The International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission learned this week that a 21-year-old Iranian man has been executed for allegedly committing "anal sex crimes" when he was 13.

The hanging came despite the Iranian Chief Justice nullifying his death sentence and ordering a new trail last week.

Makvan Mouloodzadeh was executed in Kermanshah Central Prison at 5am on Wednesday morning. He had been charged with anally raping another young male when the accused was 13 years old. The Supreme Court upheld his death sentence on 1 August.

Neither Mr. Mouloodzadeh's family or his lawyer were told about the execution until after it occurred, the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission said in a statement.

At his original trial no witness ever accused Mouloodzadeh of rape. The prosecution witnesses all told the court that their statements during the investigation were either untruthful or coerced.

Chief Justice Ayatollah Seyed Mahmoud Hashemi Shahrudi described the death sentence to be in violation of Islamic teachings, the religious decrees of high-ranking Shiite clerics, and the law of the land.

"This is a shameful and outrageous travesty of justice and international human rights law," said Paula Ettelbrick, executive director of the New York-based IGLHRC.

"This execution is based on a ruling that stands in violation of international law as well as various legal codes of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

"How many more young Iranians have to die before the international community takes action?"

Under Islamic law sodomy is a capital crime punishable by public lashings or hanging. Some international gay rights groups believe that more than 4,000 lesbians and gay men have been executed since the Ayatollahs seized power in 1979. The government in Tehran has repeatedly denied the reports.

The International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission's protest letter to the leader of Iran can be viewed on the link below.