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Somalia- Status of the law- Sodomylaws.org 5/31/04 (Sexual Minorities & HIV Status)
Statute: Article 409<br>
Penalty: 3 months to 3 years<br>
Restrictions: Islamic Sharia Law may be applied.
(PDF - 61 Kb) Document Date: 31 May 2004 (Downloads: 577)
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| 4702. |
SOMALIA: TWO WOMEN REPORTEDLY SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR "UNNATURAL BEHAVIOR" IGLHRC 3/1/01 (Sexual Minorities & HIV Status)
The International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC) is gravely concerned by reports that two women have been sentenced to death for "unnatural behavior" in the city of Boosaaso in the autonomous region of Puntland, northeast Somalia. <br>
Accounts of the sentence have been widely circulated in the international media, as well as by newspapers in Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia. However, other sources, as well as local press in Puntland, have denied the story. <br>
Tensions are high between local authorities in Puntland and officials in the Somalian capital of Mogadishu. Puntland officials have accused the Mogadishu press of inventing this story in order to discredit them. Information received by IGLHRC from a reliable source familiar with Puntland indicates that a journalist for the local press in Boosaaso who initially reported on the story may have been arrested.<br>
IGLHRC is concerned that denials by Puntland authorities may be unreliable. We therefore call for URGENT letters to Puntland authorities asking for official clarification concerning the story, and asking, in the event it is confirmed, that the women be pardoned and freed.
(PDF - 93 Kb) Document Date: 1 Mar 2001 (Downloads: 368)
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| 4703. |
Soulmates: The Price of Being Gay in Somalia- By Afdhere Jama 8/3/03 (Sexual Minorities & HIV Status)
All hell broke loose, as his family were religious Sunni Muslims and believed homosexual acts are something that certainly promised you a lifetime of hell in the world to come. "Oh, they were way so angry. My father was in a full rage and was running around with a knife," says Sakariye. "It was far more than I thought it would be. It was crazy. I can't even begin to tell you how they all seemed like they were about to explode."
(PDF - 90 Kb) Document Date: 3 Aug 2003 (Downloads: 491)
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| 4704. |
Sri Lanka 's gays share their journey- BBC News 5/20/05 (Sexual Minorities & HIV Status)
'Afraid to be themselves'<br>
One of the most difficult things for gay men and women in Sri Lanka is simply coming to terms with their homosexuality. Given the social intolerance, it is very difficult, Sherman says.<br>
The society can relax with a drag queen competition<br>
"So many gay men marry and have children because it is easier than coming out," he says.
(PDF - 414 Kb) Document Date: 20 May 2005 (Downloads: 562)
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| 4705. |
Sri Lanka - Gay life- Gaytimes.co.uk 07 (Sexual Minorities & HIV Status)
here is a sizeable gay population in Sri Lanka but many gays and lesbians cannot come to terms with themselves due to family pressures and behavioral expectations imposed by Sri Lankan culture. A gay identity does not make much sense to many homosexuals. Male homosexuality in any event is illegal. There is no gay scene in the western sense in Sri Lanka but there are several gay groups who lobby for reform and provide support and counseling to gays and lesbians. Many of these groups also organise occasional gay events such as parties and outings. Sri Lanka has a lot to commend it but we would not recommend it as a specifically gay destination.
(PDF - 78 Kb) Document Date: 1 Jan 2007 (Downloads: 454)
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| 4706. |
Sri Lanka Legal status- Sodomylaws.org (Sexual Minorities & HIV Status)
Statute: Section 365 and 365a<br>
Penalty: 12 years in prison<br>
Restrictions: None
(PDF - 86 Kb) Document Date: 16 Jul 2004 (Downloads: 532)
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| 4707. |
Sri Lanka- US Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2005- 3/8/06 (Sexual Minorities & HIV Status)
Other Societal Abuses and Discrimination <br>
The law criminalizes homosexual activity between men and between women, but the law was not enforced. NGOs working on lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender issues did not register with the government. During the year human rights organizations reported that police harassed, extorted money or sexual favors from, and assaulted gay men in Colombo and other areas.<br><br>
â¨There was no official discrimination against those who provided HIV prevention services or against high-risk groups likely to spread HIV/AIDS, although there was societal discrimination against these groups.
(PDF - 52 Kb) Document Date: 8 Mar 2006 (Downloads: 506)
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| 4708. |
The Penal Code of the Somali Democraic Republic (Sexual Minorities & HIV Status)
Article 409: Homosexuality
(PDF - 255 Kb) Document Date: 1 Jan 2005 (Downloads: 618)
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| 4709. |
Belarusian Gay Activist Keeps Fighting the Dictatorship- www.data.minsk.by 7/18/06 (Sexual Minorities & HIV Status)
Gay Belarusian activist Slava Bortnik is interviewed by GayRussia - and gives a rare insight into life - and life as a gay - in the country considered the most repressive in Europe.<br>
GayRussia: Can you explain us the political situation in Belorussia today, especially in the light of the protests after the recent presidential elections?<br>
Slava Bortnik: Life became increasingly difficult for those who speak out against the authorities in Belarus. President Lukashenko appears to be asserting his control over civil society and clamping down on opposition with renewed confidence. The Belarusian authorities regularly employ harassment, intimidation, excessive force, mass detentions and long-term imprisonment as methods to quash voices of dissent in Belarusian society.
(PDF - 106 Kb) Document Date: 18 Jul 2006 (Downloads: 455)
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| 4710. |
Chile: Sexual Minorities Report Gay Bashing, But Greater Recognition-by Daniela Estrada 2/21/07 (Sexual Minorities & HIV Status)
SANTIAGO, Feb 21 (IPS) - The Chilean Movement for Homosexual Integration and Liberation (MOVILH) will press charges next week against several Carabineros (militarised police) for brutally beating a man three times in a single night. <br>
The violent Dec. 22 attacks on Manuel, a 32-year-old security guard, are described in the latest MOVILH report on the human rights situation of sexual minorities in Chile, presented Tuesday in Santiago. <br>
But the 152-page document also highlights positive findings, such as a fall in complaints about homophobia from 58 cases in 2005 to 49 in 2006 -- a 15 percent drop.
(PDF - 134 Kb) Document Date: 21 Feb 2007 (Downloads: 511)
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| 4711. |
European Push to Help Belarus Gays- www.data.minsk.by 9/28/05 (Sexual Minorities & HIV Status)
STOCKHOLM, September 28 - Concerns are growing over human rights of gays in Belarus, dubbed by activists as "Europe's last dictatorship".<br>
There are reports of armed militia storming meetings of LGBT groups, threats or arrests of organisers and even borders being closed to homosexuals.
(PDF - 90 Kb) Document Date: 28 Sep 2005 (Downloads: 497)
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| 4712. |
Gay Belarus News & Reports 2004-06 (Sexual Minorities & HIV Status)
1 Gay Cultural Events Cancelled in Belarus 8/04<br>
2 Homophobic MTV in Belarus 4/05<br>
3 Criminal Prosecution Of Homosexuals Proposed In Belarus 4/05<br>
4 Celebrate International Day against Homophobia (IDAHO) in Belarus 5/05<br>
5 Majority of Russians oppose gay marriages or gay President but support ban on sexual orientation discrimination 6/05<br>
6 Vstrecha and Amnesty International Belarus LGBT network with support of Byelorussian LGBT NGOs and Byelorussian LGBT web-sites succeed in campaign to cancel homophobic rule on Music-TV station 6/05<br>
7 Opening of Belorussian LGBT portal www.bellgbt.org 7/05<br>
8 Blue revolution in Belarus includes gays 4/06<br>
9 Belarusian LGBT rights defenders speakers tour to the North-West of Germany 6/06<br>
10 Belarusian protest against state homophobia on Solidarity Day in Washington, DC 8/06<br>
11 Activists Released 22 hours of Detention by Police 11/06<br>
12 LGBT Culture and Human Rights was forced to cancel the event 11/06
(PDF - 225 Kb) Document Date: 1 Dec 2006 (Downloads: 584)
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| 4713. |
Gay Rights in Belarus - Wikipedia 2/22/07 (Sexual Minorities & HIV Status)
speech at the consultation with the Belarusian Security Council, which took place 28 September 2004 in Minsk, with participation of the highest members of power and security ministries of the country President Lukashenka said: â??â?¦ we have to show our society in the near future, what â??theyâ?? [EU and USA] are doing here, how they are trying to turn our girls into prostitutes, how they are feeding our citizens with illicit drugs, how they are spreading sexual perversion here, which methods they are employingâ?. (From Viachaslau Bortnik's report presented at the OSCE Human Dimension Implementation Meeting, Warsaw, October 4-15, 2004; side event â??Intolerance, discrimination and hate crimes based on sexual orientation and gender identity in the OSCE regionâ?.)
(PDF - 144 Kb) Document Date: 22 Feb 2007 (Downloads: 626)
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| 4714. |
HATE CRIMES AGAINST LESBIAN, GAY AND BISEXUAL PEOPLE IN BELARUS-Viachaslau Bortnik 2006 (Sexual Minorities & HIV Status)
(From: Kuhar, Roman and Judit Takács, eds. 2006. Beyond the Pink Curtain: Everyday Life of LGBT people in Eastern Europe. Ljubljana: Peace Institute - Politike Symposion, in print.)<br>The primary goal of this article is to draw attention to cases of hate crime, violence and harassment experienced by lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) people in Belarus, where no original publications with any scientific value on this topic are available yet. Issues related to Belarusian LGB people tend to be dealt with in reviews on LGB issues in general (Bortnik 2003; Solberg 2004; Takács 2006). It is not the purpose of this paper to provide a scientific background to the extent, patterns, causes and consequences of hate crimes motivated by homophobia. The information presented in the article was collected from reports of the Belarusian Lambda League for Sexual Equality (Lambda Belarus) as well as from the results of two focus group interviews conducted with LGB people in two cities. The aim of the focus group interviews was to highlight the main features of the problem and to work out recommendations to improve the situation by generating discussions about homophobic hate crime with its victims.
(PDF - 241 Kb) Document Date: 1 Dec 2006 (Downloads: 636)
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| 4715. |
LGBT Belarus-Written by Viachaslau Bortnik, Chair of AI Belarus 2/07 (Sexual Minorities & HIV Status)
A striking aspect of hate crime against LGBT people is the extent to which such crime goes unreported. LGBT people often do not report crimes against them because they fear a dismissive, hostile or abusive response from the police. Under-reporting, coupled with the police response to those reports which are made, indicate that people who commit crimes against LGBT people tend to get away with them. <br>
Most LGBT victims of violence find access to legal redress and reparation difficult, if not impossible. Impunity and indifference habitually surround many acts of violence against LGBT people. One of the key factors in breaching this climate of impunity is to ensure that police officers are adequately trained to respond appropriately to crimes against LGBT people so that victims are encouraged to come forward, confident in the knowledge that the justice system will work for and not against them. <br>
Only practical government action on equality and diversity can help to reduce the damaging effects of homophobic hate crime on Belarusian LGBT citizens: the government should secure greater legal protection against homophobic abuses by adopting constitutional and other provisions prohibiting all forms of discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. Special measures should be implemented to ensure that people who have been victims of hate crimes based on sexual identity have access to means of gaining redress and the right to an effective remedy, including rehabilitation and compensation.
(PDF - 267 Kb) Document Date: 12 Feb 2007 (Downloads: 624)
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| 4716. |
The First historic meeting of Belarusian LGBT leaders -Globalgayz.com 2/10/07 (Sexual Minorities & HIV Status)
It is necessary to note the intention of participants in the near future to develop strategic approaches with a view of cooperation with state structures, business and civil society sector. Work is supposed to be conducted by means of an exchange of ideas by e-mail. As a variant, it was offered to create yahoo group. Without exaggeration the meeting can be named a historic step in development of LGBT movement in Belarus. It would be desirable to hope, that the first step will be followed by the second. At least, it is already known, that the next meeting of leaders of Belarusian LGBT movement is planned for April.
(PDF - 132 Kb) Document Date: 10 Feb 2007 (Downloads: 501)
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| 4717. |
V Informe Anual de Derechos Humanos de las Minorías Sexuales Chilenas: Hechos 20 2/22/07 (Sexual Minorities & HIV Status)
XVII.- Análisis cinco años
Entre el 2002 y 2006 se han registrado en Chile 267 casos o denuncias de discriminación basados en la orientación sexual o la identidad de género. 48, en el 2002; 66 en el 2003; 46 en el 2004; 58, en el 2005 y 49 el 2006. Del total de los 267 casos, el 2006 contiene el 18.4 por ciento. (Gráficos y detalles sobre estas y otras cifran se encuentran entre las páginas 21 y 25 de Informe. A partir de la página 26 se describen uno a uno los casos del 2006).
(PDF - 228 Kb) Document Date: 22 Feb 2007 (Downloads: 528)
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| 4718. |
Gambia's Aids 'Miracle'- news.sky.com 2/20/07 (Sexual Minorities & HIV Status)
This 'cure' is sponsored by The Gambia's Department of Health.<br>
The President's patients are kept on special wards in the nation's hospitals and the Health Minister selects suitable candidates for treatment.
(PDF - 127 Kb) Document Date: 2 Feb 2007 (Downloads: 664)
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| 4719. |
IGLHRC's New report documents LGBT Nigerian's response to the same-sex prohibition act 2/17/07 (Sexual Minorities & HIV Status)
Nigerian lesbians, gay men, bisexuals and transgenders speak out against a proposed law in a new report by the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC). The report, "Voices from Nigeria" provides personal accounts of homophobic attacks, arbitrary arrests and detentions, and increased levels of homophobia that have already begun as a result of the introduction of the legislation, referred to as the Same-Sex Marriage Prohibition Act.
(PDF - 97 Kb) Document Date: 17 Feb 2007 (Downloads: 539)
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| 4720. |
Iraq Gov't Sanctioning Anti-Gay Death Squads Conference Told- by 365Gay.com 2/19/07 (Sexual Minorities & HIV Status)
Ali Hili said that the Badr and Sadr militias - the armed wings of the two main Shia parties that control the government of Iraq - are routinely rounding up men and women, primarily in Baghdad, suspected of being gay. The men and women are never heard from again.<br>
Hili, who leads Iraqi LGBT from exile in England and who is the Middle East Affairs spokesperson for UK-based OutRage, made the allegations at a Faith, Homophobia and Human Rights conference in London on the weekend.
(PDF - 486 Kb) Document Date: 19 Feb 2007 (Downloads: 645)
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