To be gay in Iran means to live in secrecy and constant fear, as homosexuality is an officially-recognized crime regularly punished by imprisonment, torture, and execution. As Human Rights Watch explains, "Iranian law punishes all penetrative sexual acts between adult men with the death penalty. Non-penetrative sexual acts between men are punished with lashes until the fourth offense, when they are punished with death. Sexual acts between women, which are defined differently, are punished with lashes until the fourth offense, when they are also punished with death." In 2005, at least four Iranians were executed for being gay, with numerous others tortured and imprisoned. Pictured are teenagers Mahmoud A. and Ayaz M., targeted for being gay, who were hanged in public in Mashdad, Iran, on July 19, 2005.