Tag: azerbaijan gay rights

Azerbaijan police are trying to ‘hunt’ transgender people through internet

Breaking: Reports indicate at least 14 gay and transgender people have been randomly detained in the last 24 hours Azerbaijan police in the country’s capital Baku are reportedly rounding up gay and transgender people and detaining them. According to reports from unnamed LGBTI people in Baku, the random arrests started last night (1 April). Police… Read more »

Azerbaijan is the worst place to be LGBTI in Europe and here’s why

Stonewall 50: Javid Nabiyev is a gay activist who had to flee Azerbaijan and now tells his story Let’s imagine a society where you live with such a frightful secret that if you are to reveal it, your family could disown you. The neighbors will call you sick and look at you as a source… Read more »

Gay men speak out about Azerbaijan’s LGBT crackdown: ‘They gave me electric shocks’

Lawyers and activists say dozens of gay and transgender people have been arrested and detained Several men have come forward with firsthand accounts of an alleged crackdown on the LGBT community in Azerbaijan. One of the men, who remained anonymous, said he was detained for nine days and tortured. “They gave me electric shocks,” he… Read more »

Azerbaijan: Anti-Gay Crackdown

Gay Men, Transgender Women Tortured to Extort Money, Intelligence (Berlin) – Police in Azerbaijan have conducted a violent campaign, arresting and torturing men presumed to be gay or bisexual, as well as transgender women, Human Rights Watch said today. Human Rights Watch interviews with released detainees and lawyers confirmed that since mid-September, police in Baku,… Read more »

Western pressure is saving LGBT lives in Azerbaijan, but crisis is far from over

After Canada and other Western governments protested the arrests and beatings of gay and transgender citizens in Azerbaijan, the regime began releasing the detainees, proving that publicity and pressure can force autocratic regimes such as the one in Baku to unclench their fist now and then. But as a report released on Tuesday by Human… Read more »

Gay man beaten and electrocuted while kept in detention in Azerbaijan

Shocking testimony: ‘We were captives in our home country’ A gay man was beaten, electrocuted and detained for nine days in the former Soviet republic of Azerbaijan. The man, who asked only to be identified as Xeyal, said authorities are randomly arresting and torturing LGBTI people in the country’s capital, Baku. He told Buzzfeed: ‘We… Read more »

Outcry as Azerbaijan police launch crackdown on LGBT community

At least 60 people have been imprisoned or fined after a spate of raids in the capital, Baku – Authorities in Azerbaijan’s capital, Baku, have begun a vicious crackdown on the city’s LGBT community, according to activists in the country. Reports suggest that over the past 10 days dozens of gay and trans people have… Read more »

Life As A Lesbian In Baku

In Azerbaijan, being openly gay can mean dealing with insults, threats, and even violence. Rights groups have singled out the country’s government for failing to protect its LGBT community. One young woman in Baku described her experiences after coming out to her family and university classmates. (RFE/RL’s Azerbaijani Service) Video Source – Radio Free Europe

Azerbaijan worst place to be gay in Europe, finds LGBTI index

Frequent homophobic hate crimes see country join Russia and Armenia at the bottom of leading human rights survey Azerbaijan has been ranked the worst place in Europe to live as an LGBTI citizen, after meeting only 5% of a leading rights organisation’s criteria for legal equality. The ILGA-Europe Rainbow Index, released today, ranks 49 European… Read more »

Parents nearly burn teen son to death after they find out he is gay

An 18-year-old from Azerbaijan has escaped with his life after his parents doused him with gasoline and threatened to murder him A teenager has escaped with his life after his family found out he was gay. An 18-year-old from Azerbaijan, who we will call Malik to protect his identity, has been victim of blackmail for… Read more »

First online Newsletter was relaesed in the history of LGBT Azerbaijan

Online newsletter was relaesed for the first time in the history of LGBT Azerbaijan. First issue includes January, February, March, 2014. In this newsletter issued by Nefes LGBT Azerbaijan the most memorable events relating to LGBT community in Azerbaijan are covered. It will be released periodically in both Azerbaijani and English languages. The newsletter was… Read more »