LGBTQ rights in Uzbekistan
LGBTQ rights in Uzbekistan | |
|---|---|
| Legal status |
|
| Penalty | Up to 3 years imprisonment |
| Gender identity | No |
| Military | No |
| Discrimination protections | None |
| Family rights | |
| Recognition of relationships | No recognition of same-sex unions |
| Adoption | No |
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) people face widespread prosecution in Uzbekistan. Same-sex sexual activity between men is illegal in Uzbekistan. The punishment is up to 3 years in prison. Uzbekistan is one of just 2 post-Soviet states in which male homosexual activity remains criminalized, along with Turkmenistan.
Serious societal discrimination and abuse is directed towards LGBTQ persons, which includes mob violence, harassment, entrapment for the purpose of blackmail, and threats and use of violence. Despite the incidence of violence and intimidation, LGBTQ persons generally do not report these crimes to authorities for fear of further victimisation at their hands. There are reports of extortion by police, intimidation, arbitrary detention, assaults and other mistreatment of victims who have sought police assistance. Human rights violations by police also include torture, and severe beatings in detention. Vigilante attacks and mob violence, and other hate crimes, including murders, are targeted at LGBTQ individuals.
The Uzbek government has dismissed the need for action to protect sexual minorities, with one official declaring that even if same-sex sexual activities were decriminalised, LGBTQ persons could not be kept safe. Community attitudes that fuel such anti-LGBTQ activity stem from the Uzbek "mentality", with their "religion, culture, and traditions" making "gay men and women" unacceptable in the country, according to the spokesperson.