Monday, June 28, 2010

US Grants Asylum for Gay Uzbekistan Man

With the help of Columbia Law School’s Sexuality and Gender Law Clinic, an Uzbekistan man was granted asylum for fear of persecution because of his sexual orientation if forced to return to his country.

The grant, issued by the US Department of Homeland Security, comes at a time when gay people in Uzbekistan face serious threats, both from police and the surrounding community.

“In Uzbekistan, I lived with terror every day,” said the man, who remains anonymous out of fear of continued persecution. “I was arrested and abused by the police for having an intimate relationship with another man. Even after I escaped the country, the police have tried to track me down at my parents’ home, and I know if I had to return, my life would be in danger.”

Read more here

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