In Georgia, an attempt to kill three gay German tourists

Omalo image via Wikipedia

Source: Interfax

Three German tourists, which turned out to be gay, were beaten and thrown into a river in the mountainous village of Omalo in Georgia on the border with the Russian republic of Chechnya.

Several young Georgians, who had arrived in Omalo as tourists from [Georgian capital] Tbilisi, invited the three German tourists to their table at a local restaurant, the Kakhetia information center said, citing a representative from a travel agency.

After traditional Georgian toasts, including one for love, the invited guests started passionately kiss each other in the lips. The hosts, having misunderstood the same sex love, felt affronted - first they beat up the German gays, and then tied their hands and legs and threw them into the river.

The foreigners were pulled from the river by local residents, who also helped the victims to descend safely into the valley.

No criminal investigation has been launched into the incident, as the German tourists quickly left Georgia, having complained neither to the Georgian police, nor to the German Embassy in Tbilisi.

Dutch launch massive, world-first HIV/Aids program aimed at world's marginalised

Image via Wikipedia

Source: GNP+

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands has reserved € 35 million so that gay men, people who use drugs and sex workers in 16 countries can get easier access to information, condoms, antiretroviral treatment and care.

Never before has a country launched such a large HIV program aimed at these vulnerable groups. It could mean a huge turnaround in reducing the number of HIV infections in the 16 countries.

The program will start in September 2011 and be implemented by seven Netherlands based organizations  including GNP+. As well as the grant from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the program has been made possible by € 11.7 million from other sources.

The 4.5-year program has been judged the best by the ministry.

Earlier this year there was a call for proposals for development cooperation projects aimed at vulnerable groups. The Dutch government’s decision to reserve funds for this project is highly important. It means a continuation of the ‘Dutch approach’ within international AIDS relief where access to prevention and care in combination with the decriminalization of drug use, homosexuality and sex work is central. This is the only way gay men, people who use drugs and prostitutes can get the care they need.

A good example of this care is the integrated needle exchange program for injecting drug users. Many HIV infections are prevented as a result. The great success of the Dutch approach is recognized internationally.

Vulnerable groups are 10 to 20 times more likely to become infected with HIV than the general population. Only 8% has access to prevention, care, HIV treatment and support.

Many countries have legislation that makes access to care difficult or impossible. Examples include laws that make homosexuality a criminal offence or ones that are used to prosecute sex workers.

Offering HIV/AIDS care developed for and by these vulnerable groups must therefore go hand in hand with political pressure to change such legislation. This is precisely the aim of this program. It is also aimed at partners of gay men, drug users and sex workers. Because of the taboo related to homosexuality, in many countries men also have a relationship with a woman or are married.

The program will be run in 16 countries: Georgia, Kirghizstan, Tadzhikistan, Ukraine, Botswana, Uganda, Kenya, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Nepal, Pakistan, Vietnam, Indonesia, Brazil, Costa Rica and Ecuador.

The program builds on work carried out in recent years. This work can now be continued and expanded. This new program will involve a lot more collaboration in order to be as effective and efficient as possible.

Gaps in existing projects will also be tackled. For example, most prevention programs along ‘truck routes’ in Africa are aimed at drivers. Until now, they have not benefited sex workers. This has meant that a great many infections still take place along these routes.

The Dutch program will be carried out by seven organizations: Aids Fonds/STI AIDS Netherlands, Aids Foundation East-West, COC, Global Network of People living with HIV, Health Connections International, Mainline and Schorer.

Together with 102 partner organizations in the 16 countries listed, they will ensure that in the coming years 400,000 gay and bisexual men, transsexuals, people who use drugs and sex workers get access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and other support.

New Report Shows Major AIDS Funders Fail to Track Investments for Gay Men and Transgender People

Source: MSMGF

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First case from Georgia to the European Court of Human Rights concerning police homophobia

Aftermath of the police raid

Source: INTERIGHTS

Edited to add: Blogger Gay Armenia notes that this is the first LGBT case from the South Caucasus. He adds that, "unfortunately, the Inclusive Foundation is no longer active."

The International Centre for the Legal Protection of Human Rights (INTERIGHTS), together with Article 42 of the Constitution, a Georgian human rights NGO, has submitted an application to the European Court of Human Rights in the case of Aghdgomelashvili and Japaridze v Georgia (Application no. 7224/11).

The case concerns a police search of the premises of the ‘Inclusive Foundation’ (IF) conducted on 15 December 2009. From 2006 to 2009 the IF was the only lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) NGO in Georgia. It was co-founded by the first applicant, Eketarine Aghdgomelashvili who is currently the Executive Director of ‘Women’s Initiatives Supporting Group’ (WISG). The second applicant, Tinatin Japaridze worked for the IF as a full time programme officer from 2006 to 2009 and is currently a project manager at the ‘WISG’.

The complaint to the Court alleges that, in conducting their search, the police officers abused their powers and violated the relevant domestic procedures whilst subjecting the applicants to humiliating and degrading treatment.

In particular, as soon as the police officers discovered the nature of the IF’s work, they displayed extreme homophobic behaviour towards all the individuals present in the office including the applicants.  This included multiple insults and rough treatment based on their actual or perceived sexual orientation. The IF staff were also unlawfully strip searched without being provided with any explanation or information about their rights.

Even though it has been two years since the incident, both applicants are still extremely upset and stressed by the police officers’ behaviour and its negative effect on their lives.

The seriousness of the incident is reflected in the significant amount of attention it has received both in the media and civil society. Both national and international NGOs have made public statements condemning the violations and appealed to the Georgian authorities to remedy them. However, despite all of this, there has never been any investigation or attempt to hold any of the police officers accountable.

The application argues that the applicants were subjected to inhuman and degrading treatment (Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights) and /or interference in their private lives (Article 8 of the Convention) as well as discrimination based on their actual or perceived sexual orientation (Article 14 of the Convention; Article 1 of Protocol No 12). In addition, it is contended that applicants’ strip searches were not “in accordance with the law” and did not pursue any of the legitimate aims envisaged by the second paragraph of Article 8 of the Convention. Further, it is submitted that, in the absence of an investigation into the incident, including whether it was motivated by homophobia and a subsequent failure of the State to identify and punish those responsible, there is a continuing procedural violation of Articles 3, 8 and 14.  The lack of effective remedies also breaches Article 13 of the Convention.

This is the first case from Georgia concerning homophobic ill-treatment by the police. In the absence of any similar judgments against other member states to the Council of Europe, it provides the Court with the opportunity to express its position in relation to such a serious issue. In particular the application places the incident within the wider context in Georgia where discriminatory practices towards LGBT individuals, a vulnerable group, regularly occur.

This case is a further illustration of attempts by officials in the former Soviet Union space to suppress LGBT activism which has already been done through banning gay-pride marches (see Alekseyev v Russia, nos. 4916/07, 25924/08 and 14599/09; Genderdoc-M v Moldova, no. 9106/06), resorting to hate speech (Alekseyev  et al v Russia, no 39954/09) or refusing to register LGBT NGOs.

Related articles

• In Georgia, a grisly murder highlights vulnerability of gay people (madikazemi.blogspot.com) 
• Europe's gay rights group ILGA-Europe condemns police raid of member organisation in Georgia, demands immediate release of its board member Paata Sabelashvili (statement and pictures) (gayarmenia.blogspot.com)

In Georgia, a grisly murder highlights vulnerability of gay people

Tbilisi Marriott Hotel via Wikipedia

Source: Eurasianet

by Giorgi Lomadze

A grisly murder in Tbilisi’s Courtyard Marriott Hotel is focusing attention on the issue of homosexuality in conservative Georgia.

Twenty-six-year-old French engineer Stéphane Cohen, an employee of the French transportation company Systra, was knifed to death on January 27 in his room in the posh hotel. Cohen was in Georgia to help the Tbilisi government set up a city tram system. A 17-year-old Georgian male, recorded on hotel security cameras, has confessed to Cohen’s murder.

Police say robbery was a possible motive – the detained suspect ran off with Cohen’s laptop computer, mobile phone and camera – but declined to comment further to EurasiaNet.org given the case’s “sensitive” nature and the ongoing investigation.

While questions remain about the circumstances surrounding Cohen’s murder, Tbilisi café owner Irakli Kutateladze, who describes himself as the dead man’s close friend, told EurasiaNet.org that the Frenchman met his suspected murderer through GayRomeo.com, a dating site actively used by gay Georgians. Other members of Georgia’s gay community confirmed that they saw Cohen’s profile on the dating site.

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Video: In Georgia, transsexuals and gays are "sick people"

Image via Wikipedia 

Source: RT

Sexual minorities in Georgia are accusing the government and the Orthodox church of persecuting them. They want their life choices to be accepted instead of being labeled a sin or disease.

Nika spent 5 years working in Georgia’s police force, and got fired … for being a woman. Nika is transgender and says he is not accepted for wanting to live in a man’s body. He claims gays, lesbians, and transsexuals are considered perverts by most Georgians.

“They say we should sit in our homes and not show up on the street. What, am I not a human being? Or, they say get the hell out of Georgia – is this not my country?” Nika claims.

The Georgian Orthodox church is one of the strongest opponents of gays and lesbians in the country.

The Metropolitan of Borjomi and Bakuriani, Father Serafim, commented, “Our position should be staunch, but we must also remember that they’re sick people. Society, the government and the people must do everything they can to help them heal.”

But Nika, who is himself an Orthodox Christian, disagrees.

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In Georgia, gay men are trying to get out of the underground

Image by Gaeser via FlickrSource: BBC Russia

By Nina Akhmeteli


[Google translation]

In Georgia, the scandal flared up the possibility of holding a gay pride parade in Batumi, the capital of the Autonomous Republic of Adjara.

Such a procession in the country where the majority does not hide his contempt for members of sexual minorities, causes concern even among liberals.

Although that has not yet made any official statements either from the authorities or by members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people, the Georgian media has been discussing the possibility of such a procession. The guardians of the Georgian tradition and morality threaten to disrupt this event.

18-year-old Achiko proudly says that he would do if the streets of Batumi to hold a march, members of sexual minorities. "If they dare to do so, they must be dissolved, this is a disgrace to Georgia, such people should not exist in our country!" - Says Achiko.

In hot speeches Achiko heard no objections to low red-haired friend: "Let him be, if they exist, but for themselves."

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Georgia: anti-gay violence on the rise

Image via Wikipedia

Source: UK Gay News

By Paata Sabelashvili, Inclusive Foundation, Tbilisi

With upcoming municipal elections set for May 30, a strong wave of hate speech against the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community has been forcefully unleashed by radical nationalist and religious groups in Georgia.  We have witnessed several high profile cases in which Georgian politicians, parliamentarians, public figures and journalists have brought LGBT issues in politicised context, making the LGBT community the target for defamation, disgrace and physical violence.

During the winter session of the Parliamentary Assembly of Council of Europe (PACE) the issue of the resolution on “Discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity” gave  a push to the controversy in Georgia, thus prompting the leaders of several religious communities to condemn PACE’s intention to address the issue of homophobia. 

This criticism was immediately accelerated by Christian Democrat’s Movement, a political party represented in the Georgian Parliament.  The Party misinterpreted resolution as obligatory instrument for recognizing same sex marriage and parental rights and was able to stir negative PR for the resolution in Georgia.

Several weeks later, new People’s Orthodox Movement was founded by Mr. Malkhaz Gulashvili, a newspaper publisher known for his close ties with the Russian authorities.  His Moscow ties have frequently put him in a position when he needed to answer pressing questions about his fidelity to Georgian national interests. 

Instead of submitting direct answers, Mr. Gulashvili adopted a strategy to drive away from the discussion by irrelevantly scapegoating lesbians and gays, and calling them perverts and sick.  This has enabled him and his supporters redirect any public discussion from his own agenda.  Mr. Gulashvili has dangerously partaken in into endless and shameless session of insult and defamation of his LGBT co nationals.  He and other members of the movement have been outspoken rather radically, calling on punishing all who are, in his words “against orthodox beliefs and values”.

As a matter of fact, on the May 3, International Press Freedom Day, two extremist orthodox organisations, the Peoples’ Orthodox Movement and Orthodox Parents’ Union, organised rally in front of Ilia State University which was attended by two mayoral candidates.  They requested withdrawal of Irakli Deisadze’s book from the university bookstore. 

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