10 May 2018 - NPWJ News Digest on LGBTI rights

Articles

For LGBT in Arab countries, ‘change is painstakingly slow’
by Th Arab Weekly, 10 May 2018

BEIRUT - They suffer from arbitrary arrests and ill-treatment, forced anal examinations, violence by state and non-state actors, family rejection, social stigma and extrajudicial killings in extreme cases. Though the conditions of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) communities in the Middle East and North Africa is perceived to be among the worst worldwide, there are increasingly more movements supporting LGBT rights in the region and advocating their cause openly, said Human Rights Watch (HRW) and the Arab Foundation for Freedoms and Equality (AFE). Despite formidable obstacles, activism in support of LGBT rights in the region has been rising. From four associations advocating sexual freedom in 2009, there are more than 20 such movements across the Arab world today.

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Pakistan passes landmark transgender rights law
by Al Jazeera , 10 May 2018

Islamabad, Pakistan - Pakistan's parliament has passed a law guaranteeing basic rights for transgender citizens and outlawing discrimination by both employers and private business owners, a move hailed by activists as "historic" for the conservative South Asian country. The law accords citizens the right to self-identify as male, female or a blend of both genders, and to have that identity registered on all official documents, including National Identification Cards, passports, driver's licenses and education certificates.

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Hatred, baiting, outing – a report on LGBT rights in Russia
by Jam News, 04 May 2018

The annual report on the situation of LGBT rights in Russia is based on a survey of some 5 400 respondents and also on the monitoring of discrimination cases and violence committed on the grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity. The period under review is 2016-2017. The data gathered by the monitoring programme is not exhaustive as LGBT individuals in Russia are not always willing to speak out on cases of discrimination and they rarely appeal for help from the police or media.

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Gay rights come to the fore as Lebanon prepares to vote
by CNN, 04 May 2018

Ameen Rhayem could face up to a year in jail if he is charged with violating Lebanon's Article 534 "simply for loving another man." The activist makes that point in a video produced by Beirut-based sexual-rights group the Arab Foundation for Freedoms and Equality (AFE) in advance of the country's elections on Sunday, the first vote in nine years.

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