Death Threat A ‘slanderous Lie’ (Press, 24 May 1979)
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Summary: Death Threat A ‘slanderous Lie’ (Press, 24 May 1979)
On 24 May 1979, a Christchurch man named Robin Duff expressed his astonishment at being accused of threatening the life of Iran's Ayatollah Khomeiny, calling the accusation a "slanderous lie." Duff was informed of the alleged death threat through a phone call from Radio Pacific in Auckland, which was citing a report from the French press agency Agence France-Presse. The controversy stems from a letter that Duff sent to the Ayatollah on 26 March 1979. This letter was part of an international Gay Rights protest, in which Duff, who is the co-ordinator of the National Gay Rights Coalition, requested that Khomeiny cease the persecution and execution of homosexuals in Iran. In the letter, Duff stated that the coalition was committed to publicising these "atrocities" and seeking condemnation from the international community. He maintained that this statement was the closest thing to a threat contained in the letter. Duff clarified that copies of this letter had also been sent to various prominent figures, including New Zealand's Prime Minister Robert Muldoon, the leader of the Opposition Bill Rowling, the leader of the Social Credit League Robert Beetham, former Federation of Labour president Sir Thomas Skinner, and Amnesty International. According to Duff, this was the only communication sent to the Ayatollah on behalf of the New Zealand Gay Rights Coalition, and he expressed confusion as to why it had garnered such publicity. In response to the situation, Duff stated that the coalition's secretary, M. Waghorne, would approach New Zealand's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Taiboys, to "sort the matter out."
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