Leading Kyrgyz rights defender condemns mufti's antigay fatwa
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 31 January 2014 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Leading Kyrgyz rights defender condemns mufti's antigay fatwa, 31 January 2014, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/533144cf14.html [accessed 31 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
January 31, 2014
By RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service
Kyrgyz rights activist Tolekan Ismailova
BISHKEK – A prominent Kyrgyz rights defender has condemned an antigay fatwa issued by the country's acting grand mufti.
Talking to RFE/RL on January 31, Tolekan Ismailova, the director of the group Citizens against Corruption, called the fatwa by Maksat Hajji Toktomushev "unconstitutional."
Toktomushev's fatwa, issued on January 29, condemned same-sex relationships and challenged the findings of a new report by Human Rights Watch (HRW) that accused Kyrgyz police of extorting, threatening, arbitrarily detaining, beating, and sexually abusing gays.
Responding to the HRW report, Toktomushev called on Kyrgyz authorities "to pay special attention to the activities of some public organizations that disseminate social discord while using humanistic ideas."
Ismailova, who is also the executive secretary of Kyrgyzstan's NGOs forum and founding president of Kyrgyzstan's Coalition for Democracy and Civil Society, said investigations must be launched into the cases reported by HRW.
Link to original story on RFE/RL website
