Farhad Khaliligan and Hamid Safari share a couch to stay warm in a wet, cold basement apartment, with their dog "Puppy." Khaliligan, a gay refugee from Tehran who recently escaped to Turkey, said at least 400 gays and lesbians gathered for the protests that brought tens of thousands of people into the streets of the Iranian capital last summer.
Andrea Bruce-The Washington Post
Farzan Taymoury, 25, left, and Farhad Khaliligan, 26, wash dishes in a basement apartment shared by five gay Iranian refugees. Being gay is punishable by death in Iran.
Andrea Bruce-The Washington Post
Farhad Khaliligan cuts his eyebrows, which he says is one of the only ways a gay man living in Iran can show disagreement with the Iranian government's treatment of gays.
Andrea Bruce-The Washington Post
Farzan Taymoury, left, and Farhad Khaliligan fled Iran after the presidential elections and ensuing protests. The two are now Iranian refugees living in Isparta, Turkey.
Andrea Bruce-The Washington Post
Farzan Taymoury cries while listening to a friend talk to friends in Iran. Taymoury, who lives as a refugee in Isparta, Turkey, fled Iran because the Iranian government became aggressive in their anti-gay rhetoric.
Andrea Bruce-The Washington Post
Iranian refugees live in limbo in Turkey after escaping threats in Iran. Refugees say that Iranian authorities have cracked down harder on gays as part of a broader campaign against student groups, journalists and human rights activists.
Andrea Bruce-The Washington Post
Hassan Yazdanpanah, 34, walks out onto the streets of Isparta, Turkey, with caution. Even though the Turkish government doesn't have laws against homosexuality, much of the population has much more conservative views.
Andrea Bruce-The Washington Post
Hamid Safari, clutching his cellular phone -- now his main link to Iran, which he fled to escape arrest late last year -- walks past the store fronts in the southern Turkish city of Isparta. He ignores the curious stares of passing Turks, alternately using his phone to play downloaded images of Iranian street protests and songs by Madonna and Beyonce.
Andrea Bruce-The Washington Post
Homosexual Iranian refugees often face physical and verbal abuse from the local Turkish population in Isparta, a relatively conservative city.
Andrea Bruce-The Washington Post
Hamid Safari, left, and Farzan Taymoury talk about the political statements coming from Iran online at an Internet cafe in Isparta, Turkey. We are stuck here for now," said Safari, "but that doesn't mean we are idle."
Andrea Bruce-The Washington Post
Iranian refugees living in limbo in Isparta,Turkey, follow Internet sites such as "Manjam" for political messages, and also use them as a form of personal ads.
Andrea Bruce-The Washington Post
Hassan Yazdanpanah smokes in his basement apartment that he shares with four other homosexual refugees from Iran. They have been placed in Isparta, Turkey, by the Turkish government.
Andrea Bruce-The Washington Post
Hashem Vaziri, 31, is an Iranian refugee living in Kayseri, Turkey. Human rights activists note that the dissidents' relative freedom in exile offers a better perch for their fight than the inside an Iranian jail.
Andrea Bruce-The Washington Post
Refugees from Iran pray before eating in Kayseri, Turkey. The refugees' stories, including tales of torture and rape at the hands of security forces, are offering rare glimpses into the uprising and ensuing crackdown -- including some from the most hidden corners of Iranian society.
Andrea Bruce-The Washington Post
Kavous Zare, 40, is an Iranian refugee living in Kayseri, Turkey. More than 1,350 Iranian refugees have fled into Turkey since June. U.N. officials say they have noted a marked increase in political cases since the crackdown in Iran began.
Andrea Bruce-The Washington Post
Yas Nourakkan, 28, looks out the window in Kayseri, Turkey, where she has been placed as an Iranian refugee. She was threatened by the Iranian government because she is of the Bahai faith.
Andrea Bruce-The Washington Post
Many Iranian refugees were placed in Isparta, Turkey, by the Turkish government. Some refugees pay $1,500 or more to coyotes to spirit them out of Iran; others risk arrest and deportation by attempting to cross directly into Western Europe. Still others get on trains or buses, hoping for the best at the Turkish border -- one of the few nations where Iranian citizens need no entry visa.
Andrea Bruce-The Washington Post
Gallery Credits:
Producer, Photo Editor Stephen Cook
