UN: Kyrgyzstan Needs to Do Away With Anti-Gay Measure

Officials from the United Nations' human rights office are urging lawmakers from Kyrgyzstan to nix a highly controversial anti-gay measure that mirrors Russia's "gay propaganda" bill, Pink Star News reports.

"We call on the Kyrgyz Parliament and authorities to refrain from passing draft legislation that would embed in law discrimination against people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender (LGBT)," said Ravina Shamdasani, spokesperson for the Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights. "The proposed law would also violate fundamental human rights, including the rights to liberty, security and physical integrity and to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association. These rights are protected by human rights treaties ratified by Kyrgyzstan."

Earlier this month it was reported that Kyrgyzstan was coming closer to passing the measure after a parliamentary committee approved the language of the bill, which means the bill moves to parliament for debate. If it's approved, it will have to be signed by the Central Asian country's president, Nursultan Nazarbayev, to become law.

The bill is similar to Russia's anti-gay "propaganda" measure, which sparked international outrage last year, especially when the Winter Games were being held in Sochi in February. Kyrgyzstan's measure will ban the spread of information about "non-traditional sexual relations." Those who violate the law, by "propagating homosexual relations," will be hit with a one-year jail sentence. They'll also be fined about $115 USD, which is about half the average monthly salary of a worker in Kyrgyzstan.

"The adoption of this law would also go against the commitments made by Kyrgyzstan during its Universal Periodic Review in the UN Human Rights Council in 2010," said Shamdasani.

The UN says similar laws that have been enforced in other countries have negative affects on human rights, including a rise in attacks and discrimination against LGBT people - especially youth. Pink Star News points out Kyrgyzstan's bill, like Russia's law, is vaguely worded, allowing for almost anything to be "homosexual propaganda."