'All of will be victims at some pot': why Bishkek's only gay club closed | Ci | The Guardian

Contents:

• KYRGYZSTAN: POLICE ABE, EXTORTN OF GAY MEN
• GAY LIFE KYRGYZSTAN
• RABOW RAGE: KYRGYZ RAIL AGAST LGBT COMMUNY AFTER CENTRAL ASIA'S 'FIRST' GAY-PRI MARCH
• KYRGYZSTAN MAN HAS ‘GAY’ RVED TO STOMACH HOMOPHOBIC ATTACK
• KYRGYZSTAN'S 'HOMOSEXUAL PROPAGANDA' LAW PROPOSAL SPARKS GAY COMMUNY FEARS
• KYRGYZSTAN GAY TRAVEL - LGBT RMATN JULY 2023
• 'ALL OF WILL BE VICTIMS AT SOME POT': WHY BISHKEK'S ONLY GAY CLUB CLOSED
• KAZAKHSTAN AND KYRGYZSTAN: GAY MATCHMAKG AND CULTURE
• KYRGYZSTAN’S NEW ANTI-GAY LAW IS EVEN WORSE THAN RSIA’S
• GAYS FEAR NEW LAW WILL DRIVE THEM OUT OF KYRGYZSTAN
• KYRGYZSTAN CONSIRS 'GAY PROPAGANDA' LAW SIAR TO RSIA'S
• KYRGYZSTAN: “DON’T NMN LGBT PEOPLE TO SILENCE” – UN RIGHTS EXPERTS URGE PARLIAMENT TO WHDRAW ANTI-GAY BILL
• U.S. RAPS KYRGYZSTAN FOR PROPOSED 'GAY PROPAGANDA' LAW
• HRW SAYS KYRGYZ POLICE ABE GAY MEN
• KYRGYZSTAN ADVANC 'GAY PROPAGANDA' BILL HARSHER THAN RSIA'S
• KYRGYZ MPS PASS 'ANTI-GAY' LAW FIRST READG, IGNORE U.S. CRICISM
• US AND RSIA FIGHT PROXY WAR OVER GAY RIGHTS KYRGYZSTAN
• ANTI-GAY BILL SPIR ATTACKS KYRGYZSTAN
• GAY ACTIVIST SL SEVEN SUMMS FOR LGBT RIGHTS

KYRGYZSTAN: POLICE ABE, EXTORTN OF GAY MEN

The 65-page report, “They Told Us We Derved This: Police Vlence agast Gay and Bisexual Men Kyrgyzstan, ” found that gay and bisexual men have been subjected to a range of ab at the hands of police Kyrgyzstan, cludg physil, sexual, and psychologil vlence; arbrary tentn; and extortn unr the threat of vlence or of exposg victims’ sexual orientatn to iends and fay.

GAY LIFE KYRGYZSTAN

“Gay and bisexual men Kyrgyzstan already live fear due to wispread homophobic attus, and the police are makg a nightmarish suatn even worse, ” said Anna Kirey, Lbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgenr (LGBT) rights rearcher at Human Rights Watch. Several gay men also reported sexual vlence by police officers cludg rape, group rape, and attempts to put a stick, a hammer, or an electric shock vice the person’s an, as well as gratuo touchg durg a search, or beg forced to undrs ont of police. Equaly Caravan is a llaborative project between seven NGOs that serve at-risk social groups, members of which are often margalized and silenced wh Kyrgyz society: people wh disabili, gay, lbian, bisexual and transgenr people, reverg dg ers, sex workers, people livg wh HIV/AIDS and others.

"The men who do not want to have children and the girls who do not want to pour not only be cursed, they mt be beaten, " Kyrgyz parliament puty Jyldyz Mabekova wrote on Facebook of the lbian, gay, bisexual, and transgenr (LGBT) supporters who took part the march the Kyrgyz pal, wh several of them rryg rabow flags. Acrdg to LGBT+ group Kyrgyz Indigo, the climate of homophobia and transphobia the untry enabl police officers to target LGBT+ people for extortn, as they fear beg outed to their fay and iends, who are likely to reproach and margalise them. * Law has won first of three readgs parliament * Backers say is need to protect fay valu* Gay muny says is timated, suffers beatgs* Crics fear will be ed to muzzle civil societyBy Olga DzyubenkoBISHKEK, Nov 2 (Rters) - A draft law banng "homosexual propaganda" Kyrgyzstan uld be the last straw for the Central Asian untry's ightened gay are thkg of leavg the maly Mlim state borrg Cha if the law is passed by parliament, mirrorg a move last year by Rsia that outraged the Wt and was seen by crics as part of a broar crackdown on civil by Mlim clerics who say homosexuals are "psychologilly ill" and should be cured, the law follows what gays say is growg timidatn, police abe and law would impose a one-year jail term for "formg a posive attu to untradnal sexual relatns" among mors or the media.

RABOW RAGE: KYRGYZ RAIL AGAST LGBT COMMUNY AFTER CENTRAL ASIA'S 'FIRST' GAY-PRI MARCH

However, the draft do not clarify exactly what would ntravene the legislatn relatg to mors or what the media may not publish, leadg crics to say that s current shape the law is vague and leav a lot of room for terpretatn and abe by law's backers have ma clear they expect to go much further than the protectn of mors or curbs on the media, and they predict a crackdown on a wi spectm of activi, such as gay ralli, clubs and law has already won ial approval the first of three readgs parliament and will require Print Almazbek Atambayev's signature to bee law, which is expected to happen due urse given ep-rooted homophobia Kyrgyzstan.

"The entire atmosphere is gettg more threateng, " he said, reuntg how he and a small group of iends were beaten up by waers a bar when they realized they were spoke a small hoe hidn a maze of crooked alleyways on the edge of the Kyrgyz pal, Bishkek, one of a handful of safe meetg plac for the lol LGBT (lbian, gay, bisexual and trans-genr) muny. Bishkek, a cy of 1 ln people, has only one gay club - wh bouncers on guard for homophobic said gangs Bishkek had started to "hunt" for members of the LGBT muny, sometim beiendg them on social media s, arrangg a meetg and then beatg their victims or threateng them before extortg Augt, one such group kidnapped a gay man and drove him to the untrysi where they told him to dig a grave for himself before beatg him up, Sultan said. Atambayev has given up some of his precsor's wi powers and has general shown a reads to promise wh the opposn to prerve a agile peace, but has not dited whether or not he will sign the Rtmann, a Central Asia rearcher for New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW), lled the law "discrimatg, homophobic and reprsive.

""If is adopted, this uld have negative nsequenc for the margalized LGBT muny Kyrgyzstan, " she a report based on terviews wh 40 gay and bisexual men Kyrgyzstan, HRW listed allegatns of police vlence which said stemmed om "pervasive homophobia" the untry.

KYRGYZSTAN MAN HAS ‘GAY’ RVED TO STOMACH HOMOPHOBIC ATTACK

" SOCIAL PRESSUREHuman rights groups say prsure is fierce for men Kyrgyzstan to nform to stereotypil male appearanc, marry women and have 's mother was shocked when he told her he was gay and she took him to see mullahs, prits, psychologists and psychiatrists.

KYRGYZSTAN'S 'HOMOSEXUAL PROPAGANDA' LAW PROPOSAL SPARKS GAY COMMUNY FEARS

Signifint human rights issu clud credible reports of: an arbrary killg by police; a high-profile disappearance; e of torture by law enforcement and secury servic; harsh and life-threateng prison ndns; arbrary arrt; ser problems wh the pennce of the judiciary; arbrary terference wh privacy; ser rtrictns on ee exprsn and media, cludg vlence and threats of vlence agast journalists and censorship; ser rtrictns on ter eedom; terference wh eedom of associatn cludg overly rtrictive laws on the fundg and operatn of NGOs and civil society anizatns; ser acts of ernment rptn; lack of vtigatn of and acuntabily for genr-based vlence; crim volvg vlence or threats of vlence targetg members of mory groups and lbian, gay, bisexual, transgenr, queer, and tersex persons; and the existence of the worst forms of child labor. Wh s dited gay clubs and largely different populatn, the pal once served as a relatively safe haven for Kyrgyzstan’s LGBT 2014, the ernment lnched a seri of legal reforms that marked a dramatic shift away om the wtern valu that had earned Bishkek a reputatn as Central Asia’s most socially liberal Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, homosexual nduct is crimalised, rryg a maximum prison sentence of two and three years rpectively. Turkmen people taed and charged wh sodomy are forced to unrgo examatns wh the purported objective of fdg “proof” of homosexual suatn is not much better Kazakhstan, where many LGBT people choose to nceal their sexual orientatn or genr inty for fear of reprisal.

BISHKEK (Rters) - A draft law banng “homosexual propaganda” Kyrgyzstan uld be the last straw for the Central Asian untry’s ightened gay are thkg of leavg the maly Mlim state borrg Cha if the law is passed by parliament, mirrorg a move last year by Rsia that outraged the Wt and was seen by crics as part of a broar crackdown on civil by Mlim clerics who say homosexuals are “psychologilly ill” and should be cured, the law follows what gays say is growg timidatn, police abe and law would impose a one-year jail term for “formg a posive attu to untradnal sexual relatns” among mors or the media. However, the draft do not clarify exactly what would ntravene the legislatn relatg to mors or what the media may not publish, leadg crics to say that s current shape the law is vague and leav a lot of room for terpretatn and abe by law’s backers have ma clear they expect to go much further than the protectn of mors or curbs on the media, and they predict a crackdown on a wi spectm of activi, such as gay ralli, clubs and law has already won ial approval the first of three readgs parliament and will require Print Almazbek Atambayev’s signature to bee law, which is expected to happen due urse given ep-rooted homophobia Kyrgyzstan.

“The entire atmosphere is gettg more threateng, ” he said, reuntg how he and a small group of iends were beaten up by waers a bar when they realised they were spoke a small hoe hidn a maze of crooked alleyways on the edge of the Kyrgyz pal, Bishkek, one of a handful of safe meetg plac for the lol LGBT (lbian, gay, bisexual and trans-genr) muny. Bishkek, a cy of 1 ln people, has only one gay club - wh bouncers on guard for homophobic said gangs Bishkek had started to “hunt” for members of the LGBT muny, sometim beiendg them on social media s, arrangg a meetg and then beatg their victims or threateng them before extortg Augt, one such group kidnapped a gay man and drove him to the untrysi where they told him to dig a grave for himself before beatg him up, Sultan said.

KYRGYZSTAN GAY TRAVEL - LGBT RMATN JULY 2023

Atambayev has given up some of his precsor’s wi powers and has general shown a reads to promise wh the opposn to prerve a agile peace, but has not dited whether or not he will sign the Rtmann, a Central Asia rearcher for New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW), lled the law “discrimatg, homophobic and reprsive”. “If is adopted, this uld have negative nsequenc for the margalised LGBT muny Kyrgyzstan, ” she a report based on terviews wh 40 gay and bisexual men Kyrgyzstan, HRW listed allegatns of police vlence which said stemmed om “pervasive homophobia” the untry. ”SOCIAL PRESSUREHuman rights groups say prsure is fierce for men Kyrgyzstan to nform to stereotypil male appearanc, marry women and have ’s mother was shocked when he told her he was gay and she took him to see mullahs, prits, psychologists and psychiatrists.

'ALL OF WILL BE VICTIMS AT SOME POT': WHY BISHKEK'S ONLY GAY CLUB CLOSED

Popularly known as the “anti-gay propaganda law” has unleashed a mpaign of vlence and timidatn agast the LGBT muny, wh a near 300% crease reported attacks sce the legislatn was people have been asslted, cludg one gay man who was beaten unnsc and gang-raped this year. “If I uld afford , I would leave tomorrow, ” says Sergo, one of his ’s dner party: ‘The new law enuraged everyone to go after , whout fear of beg punished’ Illtratn: Andrew North/Coda StoryLeang eastIt was never easy beg lbian, gay, bisexual or transgenr Kyrgyzstan’s patriarchal, Mlim-majory society.

KAZAKHSTAN AND KYRGYZSTAN: GAY MATCHMAKG AND CULTURE

Until recently there were even several gay clubs over the past few years, ternal and external forc have “dragged the LGBT muny to a battle for Kyrgyz inty, ” says Met Tiulegenov, chair of ternatnal and parative polics at the Amerin Universy and landlocked, Kyrgyzstan has been a geopolil and enomic supplint ever sce beme pennt after the llapse of the Soviet Unn, always vulnerable to bigger powers. First me a virtual clone of Mosw’s offensive on NGOs, wh legislatn mandg all groups receivg external fundg clare themselv as “foreign agents”, targeted at human rights groups, cludg those advotg for the LGBT, March 2014, MPs om the lg aln announced the “anti-gay propaganda” measur, wh even harsher penalti on paper than the Rsian versn.

KYRGYZSTAN’S NEW ANTI-GAY LAW IS EVEN WORSE THAN RSIA’S

“‘Look there’s the faggot’ another stunt shouted out when he saw me my universy fé, ” says Ilya, another dner more than two years sce the Kyrgyz parliament first troduced the “anti-gay propaganda” measur amid a flurry of pro-Rsian rhetoric, has stalled on actually makg law. MPs gave the bill large majori on s ial two readgs, but no date has been set for the necsary third readg, and would still need the print’s signature ’s siar uncertaty over the “foreign agents” bill targetg NGOs, which was first troduced 2013 – no one knows if or when parliament will bate them so, the police have reportedly been g the anti-gay propaganda legislatn to jtify gog after LGBT dividuals and then extortg brib.

“They say they are enforcg the law, ” says Pasha, a gay man who was forced to hand over 4, 000 Kyrgyz Som (about £41) – a large sum a untry wh an average wage of ls than £200 per Kyrgyz journalists have reportedly rorted to self-censorg stori on homophobic attacks, or anythg to do wh the LGBT muny, se they are acced of publishg “pro-gay” propaganda. Dpe repeated requts to talk to Kyrgyz MPs and other officials about their Rsian-spired legislative plans, all said they were too by, or never returned any troductn of the so-lled ‘gay propaganda law’ has seen the suatn for the LGBT muny terrate. In May last year activists om a Bishkek activist group lled Labrys and several other LGBT advocy anisatns were gatherg at a rtrant for the Internatnal Day agast Homophobia and Transphobia when they were attacked by a stormed the rtrant, chantg abe, and one woman was jured.

"Ocsnally, we would hold a gay night, which ed to be very popular, so once the baret closed down we cid to start a gay club as we saw the need for a space where the LGBT (lbian, gay, bisexual, and transgenr) muny felt safe and uld really get to know each other.

GAYS FEAR NEW LAW WILL DRIVE THEM OUT OF KYRGYZSTAN

The loss of this nightclub will add to the obstacl faced by Kyrgyzstan's LGBT muny, which already liv the shadows after discrimatory legislatn that would ban the popularizatn of homosexual relatns and promotn of the homosexual liftyle was proposed 2014. The cints have cid wh greater attentn to the rights of LGBT people followg publitn of the Human Rights Watch report “They Told Us We Derved This” Febary about police abe of gay and bisexual men, and wh renewed lls for a “foreign agents” law for Kyrgyzstan, cludg an article published by the ernment-owned newspaper Slovo Kyrgyzstana (The Word of Kyrgyzstan), on March 14. ”Alisher’s story may seem extreme, but the homophobic attus he faced are not unual the Central Asian state of Tajikistan and, to a lser extent, neighbourg rights groups and dividuals have told IWPR that police harassment and the threat of public beatgs Tajikistan – and rejectn and the fear of beg fired Kyrgyzstan – force many gays to rema the closet or leave their fai and migrate to more tolerant untri, the llapse of the Soviet Unn the early 1990s, there have been some improvements to gay rights both untri.

KYRGYZSTAN CONSIRS 'GAY PROPAGANDA' LAW SIAR TO RSIA'S

And Kyrgyzstan, which is generally more liberal, there are fewer s of public timidatn and abe than a ago, acrdg to Maxim Brath, head of lol gay NGO the pal Bishkek and elsewhere there are about a dozen gay rights anisatns, as well as f and nightclubs where members of he lbian, gay, bisexual and transgenr, LBGT, muni n gay activists say advanc have been too slow, particularly neighbourg Tajikistan, where homophobia is more eply entrenched. Kiromid Gulov ns one of Tajikistan’s only gay rights groups, Equal Opportuni, and said people sometim attack gays, while even NGOs ncerned wh human rights show ltle tert the issu they anisatn recently held a public event to which ved a host of NGOs and rights groups, but only two people turned problem, Tajik activists say, is that the public do not equate gay rights wh human rights. There are between 18, 000 and 36, 000 actively gay Kyrgyzstan natnals, acrdg to a 2011 report on HIV by lol NGOs and ternatnal anisatns, but of that number, only 20 Bishkek and five elsewhere had told their fai and 34-year-old lbian om Talas, a town northern Kyrgyzstan, told IWPR that she planned to emigrate this sprg due to the prevailg widowed mother of two has been planng to move sce 2006, when she attend an LGBT para Prague and realised how liberated other untri uld be.

KYRGYZSTAN: “DON’T NMN LGBT PEOPLE TO SILENCE” – UN RIGHTS EXPERTS URGE PARLIAMENT TO WHDRAW ANTI-GAY BILL

As a rult, many want to leave for Rsia or Kazakstan, acrdg to a jot October report by Equal Opportuni and the Kyrgyzstan-based gay group Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan’s populatn is predomantly Mlim, and Gulov said a small mory of relig extremists would support severe punishment for homosexualy like stong to ath.

Is very mon, ” the Equal Opportuni/Labrys report police still treat homosexualy as if were still a crime, arrtg “spects” and tag them for days, activists say, and horror stori one 28-year-old gay woman reported that her ex-hband had raped her December 2010, a police officer advised her to rema silent “and be grateful that her former hband did not kill her”, the report gay man told IWPR that when he reported a robbery to the police, the officer sulted and timidated him, and taed him at the police statn for the day. While havg crimalized homosexualy 1998 and passed favorable legislatn relatn to genr marker change, Kazakhstan ntu to associate homosexualy wh crimal behavr s crimal and do not clu discrimatn based on sexual orientatn and genr inty s anti-discrimatn legislatn. Issu of sexual orientatn and genr inty are often discsed the public realm but a stereotypil way which creat a hostile atmosphere for lbian, gay, bisexual and transgenr people and provis obstacl for the work of anizatns that promote their rights.

(Fix spellg headle) By Olga DzyubenkoALMATY, Oct 13 (Rters) - The Uned Stat has nmned Kyrgyzstan for planng to adopt legislatn to ban "gay propaganda, " sayg the law discrimat and will hurt the Central Asian natn's agile civil week Kyrgyzstan's parliament started batg chang to the natn's legislatn which propose troducg tougher punishment for "popularizg homosexual relatns" and "propaganda of a homosexual way of life.

U.S. RAPS KYRGYZSTAN FOR PROPOSED 'GAY PROPAGANDA' LAW

ALMATY (Rters) - The Uned Stat has nmned Kyrgyzstan for planng to adopt legislatn to ban “gay propaganda”, sayg the law discrimat and will hurt the Central Asian natn’s agile civil week Kyrgyzstan’s parliament started batg chang to the natn’s legislatn which propose troducg tougher punishment for “popularizg homosexual relatns” and “propaganda of a homosexual way of life” new bill propos to slap f or prison terms of up to one year on those “formg a posive attu to untradnal sexual relatns” among mors or mass media. Print Barack Obama last week to publicly nmn Kyrgyzstan’s proposed anti-“propaganda” law and prs the ernment to stop the passage of “this blatantly homophobic legislatn” said the Kyrgyz bill emulat a siar law , which provis enomic support for Kyrgyzstan and has a ary air base the untry, me unr barrage of Wtern cricism after Print Vladimir Put signed a law banng gay “propaganda” June last year. Several gay men also reported sexual vlence by police officers, cludg rape, group rape, and attempts to sert a stick, a hammer, or an electric shock vice to their rectums, as well as gratuo touchg durg a search or beg forced to undrs ont of police.

HRW SAYS KYRGYZ POLICE ABE GAY MEN

Kyrgyzstan has advanced a bill that would crimalize so-lled gay propaganda, and apply harsher penalti than a siar law former Soviet republic's natnal legislative body approved the bill today by a vote of 90-2 the send of three readgs, Agence France-Prse reports. In May, activists rallyg the pal cy of Bishkek on the Internatnal Day Agast Homophobia and Transphobia were attacked by self-styled "patrts, " and police reportedly not only failed to stop the attack, but also took the LGBT activists to ctody and subjected them to mistreatment there. BISHKEK (Rters) - Kyrgyzstan’s parliament voted overwhelmgly on Wednday to pass a bill on first readg that bans “gay propaganda, ” ignorg a ll by the Uned Stat opposg the discrimatory chang to the Central Asian state’s bill, nmned by human rights bodi as homophobic and allowg police to take arbrary actn agast sexual mori, was passed by a 79-7 vote.

Cred: Printial Prs and Informatn Office, KremlWh a ntroversy over proposed gay rights legislatn Kyrgyzstan, the stggle between the Uned Stat and Rsia for fluence Central Asia – tradnally seen as a nflict over pipel and ary bas – is takg on aspects of a culture war.

KYRGYZSTAN ADVANC 'GAY PROPAGANDA' BILL HARSHER THAN RSIA'S

Was terferg Kyrgyzstan’s ternal affairs and add that while velopg the legislatn, lawmakers had studied siar laws several other untri – cludg eight Amerin Rsian volvement the legislatn is ls direct but many observers tect the hand of the Kreml, which also last year passed a law banng “gay propaganda. S., meanwhile, has creasgly ma gay rights part of s diplomacy; former Secretary of State Hillary Clton has bragged about gettg to shoutg match wh Rsian officials over gay gay rights bate Kyrgyzstan is takg place while relatns wh Rsia grow stronger and those wh the U. Meanwhile, has allowed Rsia to expand s air base the untry, and is movg toward jog the Rsia-led Ctoms rather than a Kreml-orchtrated plot, the efforts to reprs gays Kyrgyzstan may be more efully seen as part of a trend the untry toward the prervatn of “tradnal” valu and Kyrgyz natnalism.

KYRGYZ MPS PASS 'ANTI-GAY' LAW FIRST READG, IGNORE U.S. CRICISM

Gay rights groups and dividuals have told IWPR that police harassment and the threat of public beatgs Tajikistan – and rejectn and the fear of beg fired Kyrgyzstan – force many gays to rema the closet or leave their fai and migrate to more tolerant untri,.

US AND RSIA FIGHT PROXY WAR OVER GAY RIGHTS KYRGYZSTAN

ANTI-GAY BILL SPIR ATTACKS KYRGYZSTAN

GAY ACTIVIST SL SEVEN SUMMS FOR LGBT RIGHTS