The UK publisher Routledge has issued a public apology to Peter Tatchell for 20 āmisrepresentations and distortionsā and āinaccurate allegationsā made by the former Human Rights Watch programme director, Scott Long.
The full and unreserved apology to Peter Tatchell and the LGBT human rights group OutRage! has been made by Roger Horton, the CEO of Routledgeās parent company, Taylor and Francis.
Routledge acknowledges that āsubstantial inaccuraciesā appeared in Mr Longās essay on Iran which it published in its journal Contemporary Politics.
You can view the Routledge apology at:
This follows an earlier apology by Human Rights Watch over Scott Longās āinappropriate…disparaging…inaccurate…condemnatory…intemperate personal attacksā on Peter Tatchell.
You can view the Human Rights Watch apology at:
It also follows revelations that appear to link Scott Long with the creation of a fake online Muslim identity that was used to make untrue claims and smear Peter Tatchell.
To see the fake Muslim identity exposed view:
Scott Longās 20 false allegations, distortions and misrepresentations were made in his notorious essay, Unbearable witness: how western activists (mis)recognise sexuality in Iran, which was published by Routledge in its journal, Contemporary Politics, in March 2009.
For a full rebuttal of Scott Longās Iran essay view:
At the time of writing the Iran essay, Mr Long was Director of the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) programme at Human Rights Watch (HRW). He left HRW in 2010 soon after he was forced by them to apologise for his personal attacks on Peter Tatchell.
Scott Long apologised to Peter Tatchell in 2010 for similar slurs and untrue claims.
He wrote:
āI respect Peter Tatchellās contribution to human rights and apologise for any condemnatory and intemperate allegations made in haste and for any inaccurate statements.ā
To read Mr Longās apology view:
Peter Tatchell, Director of the human rights organisation, the Peter Tatchell Foundation, said:
āThese apologies reveal Scott Long to be a serial purveyor of false allegations and smears.ā
āContrary to claims by Mr Long in his Iran essay, neither OutRage! nor I accused a 13 year-old victim of an alleged rape of āwanting the rape.ā Nor are we guilty of ābelittling violent sexual assault, and blaming the victim.ā These are outright fabrications.
āIn addition, Mr Long accused us of āgoing afterā British Muslims and adopting a ābullying toneā towards the Muslim community in Britain. This is also untrue. I have always made a clear distinction between Muslim people in general and the Islamist extremists who oppose human rights, including the human rights of fellow Muslims. Indeed, I have often defended Muslim communities, in Britain and worldwide, against prejudice and persecution. I will continue to do so.
āThe Routledge apology concerns factual inaccuracies and misrepresentations, not mere criticisms or differences of opinion.
āMr Long has every right to criticise me. But he does not have the right to indulge in distortions and false allegations.
āHis essay in Contemporary Politics is full of misrepresentation and untrue claims. It is poorly researched and exhibits shoddy, low standards of scholarship, lacking evidence on many key points.
āThe sustained and systematic nature of the misrepresentation looks malicious.
āMr Long has done fine human rights work in the past. I have never attacked or disparaged his efforts. The personal attacks are one-sided, from him. I am merely defending myself. It is a tragedy that he has gone to such extraordinary, disreputable lengths to undermine me and other campaigners.
āSectarian smears against fellow human rights defenders are indefensible. We should support each other in our shared commitment to universal human rights.
āMy gratitude to Roger Horton and Routledge for this apology. Their willingness to acknowledge the wrong done is laudable.ā
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