18 Sep 2014 - NPWJ News Digest on on LGBTI rights

Articles

Kazakhstan moves to ban “gay propaganda”, claims blood test for “degeneratism”
By Starobserver, 16 Sep 2014

KAZAKHSTAN is making moves to introduce Russian-style gay propaganda laws, with the leader of one political party claiming a blood test for “degeneratism” could be used to identify gay people. The leader of Kazakh nationalist movement Bolashak (or “future”) Dauren Babamuratov made the claim at a press conference calling on lawmakers to amend the country’s Marriage and Family Code to also ban gay people from serving in the army or holding public office, reports Tengri News. As “evidence” of gay propaganda Babamuratov pointed to stories about LGBT people in Kazakh media and reports of numerous gay bars in Almaty, the country’s largest city, which he claimed “made Almaty the gay capital of Central Asia”.

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Bangladesh opposes UN call to legalize gay sex
By Gay Star News, 16 Sep 2014

A top Bangladeshi diplomat has said the Muslim country will oppose any recommendations on LGBTI rights at an upcoming UN conference on sexual and reproductive health and rights. Abdul Momen, Bangladesh Permanent Representative to the UN, told the Dhaka Tribune, 'It goes against our values. Like many other countries including those Muslims and Christian, we opposed it.' Representatives from UN member states will discuss policy recommendations on LGBTI rights at the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD), which will be held on September 22 at the 69th UN General Assembly in New York. It is expected to be a new battle ground as China, Russia, India and many other countries oppose such policies.

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MEPs condemn Belgrade attack on gay rights activist
By Pink News, 15 Sep 2014

MEPs have condemned an attack on a tourist in Belgrade who was visiting an LGBT rights conference. A 27-year-old German man whose name has not been released to the press, was hit over the head with a glass ashtray in the Serbian capital on Saturday after attending a conference hosted by LGBT group Labris. It is thought that he was set upon by men who screamed about “foreigners” in Belgrade, and suffered “life-threatening” internal bleeding and head injuries from the incident. Serbia’s Prime Minister Aleksandar Vučić condemned the attack. In an official statement he underlined that “the state will do everything to protect and respect the right to non-discrimination.”

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