The concept of “traditional values” has been weaponized for use against LGBT people. “Through a persistent rhetoric, powerfully promoted by Russia and its allies, LGBT people have come to embody all that is antithetical to so-called ‘traditional values,’ ” says Graeme Reid, director of the LGBT rights program at Human Rights Watch. Continue reading
Chechen pop singer Zelim Bakaev, who is feared to have fallen victim to Chechnya’s anti-gay purge, has been missing for three months. Continue reading
Tanzanian yesterday deported three lawyers it accused of “promoting homosexuality,” although what they actually did was consult Tanzanian activists about a planned lawsuit to restore health services for the LGBT community there. Continue reading
The fight against AIDS in Uganda and Kenya is suffering from U.S. President Donald Trump’s “Global Gag Rule,” which cuts off U.S. aid from any organization that even mentions abortions as an option for unwanted pregnancies, Human Rights Watch says. Organizations serving sex workers — an occupation that some LGBT people adopt after being excluded … Continue reading
Tanzania is facing widespread protests over the arrest and ongoing detention of a dozen lawyers and activists supporting health care services for HIV-positive Tanzanians. They have been charged with no crime, but are accused of “promoting homosexuality” when they met to discuss a planned lawsuit seeking to restore anti-AIDS programs for LGBTI people. Continue reading
A common thread ties together the anti-LGBT crackdowns in Egypt, Tanzania, Azerbaijan, Tajikistan, Indonesia and the Russian republic of Chechnya — many of them look like “copy cats” of each other. Is public pressure the only hope for stopping them? Continue reading
The Tanzanian government didn’t like the fact that lawyers were meeting with clients on Tuesday, Oct. 17, in Dar es Salaam to discuss a planned lawsuit seeking restoration of health-care services that have been dismantled during Tanzania’s ongoing anti-LGBT crackdown. To block that meeting, Tanzanian police moved in, arrested 13 people and accused them of … Continue reading
LGBT refugees who were spared Chechnya’s anti-LGBT crackdown have found that they’re not even safe in the West. Continue reading
More than 50 human rights organizations issued a statement today decrying widespread repression in Egypt, which came to a climax recently in a wave of arrests in response to the display of a rainbow flag at a music concert. Separately, Human Rights Watch on Saturday called on Egypt to halt the anti-LGBT crackdown. Continue reading
The United Arab Emirates should stop arbitrarily arresting transgender, gay, and gender non-conforming people on the grounds of a law that criminalizes men “disguising” as women, Human Rights Watch says. Continue reading
