World
LGBTQ activism in Uzbekistan ‘is almost impossible’
Human rights activist speaks after call to end so-called anal tests
A human rights activist in Uzbekistan says LGBTQ people in their country continue to live in fear.
“Members of the LGBT community continue to be intimidated,” the human rights activist told the Washington Blade this week. “Activism and protection of the rights of LGBT representatives is almost impossible in the country.”
“There are no mechanisms that would somehow help people who are already in a complex psycho-emotional state,” added the human rights activist. “It is not possible to ask for help if you suffered on the basis of your sexual orientation; either from law enforcement agencies, doctors, psychologists or other structures that should provide this assistance.”
Uzbekistan is among the dozens of countries in which consensual same-sex sexual relations remain criminalized.
Human Rights Watch; the Council for Global Equality; the Eurasian Coalition on Health, Rights, Gender and Sexual Diversity; Freedom Now; Human Dignity Trust; the Human Rights Campaign; ILGA-Europe; the International Partnership for Human Rights and the Lesbian and Gay Federation in Germany in an Aug. 5 press release noted Uzbek authorities between 2017 and this year have subjected at least six men to so-called anal exams to prove they engaged in consensual same-sex sexual relations. The groups urged President Shavkat Mirziyoyev to immediately ban this practice.
“Forced anal examinations, and their use in seeking convictions for consensual same-sex conduct, are an appalling violation of basic rights that diminishes Uzbekistan’s efforts to make its poor human rights record a thing of the past,” said Human Rights Watch Associate LGBT Rights Director Neela Ghoshal in the press release. “The Uzbek government has been vocal about its intent to make human rights reforms, yet persists in using a discredited, abusive procedure that amounts to torture.”
The human rights activist spoke with the Blade days after Human Rights Watch and the other groups urged the Uzbek government to ban anal exams. The Blade on Thursday reached out to the Uzbek government, the Uzbek Embassy in D.C. and Uzbek Ambassador to the U.S. Javlon Vakhabov for comment.
This is Michael Lavers from the @WashBlade in the U.S. Does @govuz have any comment on the Human Rights Watch report on forced anal testing in homosexuality prosecutions? https://t.co/at7uEKdQBm @Dunyo_IA @UZEmbassyDC @JavlonVakhabov @usembtashkent
— Michael K. Lavers (He/Él) (@mklavers81) August 12, 2021
Uzbekistan is a former Soviet republic in Central Asia that borders Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Afghanistan. Mirziyoyev has been Uzbekistan’s president since 2016.
The human rights activist — who asked the Blade not to publish their name — said Mirziyoyev promised “radical changes in all areas, especially in the field of human rights.”
“The entire world community, like the entire population of Uzbekistan, expected global changes in these areas, but almost five years have passed since he has been in power and much that was promised was simply forgotten or rejected under various pretexts,” said the human rights activist. “During all five years of government as president in the field of LGBT rights, nothing was done except aggravating the situation and worsening the situation of the LGBT community in Uzbekistan.”
The human rights activist noted Article 120 of the Uzbek penal code “is directed primarily against men, but the presence of an article in society is perceived as a ban on the entire LGBT community.” They also said efforts to decriminalize homosexuality in Uzbekistan have been “rejected, citing the thinking of civil society.”
The human rights activist told the Blade that prominent politicians and religious officials in their country publicly say LGBTQ people should undergo treatment, lose their citizenship and be destroyed.
A new criminal code that Uzbek lawmakers approved in February contains a provision that addresses “crimes against morals, youth and family.” The human rights activist with whom the Blade spoke sarcastically said “it turns out that the LGBT community in the country is the culprit of problems in families, in young people.”
“Representatives of the LGBT community in Uzbekistan have no protection and no rights,” said the human rights activist. “In addition, the lack of support from civil society, the imposition of a negative image of the LGBT community on people deprive them of the support of civil society, because people have been introduced to the idea that if you are willing to help the LGBT community, then you are necessarily part of them and should be subject to punishment.”
“Open homophobia and unleashed hands of law enforcement agencies allow the use of any methods of pressure and torture on people who are charged under Article 120, because no one will help in this situation,” added the human rights activist.
The human rights activist told the Blade that they welcome the call for Mirziyoyev to ban anal tests in Uzbekistan. The human rights activist added they are hopeful the U.S. and European Union can potentially spur Mirziyoyev’s government to do more to protect LGBTQ Uzbeks.
“The hope of the LGBT community of Uzbekistan is connected precisely with the possibility of influence from the government of America and the European Union on this issue,” said the human rights activist, while adding the pandemic has forced the U.S. and European countries to shift their priorities.
The human rights activist noted Uzbekistan is a member of the U.N. Human Rights Council and “has undertaken to promote and protect human rights and to adopt a number of legislative, institutional and administrative measures to fulfill its international human rights obligations, and has undertaken to protect, promote and uphold universal human rights and fundamental freedoms for all.”
The human rights activist also pointed out the EU does not impose tariffs on goods it imports from Uzbekistan.
“The EU made concessions to Uzbekistan in this matter when it gave it the status of its partner,” they noted. “But at the same time Uzbekistan is not confused in fulfilling its obligations.”
France
Prominent French activist attacked outside Paris bar
Pierre Picavet hospitalized with internal bleeding, head injury
French prosecutors say a man shouted anti-gay slurs at a prominent activist before he attacked him in Paris on Saturday.
Media reports indicate Pierre Picavet, a police officer who is the president of FLAG!, a group within the French Justice and Interior Ministries that defends LGBTQ rights, was attacked as he left a bar in Paris’s Marais neighborhood.
The Marais since the 1980s has been center of the French capital’s LGBTQ community.
France 24 reported Picavet’s assailant struck him with a bottle. The attack left Picavet hospitalized with internal bleeding, a head wound, and other injuries.
“When I get better, when my wounds have healed, I will continue the fight,” Picavet told Radio France on Monday. “I am particularly shocked, but it tells me that there is still work to do.”
Paris Mayor Emmanuel Grégoire is among those who condemned the attack.
STOP Homophobia (STOP homophobie), a French group that fights against anti-LGBTQ violence, on its social media pages published a picture of Picavet in the hospital.
“As a long-standing partner of FLAG!, STOP Homophobia wishes to express its solidarity with Pierre Picavet, his loved ones, and the entire association,” said the group. “STOP Homophobia condemns this assault in the strongest possible terms and reiterates that anti-LGBT violence remains a reality — even in spaces where everyone should be able to move freely and live out their sexual orientation or gender identity without fear of attack.”
STOP Homophobia also praised a bystander who came to Picavet’s aid after the attack, and the first responders and law enforcement personnel who responded.
“STOP Homophobia extends its full support to Pierre, his family, his loved ones, and the entire FLAG! team, and wishes him a full recovery,” said the group.
Reports indicate the assailant, who was born in 2006, was scheduled to appear in a Paris court on Monday at 1:30 p.m. local time.
Poland
Poland begins to legally recognize same-sex marriages from other countries
‘This is an important milestone, but it should not be the final destination’
Poland has begun to recognize same-sex marriages legally performed outside the country.
TVP World, the country’s public broadcaster, reported civil registry offices began to “transcribe same-sex marriages legally” conducted outside of Poland on Aug. 22.
The EU Court of Justice in Luxembourg last November ruled in favor of a same-sex couple who challenged Poland’s refusal to recognize their German marriage. Poland’s Supreme Administrative Court in March reaffirmed the decision.
The couple, who lives in Poland, brought their case to Polish courts in 2019. The Supreme Administrative Court referred it to the EU Court of Justice.
The Polish government in May announced it will recognize same-sex marriages legally performed in other EU countries. Polish President Karol Nawrocki on July 17 vetoed bills that would have extended rights to same-sex couples.
Poland’s Constitutional Tribunal a few days later rejected the recognition of same-sex marriages legally performed in other EU countries. The Love Does Not Exclude Association, a Polish marriage equality advocacy group, in an Aug. 26 press release notes the ruling “does not prevent implementation of these new regulations” because the Constitutional Tribunal is “largely discredited” and the government considers it “to be improperly constituted.”
“This is an important milestone, but it should not be the final destination,” said Maja Heban of the Love Does Not Exclude Association. “No couple should have to cross a border to marry. Our goal is allowing loving, committed couples to marry in Poland in the first place. The law now increasingly recognizes these marriages once couples return to Poland in areas such as healthcare and social security, but significant gaps remain, mainly lack of recognition of same-sex parents which directly impacts security of their children.”
Germany, Belgium, France, Ireland, Spain, and Portugal are among the EU countries in which same-sex couples can legally marry. Andorra, whose prime minister, Xaviet Espot Zamora, is openly gay, and Switzerland are among the other European nations that have extended marriage rights to same-sex couples.
The Netherlands in 2001 became the first country in the world to extend marriage rights to same-sex couples. Activists who participated in this year’s World Pride that took place in Amsterdam earlier this summer marked this milestone.
Honduras
Realidad LGBTQ en Honduras: fuga o muerte
Observatorio KAI+: 35 asesinatos anti-LGBTQ en 2026
TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras — Las cifras encienden todas las alarmas: 35 muertes violentas de personas LGBTQ, 195 casos de violencia generalizada y 11 personas asistidas para refugiarse en el extranjero. Las mujeres trans encabezan las víctimas mortales con 11 casos, seguidas de los hombres gay con 10.
Esa es la realidad de las poblaciones sexualmente diversas que pinta el boletín número 14 del Observatorio de Violencia hacia las Personas LGBTI+ de Honduras KAI+, correspondiente al período de enero al 8 de agosto de 2026.
Según el informe, los departamentos con mayor concentración de asesinatos son Francisco Morazán (12), Cortés (5) y Comayagua (4). Sin embargo, el dato más revelador de la impunidad es que los 35 casos permanecen en etapa de investigación preliminar, con apenas dos capturas reportadas.
«No queremos vivir con miedo»: defensores
Lucía Barrientos, de la Asociación Ixchel, resume el sentimiento colectivo. «Hoy las personas LGBTI en Honduras vivimos en estado de alerta. Muertes que, al hacer un análisis, tienen una conmoción de que muchas personas de nuestra población han sido torturadas, que han sido crímenes de odio», señala.
Barrientos subraya que en el país no hay una ley que tipifique el crimen de odio, lo que deja a la población en un limbo legal y expuesta a la violencia sin protección efectiva.
Entretanto, Jennifer Córdoba, de la Colectiva de Mujeres Trans Muñecas de Arcoíris, lamenta que las autoridades no estén haciendo nada para defender los derechos humanos.
«Ver ese tipo de violencias en el país que se incrementan, ver que las autoridades de nuestro país no están haciendo nada para la defensa de los derechos humanos, no crear una política pública que respete los derechos humanos de la población LGTBI», afirma Córdoba.
Violencia generalizada y discriminación sistemática
Los 195 casos de violencia generalizada incluyen amenazas (19), maltrato familiar (25), abuso de autoridad (14), discriminación por orientación sexual o identidad de género (14), lesiones (10) y agresiones sexuales. Las mujeres trans son nuevamente las más afectadas, con 32 casos registrados.
Dany Montesinos, de la Asociación LGBTI Kukulcán, advierte: «Esta es una violencia general, estructurada. No tenemos un patrón determinado. La alerta que estamos poniendo es que, en comparación con otros años, esto está siendo más creciente».
Un elemento crítico señalado por el boletín es que casi el 70 por ciento de los casos de violencia generalizada (137 de 195) carecen de categorización desagregada sobre la orientación sexual o identidad de género de la víctima, lo que evidencia la ausencia de protocolos adecuados por parte de las instituciones estatales y una invisibilización sistemática.
Migración forzada, huir para vivir
Entre los hallazgos más dolorosos está la asistencia a 11 personas LGBTQ que han buscado refugio en el extranjero. Ocho se han ido a Estados Unidos, dos a España y una al Reino Unido. Los motivos incluyen amenazas, discriminación, abuso de autoridad, agresiones sexuales y físicas.
Como señala un testimonio: «Tuvieron que irse, se vieron obligadas a huir por amenazas, por la discriminación, por el abuso de autoridad y agresiones sexuales. Estos datos nos muestran que la migración de las personas LGBTI no responde únicamente a razones económicas, sino a la necesidad urgente de proteger su vida y sus derechos».
Recomendaciones ante un Estado ausente
El boletín concluye con un llamado urgente al Estado hondureño. Exige fortalecer las investigaciones de muertes violentas e implementar políticas públicas de protección integral. Además, capacitar a funcionarios en diversidad sexual y derechos humanos y garantizar que los casos avancen más allá de la etapa preliminar.
Barrientos lo resume con claridad. «Exigimos al Estado respuestas inmediatas, justicia y protección real para nuestra población. No queremos retroceder, no queremos volver atrás, no queremos vivir con miedo, no queremos salir a la calle y saber que no puedo expresar mi amor hacia mi pareja o hacia otra persona porque puedo amar y ser muerta».
El Observatorio KAI+ recuerda que detrás de cada cifra hay seres humanos: madres, padres, hijos, hermanos y familias que dependen de ellos. La indiferencia institucional, advierten, no puede seguir siendo una puerta abierta a la impunidad.
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