Routledge apologises to Peter Tatchell

UK publisher Routledge has apologised to political campaigner Peter Tatchell for misrepresentations and distortions in an essay it published on Iran.

Routledge published the inaccurate information an essay entitled 'Unbearable Witness: How Western activists (mis)recognise sexuality in Iran', which was published in the journal Contemporary Politics in March 2009.

The essay was written by the then Human Rights Watch programme editor Scott Long, who has also since apologised for “inappropriate” and “condemnatory” assertions made against Tatchell, a campaigner for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) rights.

Roger Horton, c.e.o. of Taylor Francis which owns Routledge, has made an “unreserved apology" to Tatchell and LGBT action group Outrage!

He said: “Scott Long’s article made inaccurate allegations, which we very much regret, about Peter Tatchell and Outrage!... Following the controversy surrounding this article we have permanently removed it from the Journal website.”

On the website of the Peter Tatchell Foundation, Tatchell said: “Contrary to claims by Mr Long in his Iran essay, neither OutRage! nor I accused a 13-year-old victim of an alleged rape of ‘wanting the rape’. Nor are we guilty of ‘belittling violent sexual assault, and blaming the victim’. These are outright fabrications.”

He added: “My gratitude to Roger Horton and Routledge for this apology. Their willingness to acknowledge the wrong done is laudable.”