International

The United Nations human rights office on Friday expressed deep concern about a wave of arrests in Azerbaijan, Egypt and Indonesia of more than 180 people perceived to be lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT), many of whom have reportedly been mistreated by law enforcement officials. “Arresting or detaining people based on their actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity is by definition arbitrary and violates international law,” including rights to privacy, non-discrimination and equality before the law, said Rupert Colville, spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), at a press briefing in […]

United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein Thursday launched an unprecedented set of global standards to support the business community in tackling discrimination against lesbian, gay, bi, trans and intersex people. Addressing an audience of business leaders, activists and journalists at Microsoft’s New York City headquarters, Zeid called on the private sector to play its part in promoting LGBTI inclusion in the workplace and beyond. “Social change requires the active involvement of all parts of society – including, critically, the business community,” he said. “The decisions that companies take – whether in respect of human resources, […]

ILGA-Europe have launched an urgent appeal to help organizations on the ground support victims of the crisis in Azerbaijan, where members of the LGBTI community are being targeted by police raids. Members of the LGBTI community in Baku are being actively targeted by police raids, with those detained being assaulted, forcibly medically examined, fined or forced to reveal contact details from their mobile phones. ILGA-Europe have launched an urgent appeal for donations to help organizations in the region to support these victims. Based on their experience in responding to the human rights crisis in Chechnya, they can provide grants to activists […]

The Treatment Advocacy and Literacy Campaign (TALC), Community Initiative for Malaria and Tuberculosis (CITAMplus), Coalition for Zambian Women Living with HIV and AIDS (COZWHA), Network of ARV Users and Zambian Network of Religious Living or Personally Affected by  HIV and AIDS (ZANERELA) have commended the Zambian Government on launching HIV Counseling Testing and Treatment Day (HCTT)  Aug. 15,  by His Excellence Edgar Chagwa Lungu. However, the groups have expressed deep concern on the recent announcement during the launch by The Zambian President Edgar Chagwa Lungu that HIV testing, counseling and treatment is now compulsory in Zambia for any person seeking […]

A new report released today by the Global Forum on MSM and HIV (MSMGF) and OutRight Action International in collaboration with the Global Platform to Fast Track the Human Rights and HIV Responses with Gay and Bisexual Men argues for a global health and development approach that is inclusive of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex (LGBTI) people. Released ahead of this year’s United Nations (UN) High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) on Sustainable Development, the paper calls on countries to recognize and address the impact of stigma, discrimination, violence, and criminalization on health. In its second year, the High-Level Political Forum […]

The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) has welcomed a new law passed by the Indian Parliament providing strong legal protection against HIV-related discrimination. The law provides a broad legislative framework for the response to HIV in India and is the first national HIV law in South Asia. The legislation prohibits discrimination against people living with and affected by HIV in a range of settings, including employment, education, housing and health care, as well as with regard to the holding of public or private office, access to insurance and freedom of movement. It also bans unfair treatment of people […]

  Some new details have come out regarding the Chechen law enforcement’s ‘preventive’ raid against LGBT people. It were LGBT people who had managed to flee from the Republic who gave the insight. Some of the fugitives were willing to share the information with journalists despite fear of doing damage to themselves and their families in Chechnya. The LGBT people who fled from repressions in Chechnya said there are 2 secret prisons for illegal detentions of offenders, as well as drug addicts and LGBT people who Chechen government sees as an issue, according to the Svoboda Ratio Station. The raid […]