Gay man's murr rais qutns over Uzbek human rights reforms | Rters

Contents:

• ANYTHG YOU WANT - EXCEPT GAY RIGHTS, UZBEKISTAN TELLS U.N.
• GAY MAN'S MURR RAIS QUTNS OVER UZBEK HUMAN RIGHTS REFORMS
• ATTACK ON BLOGGER DRIV UZBEK GAY MUNY UNRGROUND
• GAY LIFE UZBEKISTAN

ANYTHG YOU WANT - EXCEPT GAY RIGHTS, UZBEKISTAN TELLS U.N.

Uzbekistan – along wh Turkmenistan – are the only post-Soviet stat that prohib sexual relatns between vlence epted Tashkent, Uzbekistan’s pal, last weekend after heated social media bate around lls to reform the penal on homosexualy.

The days, many of are stayg home out of fear, ” said Shhrat – not his real name – a 20-year-old gay man. Covid-19 has exposed the equali and agili of health and polil systems and allowed thorarian regim to impose drastic curbs on rights and eedoms, g the vis as a pretext for rtrictg ee speech and stiflg and Freedom is a new Guardian reportg seri to vtigate and expose human rights ab at this cril time, and elevate the voic of people on the ontl, fightg back for themselv and their Print Shavkat Mirziyoyev, the past four years have seen Uzbekistan move towards a more polilly progrsive agenda, yet this has not extend to the untry’s LGBTQ+ ernment has recently proposed to amend the untry’s crimal to change the charge agast homosexualy om “sodomy” to a crime agast fay, moraly and children.

GAY MAN'S MURR RAIS QUTNS OVER UZBEK HUMAN RIGHTS REFORMS

“LGBT people Uzbekistan were already vulnerable to harassment, threats, abe and vlence, even before the events on Sunday, given the crimalisatn of nsensual same-sex nduct and wispread homophobia, ” said Mihra Rtmann, senr central Asia rearcher at Human Rights Watch.

The NGOs jotly issug this statement urge the Uzbekistani thori to live up to their ternatnal human rights obligatns by crimalizg homosexualy. "When I found out that my son is gay, I was thrown to a bld panic. – Mother of a young gay man llg on her fellow cizens not to be aaid of people wh same-sex relatns.

Article 120 pos a nstant threat to gay and bisexual men their daily liv and mak impossible for them to lodge plats wh the thori about vlence and discrimatn to which they are subjected, for fear of revealg their sexual orientatn. As long as this article exists, we will have to live fear and homophob will have power over . Police do not prs charg agast all the gay and bisexual men whom they track down, but often threaten to imprison them or disclose their sexual orientatn to their fai for blackmail and fancial extortn purpos.

ATTACK ON BLOGGER DRIV UZBEK GAY MUNY UNRGROUND

Police also erce LGBTI people to llaborate wh them to intify wealthier gay and bisexual men. Homophobic mobs equently target LGBTI dividuals and those perceived to be gay, subjectg them to physil abe and extortn.

GAY LIFE UZBEKISTAN

On ter-based msagg servic homophobic activists dissemate the nam and ntact tails of gay and bisexual men and those perceived to be gay and ll for them to be “punished” and killed. Vios of such beatgs have been dissemated and there are credible reports that several gay men have been murred or severely jured by homophobic mobs recent years.

Police are also known to explo the fear of beg labelled as “gay” (an accatn perceived as extremely shameful Uzbekistani society) by extendg the threat of imprisonment unr Article 120 beyond gay and bisexual, to heterosexual and p Mlim men. Human rights vlatns cludg sexual vlence agast gay and bisexual men and those perceived to be gay, are particularly egreg penentiary stutns. Gay and bisexual prisoners and those spected or acced of same-sex relatns have the lowt stat the rmal but strictly imposed prisoner hierarchy.

In a jot statement, we ll on the Uzbekistani thori to crimalise homosexualy. “When I found out that my son is gay, I was thrown to a bld panic. ” – Mother of a young gay man llg on her fellow cizens not to be aaid of people wh same-sex relatns.