The Double Threat for Gay Men Syria | Human Rights Watch

Contents:

• ‘MR GAY SYRIA’: FILM DOCUMENTS LIV OF LGBTI SYRIAN REFUGE
• THE DOUBLE THREAT FOR GAY MEN SYRIA
• GAY LIFE SYRIA: AN INTERVIEW WH A GAY 'REFUGEE'
• MR GAY SYRIA
• AYşE TOPRAK ON HER GROUNDBREAKG DOCUMENTARY MR. GAY SYRIA
• FDG 'MR GAY SYRIA': NEW FILM HIGHLIGHTS ABE OF LGBTQ SYRIANS
• UNR ISIS: WHERE BEG GAY IS PUNISHED BY DEATH
• IS IT ILLEGAL TO BE GAY IN SYRIA?
• AMID BRAZEN, ADLY ATTACKS, GAY SYRIANS TELL OF FEAR OF ISIS PERSECUTN

‘MR GAY SYRIA’: FILM DOCUMENTS LIV OF LGBTI SYRIAN REFUGE

A/HRC/29/23, 4 May 2015; Graeme Reid, “The Double Threat for Gay Men  … Contue readg The documented ab clu forced nudy, rape, and anal or vagal “examatns” rried out by Syrian Government forc (and by armed groups), often as a tool of ercn or punishment tentn facili. ” See: Ree Erlich, “Gays jo the Syrian … Contue readg Wr large, throughout the nflict, terrori held by armed surgent groups have arguably been the most overtly hostile environments for LGBTQ+ Syrians, particularly areas held by vlent extremists. S/2016/361, 20 April 2016; Michelle Nichols, “Gay Men Tell UN Secury … Contue readg Although sweepg claims should be approached utly, foreign-born armed group fighters were generally more zealo and punive LGBTQ+ matters than Syrian batants the same groups.

Unverified anecdotal reports dite that such ndns likely drove some gay men to jo IS, whether as fighters or admistrative functnari, as a form of preemptive protectn. [27]Razan Ghazzawi, “Delonisg Syria’s so-lled ‘queer liberatn’, ” Al-Jazeera (2017):; Ayman … Contue readg SDF manr Mtafa Bali subsequently downplayed the apparent PR stunt: “while emphasizg our ep rpect for human rights, cludg the rights of homosexuals, [we] ny the formatn of such a battaln wh the amework of our forc. Followg the flux of Syrian refuge to Turkey the early years of the nflict, the untry me to host what was arguably the first anised Syrian LGBTQ+ movements and associatns, lnched large part by gay men Istanbul (see set: Milton of the Syrian LGBTQ+ Movement Turkey).

THE DOUBLE THREAT FOR GAY MEN SYRIA

Several important factors have facilated mobilisatn wh the Syrian LGBTQ+ muny Turkey: Homosexualy has long been crimalised the untry, although social stigma persists, pecially more nservative, outlyg areas. [29]In 1858, Sultan Abdul Majid I crimalised homosexualy, th grantg homosexual adults the right to engage sexual activy whout threat of legal, Turkey has a long rerd of receivg and grantg protectn stat to sexual mori om plac such as Iraq and Iran; the untry has creasgly acted as a crossroads for migratn om Asia and Ai to Europe, which — recent years — has cid wh a rise the numbers of LGBTQ+ asylum seekers.

GAY LIFE SYRIA: AN INTERVIEW WH A GAY 'REFUGEE'

” This ncept unrwrote LGBT Rad, a statn that was meant to lnch on 17 May (the Internatnal Day Agast Homophobia, Transphobia, and Biphobia) 2013, as the first Arab rad statn addrsg gay issu.

[38]Amélie Zacur, “Gay Refuge From ISIS, ” The Daily Beast (2017):; “‘No place for people like you’: An analysis of the needs, … Contue readg LGBTQ+ refuge Lebanon report that employers, abers, and others explo their fear of lol thori to erce them to hostile, unsafe, and abive profsnal and personal relatnships.

MR GAY SYRIA

[44]“The Global Divi on Homosexualy: Greater Acceptance More Secular and Affluent Countri” Pew Reaerch Center (2013): … Contue readg Such attus have rulted stigmatisatn and harassment, vlence, and honour killgs. Notably, no legal provisn specifilly prohibs women om wearg men’s cloth for the oppose purpose, an illtratn of the way that homosexual women are ls visible than their male unterparts — even legalised persecutn. For stance, when the popular uprisg epted 2011, affluent Damascene gay men were well-known wh LGBTQ+ circl for hostg LGBTQ+ parti at farms and villas near the pal, unr the watchful observatn — and implic protectn — of thori.

In general, the cultural ele Syria’s most smopolan ci, Damasc and Aleppo, have shown some toleratn for semi-overt exprsns of homosexual inty, yet this acceptance has been extend only to the privileged few, and has not translated to a regnn or acceptance of llective LGBTQ+ inty more broadly. [70]Hannah Lucda Smh, “How Jihadists are blackmailg, torturg, and killg gay Syrians, ” (2013): In other s, Government of Syria secury agents and Islamist armed group batants have posed as gay men on social media or datg applitns orr to entrap LGBTQ+ dividuals — a procs that has sometim culmated -person meetgs leadg to arrts, kidnappgs, beatgs, blackmail, ransom mands, [71]Amélie Zacur, “Gay Refuge From ISIS, ” The Daily Beast (2017): and even killgs. [72]Jam Kirchick, “ISIS Go Medieval on Gays, ” The Daily Beast (2015): As illic war enomi proliferate si Syria, the risk of extortn over sexual or genr inty will grow.

[73]Graeme Reid, “The Double Threat for Gay Men Syria, ” Human Rights Watch (2014): Although same-sex relatnships are legal Turkey, homophobic attus are nohels wispread and LGBTQ+ refuge have reported troublg cints, cludg beg pelted wh rocks or beg followed the street and attacked.

AYşE TOPRAK ON HER GROUNDBREAKG DOCUMENTARY MR. GAY SYRIA

[75]“Missg gay Syrian refugee found behead Istanbul, ” The Guardian (2016): … Contue readg In June 2019, another gay refugee, 22-year-old Muhammad Hamsho, was stabbed to ath Mers, southern Turkey. The Lebane Office for the Preventn of Crim agast Public Decency has been acced of targetg gay men[78]Joey Ayoub, “Lebane Police Arrt Four Durg Gay Club Raid, ” Global Voic, 2013, and performg illegal and purposefully huiatg abe, cludg reported e of “anal tts” — which have been banned by a recent cree and were scribed by the Lebane Doctors Syndite as a form of torture.

[79]“Digny Debased: Forced Anal Examatns Homosexualy Prosecutns, ” Human Rights Watch (2016): … Contue readg Although Lebane navigatg arbrary teractns wh thori sometim have reurse to fay works, fluential polil party members, or other tsted termediari pable of preventg harsh and arbrary punishment or tentn, Syrian refuge seldom have accs to such mechanisms.

FDG 'MR GAY SYRIA': NEW FILM HIGHLIGHTS ABE OF LGBTQ SYRIANS

[83]“LGBTQ and Health Care: Advotg for Health Accs for All, ” Tulane Universy School of Public Health and Tropil Medice (2019): … Contue readg Moreover, advot have lled attentn to a hostile tenncy wh clil settgs that is perpetuated by the e of a “vobulary of viance, illns or mental disturbance to scribe homosexualy”. In Lebanon, a number of lol NGOs providg healthre, mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS), and social servic are known for beg gay-iendly, but the system as a whole is straed beyond pacy.

By way of example, we n look to Bahra, where the persistent social stigma around homosexualy — spe s crimalisatn — is a lson on the “sticks” of social norms ncerng LGBTQ+ issu. S/2016/361, 20 April 2016; Michelle Nichols, “Gay Men Tell UN Secury Council of Beg Islamic State Targets, ” Rters, 25 Augt 2015; Hannah Lucda Smh, “How Jihadists are blackmailg, torturg, and killg gay Syrians, ” (2013):. ↑22 Dan McDougall, “It n’t get any worse than beg gay Syria today, ” Sydney Morng Herald (2015):; “No Place for People Like You: An Analysis of the Needs, Vulnerabili, and Experienc of LGBT Syrian Refuge Lebanon, ” Heartland Alliance Internatnal (2014):.

UNR ISIS: WHERE BEG GAY IS PUNISHED BY DEATH

↑38 Amélie Zacur, “Gay Refuge From ISIS, ” The Daily Beast (2017):; “‘No place for people like you’: An analysis of the needs, vulnerabili, and experienc of LGBTQ+ Syrian refuge Lebanon, ” Heartland Alliance Internatnal (2014):. ↑90 Khainissa Dhala, “Gay Syrian refuge stggle to survive Lebanon, ” Amnty Internatnal (2014):; Ban Barkawi, “’I wish they killed you’: trma of Syrian LGBT+ rape survivors, ” Rters (2020):. Married wh a child, 24-year-old Sabat liv Istanbul where, unlike Syria, homosexualy isn’t outlawed – the UNHCR timat 1, 900 LGBTI refuge are harbored Turkey – but the muny is still vulnerable.

Hasso, meanwhile, is a Syrian refugee and LGBTI activist livg Berl on a missn to send the first Mr Gay Syria to Mr Gay World 2016, to raise awarens of LGBTI issu Syria. Jt bee they’re gay don’t mean they aren’t refuge – they all share a mon sty wh lns of Syrian refuge, alg wh nflict beyond their ntrol and fdg new hom where they n feel like they belong. And the day one young Syrian told his parents he was gay was the last time he spoke to anyone his untls fellow untrymen and women fleeg the civil war, many LGBTQ Syrians have lost their homeland, livelihoods and often hope self.

One nservative Syrian imam nfintly told NBC News that there are no homosexual Mlims and that the act was punishable by al-Essa me out as gay after he fled war-ravaged Syria and settled down Turkey 2017. ”He says he eventually worked up the urage to ll his parents who stayed Syria om Turkey — where is relatively safer to be openly gay — and “face them wh the tth.

IS IT ILLEGAL TO BE GAY IN SYRIA?

6 ln people have fled Syria sce 2011 to pe the bloody civil are no exact figur on how many Syrian refuge who intify as lbian, gay, bisexual, transgenr and queer or qutng (LGBTQ) have left the untry vastated by years of numbers are not wily documented as even human rights anizatns, such as Amnty Internatnal and Human Rights Watch, have told NBC News they had been unable to do much work on LGBTQ issu Syria due to limed rourc on the ground. ”The relig and societal stigma surroundg homosexualy Syria means that for many fai, havg a son or dghter who out after pg the untry n brg enormo Hassan’s son Ammar me out as gay after he fled to Germany 59-year-old broke down tears talkg about his son on the phone om Idlib Syria, where he liv wh his wife and other children.

One uple, intified as gay based on text msag between them, were beaten, referred to pejoratively as “tante” (ntie) and for 10 nights were forced to strip and have sex wh each other ont of their Syrian army terrogators, who ed chalk to make up their fac. A 26-year-old told of beg bldfold and handcuffed to a ceilg by unintified men who said they were affiliated wh al-Qaeda and who tried to get him to reveal the nam of his gay iends.

AMID BRAZEN, ADLY ATTACKS, GAY SYRIANS TELL OF FEAR OF ISIS PERSECUTN

In addn to this abe, perpetrated by all parti to Syria’s nflict, more than half the gay Syrians whom Human Rights Watch terviewed told paful stori of fay rejectn, rangg om ostracism to vlence — and, five stanc, ath threats.

In at least two s Human Rights Watch documented, gay men were subjected to anal exams by the Lebane Internal Secury Forc — spe lls om the Lebane doctors’ syndite and the jtice mister 2012 to abolish that practice, which amounts to torture. Humanarian assistance provirs and the Lebane ernment, wh the support of ternatnal donors, mt make sure gay Syrian refuge are receivg basic levels of assistance and protectn.