Kyrgyz mufti issues fatwa against gays, challenges HRW
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 30 January 2014 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Kyrgyz mufti issues fatwa against gays, challenges HRW, 30 January 2014, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/533144c73.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 30, 2014
By RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service
Kyrgyzstan's acting grand mufti, Maksat Hajji Toktomushev (file photo)
BISHKEK – Kyrgyzstan's acting grand mufti, Maksat Hajji Toktomushev, has issued a fatwa against same-sex relations and challenged the findings of a new report by Human Rights Watch (HRW).
In a statement placed on the Kyrgyz Muslims' Spiritual Directorate website on January 30, Toktomushev said Islam absolutely forbids same-sex relations.
Homosexuality was decriminalized in Kyrgyzstan in 1998.
Responding to a January 29 HRW report on the treatment of homosexuals by Kyrgyz police, Toktomushev called on Kyrgyz authorities and the parliament "to pay special attention to the activities of some public organizations that disseminate social discord while using humanistic ideas."
In its report, HRW found that police in Kyrgyzstan have extorted, threatened, arbitrarily detained, beaten, and sexually abused gay and bisexual men.
The report called on Kyrgyzstan to protect its gay citizens.
Link to original story on RFE/RL website
