption reads, “Muslims gathered to witness the imposition of the Sharia ruling.”
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The second and third photos are captioned, “The reading of the religious ruling of the Sharia court,” and feature a man wearing a ski mask with a microphone, with five men behind him, apparently militia members, all dressed in similar white outfits.
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The next photo shows a blindfolded man kneeling in front of another hooded man who is speaking into the microphone. The following photo shows a view of the people on the street from the top of the building.
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The last photo shows the body of the victim, lying on the surface of a street. The photo is taken from the rooftop of the building and reads, “The imposition of the religious ruling against the person who committed the act of the people of the Lot.”
On July 23, 2015, the Islamic State’s Information Office in the Homs Province (Syria) issued a photo report entitled “The imposition of Sharia ruling against two people who committed the act of the people of Lot” in the city of Palmyra (Tadmur in Arabic). The photo report contains seven photos.
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It starts with a photo labeled, “a group of Muslims gathered to witness the imposition of the Sharia punishment.”
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The next photo shows a man, wearing a ski mask, reading from a document, with the caption saying, “A speech before the imposition of the punishment to explain the religious ruling against the two guilty individuals.”
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The next photos are labeled, “one of those found guilty being taken to a tall building for his punishment to be implemented.” The victim appears to be a young man, and he is blindfolded and led by an armed person to a multi-story building.
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The fourth photograph shows another victim, also a blindfolded young man, being led by another armed man to the building.
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The fifth photo shows two men pushing one of the victims off the rooftop.
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The last two photos are a close-up of the dead bodies of the two young men, blindfolded and handcuffed , with their heads covered in blood. The pile of stones next to the dead bodies implies the victims were stoned after being thrown off the building.
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On August 13, a pro-Islamic State website posted video footage of the same executions with detailed footage of what appears to be the “ruling” and of the execution in front of a crowd (including children). The video also depicts the stoning of the victims and the funeral preparation and burial of the victims.
On July 1, 2015, the Islamic State’s Information Office in Fallujah Province (Iraq) issued a photo report about the killing of four men for “committing the acts of the people of [the Prophet] Lot.” The seven photos show two men throwing four blindfolded victims from the top of a four-story building.
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The faces of the victims are all digitally blurred. Each photo carries the same caption: “The imposition of religious punishment (known as hadd) on those who commit the acts of the People of [the Prophet] Lot.”
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The first two photos show two of the accused men being led to the edge of the roof of the building.
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In the third photo, one of the men is shown being held over the edge by his legs.
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The fourth, fifth, and sixth photos show three different men in the air after they have been thrown from the building. Unlike similar killings by the Islamic State that Outright has been able to document, there does not appear to be a crowd around the building where the men were killed.
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The final photo shows the four victims, apparently dead, on the sidewalk and street in front of the building from which they were thrown. The photo report concludes with the statement: “Please keep us in your prayers.”
On June 22, 2015, The Islamic State’s Information Office in Al-Kheir Province (Syria) issued a photo report entitled “The imposition of Sharia ruling against a person who committed the act of the people of Lot.” The report starts with the Islamic State’s tagline, “The Islamic State, a Caliphate Based on the Prophet's Style [of Governance].”
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The first four photos of the report show a black Hyundai van, marked as “Islamic Police” blocking a street. Several militia members, wearing ski masks or scarves covering their faces, are escorting a blindfolded and hand-cuffed gray-haired man.
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The next two photos show a small crowd, all men, gathered under a several-story building with smashed windows.
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The last two photos show an armed man pushing the victim off the rooftop and the dead body of the victim (the face digitally blurred) onto the street, with bystanders and armed men congregating around his body.
On June 2, 2015, the Islamic State’s Information Office in Neinava Province (Iraq) issued a photo report about the killing of three men for “committing the acts of the people of [Prophet] Lot.” The eight photos in “Photo Report Number 9” show:
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A large crowd of people gathered outside a brownish multistory building in an unidentified city center, while dozens of cars, including taxis, wait as onlookers block the street. Dozens of men carrying machine guns, dressed either in military fatigues or black uniforms with ski masks, prevent the crowd from entering the area. A person who appears to be an Islamic State representative has his face covered and appears to be delivering a speech.
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Several photos taken outside a building with signs reading, “Ministry of Finance, The Pension Fund Office of the Neinava Province” are captioned, “The Muslims are gathered to watch the imposition of Hadd punishment.”
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One image with the caption, “The imposition of the Sharia punishment,” shows a man holding a victim upside-down by his legs, presumably before dropping him off the building’s rooftop.
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Subsequent photos show the same person before he hits the pavement. The body of another man is already laying on the pavement, with what appears to be blood covering the ground near his head. The last photo shows a blindfolded and apparently handcuffed man as he falls from the top of the building. The caption of the photo also reads, “The imposition of the Sharia punishment.”
On May 1, 2015, the Islamic State’s Information Office in in what it terms the Aljazeera Province (Iraq) issued six photos regarding “the imposition of religious punishment (known as hadd) on a man who committed the acts of the people of [Prophet] Lot, in the city of Al-Ba’aj [in Iraq’s Neinava Province].” Posted on social media, the report ends with the request, “Please do not forget to include us in your prayers.”
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In the photos, a group of men and children gather in a dusty area while militia members armed with machine guns watch from the rooftops of nearby buildings.
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Another photo shows a large group of armed militia members -- some dressed in black, some in military uniforms -- looking up. The caption describes the crowd as, “Muslims gathered to witness the imposition of Sharia punishment.”
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The following image shows a blindfolded man, dressed in black, on top of a building. He is surrounded by at least ten armed men, some waving the Islamic State flag.
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The next photo shows the victim falling from a two-story brick building. The caption reads, “The imposition of the hadd punishment on the person who committed the acts of the people of [Prophet] Lot.”
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The last photo shows the handcuffed body of the victim on the ground surrounded by armed militia members.
On April 23, 2015, the Islamic State's Information Office in Homs Province (Syria) published a photo report on social media about the stoning of two men, allegedly for “committing the acts of the people of [Prophet] Lot.”
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The photos show a blindfolded young man herded by several armed men. The caption cited a religious quote that the Islamic State interprets as requiring the death penalty for sodomy.
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The next photo showed armed men hugging two blindfolded men, with the caption, "May God forgive them and have mercy on them."
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The fourth shot shows a black van marked as the Islamic State’s “police” car, with a masked man standing next to it talking through a microphone to a gathered group. The caption said "The announcement of the ruling about the religious punishment in front of a group of Muslims."
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The last photo shows the two blinded-folded individuals on the ground, with stones around them, while a few gun-carrying men are throwing stones at them. The caption reads, "The moment of the enforcement of the punishment."
On April 8, 2015, the Islamic State’s Information Office in Homs Province (Syria) issued a photo report detailing the public execution of two men.
The first half of the series shows what appears to be the Islamic State militia executing a man, with no reference to the supposed crime.
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The second part shows the execution of a man. The photo caption reads, “committing the acts of the People of Lot and bestiality.”
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This second part is a series of six photos that begins with a photo of a crowd, appearing to be several dozen men, some possibly adolescents, gathered “in the place of the imposition of religious punishment (hadd).”
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The remaining five photos are all captioned with “the religious punishment (hadd) of stoning is imposed on a man who committed the acts of the People of Lot and bestiality.”
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The second photo shows the victim blindfolded and being led by a man appearing to be a militia member in front of the gathered crowd.
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The third photo shows the accused facing away from a crowd, standing in front of a shallow pit, as members of the crowd throw stones at him.
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The next two photos are of the man, now lying on the ground, as members of the crowd throw large stones at him from close proximity.
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The final photo shows a close-up of the man, who appears either dead or unconscious as a large stone lands squarely on his head.
On March 10, 2015, the Islamic State issued a photo report on the death of three men in Neinava Province in Iraq. According to the report, two of the men were alleged to be involved in sodomy and the last one was accused of blasphemy. All three men were beheaded in front of a big crowd.
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The first photo is an image of the Islamic State’s “Sharia Court” orders, one for the man accused of blasphemy, and another for the two men accused of sodomy. The names of the two men charged with sodomy have been digitally blurred.
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The second photo shows a group of people, gathered in a square, with several armed men in military fatigues and masks, holding them back.
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The third photo shows a man with a long white beard, dressed in black and carrying a machine gun, holding two microphones in his hand while reading from a paper. The caption of the photo reads, “The announcement of the religious ruling issued by the Islamic Court.”
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The next three photos show images of the three victims, all blind-folded and kneeling on the ground, while a man dressed in black and wearing a mask, holds a sword over their necks. The caption of the last two photos read, “The implementation of the court ruling for the person who committed the act of the people of Lot.”
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This photo essay is the only one so far that Outright has been able to document, with a photo of what appears to be the text of the Islamic State’s court orders about the executions. For this reason, we have included a translation in full of the document related to the executions for alleged sodomy.
The Islamic State
Neinava Province
Islamic Court
Serial number: 1111
Date: 17-5-1436
3-8
Praised be the Lord of the Universe and prayers and peace be upon our Mater Mohammad and upon all his household and his disciples.
And now:
The Almighty God has sent prophets and messengers and sent down books and legislated punishment to protect the five fundamental necessities which included religion, lives, belongings, honor, and wisdom. One of these five necessities is an honor. The Almighty God, in order to protect honor, has imposed punishments for adultery and the acts committed by Prophet Lot. [The Prophet peace and prayers be upon him] had said “if you find a person who has committed the act of the people of Lot, you should kill him, whether they are the top or the bottom.”
In front of the Islamic court of the Neinava province, it was proved that:
1- [name blurred]
And
2- [name blurred]
Have repeatedly committed the act of the people of Lot, based on their own confessions. Therefore the Islamic Court will carry out God’s punishment on them, to punish them for their deeds and to teach a lesson to those who witness it. God is able of managing his affairs but most people are unaware.
The seal of the Islamic State, department of justice and judgment.
March 8
On March 3, 2015, the Islamic State's Information Office in Raqqa Province (Syria) issued a photo report on "the punishment of a man who had committed the acts of the people of Lot."
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The report first shows a busy street where people are gathered and a few cars appear to be trying to navigate through the crowd. There are also onlookers on the rooftop of one of the buildings lining the street. One caption reads: “To watch the punishment, a group of Muslims gathered.”
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The next shot shows three men wearing ski masks preparing to throw a blindfolded man off the roof of a white building while another man takes photos.
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The next photos show the victim, handcuffed, being thrown from the top of the building. The last photo shows the body of the man on the street as some armed men throw stones at him.
On February 27, 2015, the Islamic State's Information Office in Raqqa Province (Syria) published a photo report on social media, depicting what it claims is "the punishment of a man who had committed the acts of the people of [Prophet] Lot."
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The first two photos show mainly men and teenagers gathered outside of a building in ruins. The next shot shows a man being thrown off the roof, captioned "This was God's prescribed punishment for those who commit the act of people of [Prophet] Lot."
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The next four photos show the person free-falling and hitting the ground. The victim was blindfolded and handcuffed.
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The last shot shows men throwing pieces of rocks at the victim, with the caption saying that he is "being stoned after being thrown off a tall building." The statement also ends with "Praise be the Lord of the Universe."
On February 14, 2015, a photo report by the Islamic State’s Information Office in Neinava Province (Iraq) shows the beheading of one man on sodomy charges. The report (https://isdarat.tv/15638) was published by an “unofficial website of the Islamic State” and covers two acts of beheading:
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One man allegedly committed black magic and a young man for “sodomy.” The Islamic State’s statement refers to the second victim as “committing the act of the people of Lot.”
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The first two photos in the report show over a dozen men, gathered in what appears to be an urban area. Uniformed militia members wearing masks guard the scene with machine guns.
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The third photo shows a white-bearded man, with several armed men who appear to be Islamic State militia members at his side, speaking into a microphone. The caption of the photo reads, “The reading of the religious ruling of the Sharia Court.”
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The fourth picture shows a blindfolded young man, whose face is digitally blurred, kneeling and his head down, and an executioner wearing a ski mask and black outfit, holding a sword over the man’s neck. The caption reads, “the imposition of the sharia ruling for the person who committed the act of the people of Lot.”
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The next two photos in the report depict the beheaded body of the man accused of committing black magic.
On February 9, 2015, the Islamic State's Information Office in the Aleppo Province (Syria) issued a photo report announcing, “the stoning to death of a young man accused of committing the act of the people of Lot.” According to the Islamic State's post, the stoning took place in the city of Manbij, where men and children were gathered in an empty lot between two apartment buildings.
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Men, some of them in military fatigues, with machine guns in their hands and their faces covered, are standing inside a roped-off section of land near a pile of stones.
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Other photos show more than a dozen men inside the roped-off section, with stones in their hands, while people are watching from the top of a dirt mound nearby.
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The last photo shows a blindfolded person being dragged to the center of the roped-off area by armed men. The report ends with the phrase, "Praise be the Lord of the Universe".
On February 1, 2015, the Islamic State in Raqqa Province (Syria), published a set of 8 photos (http://justpaste.it/j6tk), claiming to be the “photo coverage of the imposition of the Islamic punishment [hadd] on a man who had committed the act of the people of Lot.”
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The first photo shows a young man, dressed in military fatigues and wearing a black headband, addressing a crowd of people on a street with a microphone while reading from a paper bearing the Islamic State’s logo. The photo caption notes that the person is “reading the [ruling about the] Islamic punishment (hadd) for those Muslims who attended the event.”
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The second photo shows a crowd (including children) standing at the intersection of the streets. The caption says, “A large crowd of Muslims attended the implementation of the punishment.”
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The next image shows a man with a graying beard, barefoot, seated on the ground and his face covered with a hat, while a young man wearing military fatigues and holding a radio squats next to him. The caption of the image says, “The perpetrator [of sodomy] is reminded of God and is encouraged to repent.”
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One photo shows the gray-bearded man, blindfolded, sitting on a plastic chair close to the edge of the roof of a half-finished, multistory cement building. The next photo shows a body falling from the building, and the last image shows a body on the ground (digitally blurred) surrounded by a crowd. The caption of all images reads, “The implementation of the Almighty God’s ruling against those who commit the act of the people of Lot.”
On January 17, 2015, the Islamic State’s local branch, the Neinava Province’s Media Center in Iraq, published 4 photos purportedly showing the execution of two men who were thrown off a high building in Neinava Province, Iraq. The photos were published under the title “the photo reports from the implementation of the punishments required by the Almighty God.” They showed crowds, including children, gathered to watch the execution.
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One of the photos in the series was captioned, “The execution is punishment for the person who committed the act of the people of Lot by throwing him off a tall building.”
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The photos showed a man dressed in military fatigues and a ski mask reading from a paper into a megaphone. The photo’s caption explains that the man was “reading the religious ruling issued by the Sharia Court of the Neinava Province against the two men who committed the act of the people of Lot.”
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Other photos show two men, blindfolded and handcuffed, taken to the edge of a building and pushed off the edge one at a time.
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One photo shows two lifeless bodies, lying face up on the ground, with a caption that reads, “This is the punishment for those who violate God’s law.”
In the same post, the Islamic State militia published captioned photos online of their execution of a woman they allegedly stoned to death for adultery and their crucifixion of two other men for “spreading corruption on earth” through “assaulting the Muslims with arms,” “terrorizing the public,” and “armed robbery.”
On December 9, 2014, the Islamic State’s branch in an area the Islamic State terms Fourat Province along the Syrian-Iraq border, posted a series of images announcing the execution of a man accused of sodomy. The statement (http://justpaste.it/id0w), which is signed by “your brothers at the Public Relations Office of the Fourat Province,” states that “the Islamic Court in Fourat Province, decreed that a man who had committed the act of the people of Lot to be thrown off the tallest building in the city, then to be targeted by rocks till he is dead.”
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One photo shows a group of men with machine guns, in ski masks and military fatigues, while one of them reads from a piece of paper. The caption of the photo states, “The readout of the execution order to inform the Muslims.”
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Other images show a yellow three-story residential building, with 8 men on the roof, dressed either in military fatigues with ski masks, apparently showing the execution of the victim.
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The last photo shows the body of a man, handcuffed and seemingly lifeless, on the ground at the bottom of the building.
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