Expand Kasymberdy Garayev. Berlin β A man is feared missing in Turkmenistan after he made his sexual orientation public, Human Rights Watch said today. The Turkmen government should urgently clarify whether the man, Kasymberdy Garayev, is in custody, and if he is, release him immediately and explain why he was being held. Turkmen police had detained Garayev previously, in , after the authorities used proxies to lure him online into a date with another man.
In the video, Garayev apologizes to his family and discloses his name. Garayev is a cardiologist who returned to Ashgabat in the summer of after completing medical studies in Minsk, Belarus. By coming out, Garayev said, he wanted to start a discussion in Turkmen society so that attitudes towards sexual minorities would change.
Adult consensual same-sex conduct is a criminal offense under Turkmen law, punishable by a maximum two-year prison sentence. In past years, police have used forced anal exams on people accused of same-sex conduct. These examinations lack evidentiary value and are a form of cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment that may in some cases amount to torture. Turkmenistan has a highly repressive government.
People who cooperate with foreign media outlets are often persecuted. More than people have been forcibly disappeared either after being arrested or following a trial, and their families have no official information about their whereabouts or status. In this context, when someone who has been summoned by the police is reported missing, there is a real risk they could be the victim of an enforced disappearance. Garayev is also barred from leaving Turkmenistan, allegedly because his family has government contacts they are able to use to seek the ban.
Skip to main content. Help us continue to fight human rights abuses. Please give now to support our work. Your tax deductible gift can help stop human rights violations and save lives around the world.
