NBC: TJ registers 367 suspected gays and lesbians in database

The report states that Tajikistan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs compiled a list of 367 suspected gay and lesbian citizens and required them to undergo HIV and sexually-transmitted-disease testing, according to an official journal published by the country’s Prosecutor-General’s Office. It states that prosecutors and police identified 319 men and 48 women through operations named “Purge” and “Morality” without disclosing the methods used. The report states that an anonymous police source told AFP the registry was created because “strict medical records were needed for members of the gay community” due to purported infection risk. It states that the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Prosecutor-General’s Office did not respond to requests for comment. The report cites Human Rights Watch Central Asia researcher Steve Swerdlow confirming that people on the list were forced to give blood for HIV testing and characterising Tajikistan’s human rights record as “severe” and the country as “deeply homophobic.” It states that homosexuality was decriminalised in Tajikistan in 1998. The report cites Outright International executive director Jessica Stern describing the registry as “grotesque and dehumanizing” and calling on authorities to destroy the list.