Gay Uzbek Journalist Convicted of Sodomy
Europe - AP
Gay Uzbek Journalist Convicted of Sodomy
Wed Aug 13, 1:33 PM ET
By BAGILA BUKHARAYEVA, Associated Press Writer
TASHKENT, Uzbekistan - An openly gay Uzbek journalist was found guilty of sodomy Wednesday in a trial that highlighted concerns about media freedoms and pressure against homosexuals in this tightly controlled Central Asian country.
International human rights and press groups immediately condemned the conviction as politically motivated.
A Tashkent district court convicted Ruslan Sharipov, 25, of having homosexual sex, having sex with minors and running a brothel and sentenced him to 5 1/2 years in jail, said Matilda Bogner, a researcher for Human Rights Watch, quoting Sharipov's mother, Aza Sharipova.
Sharipov pleaded guilty and dismissed his lawyers at a hearing last week, after earlier maintaining that he was innocent and the case fabricated. His mother was the only outside observer allowed in the courtroom Wednesday when the judge announced the punishment.
Court officials were not immediately reachable for further details.
Uzbekistan's human rights record has attracted more international attention since the country allowed U.S. troops to use a military base here. The Uzbek government tolerates no dissent, and politically motivated prosecution of journalists is common.
Sharipov, who leads an independent group that focuses on media freedom, has repeatedly been detained, beaten and questioned by police. His case has also brought to light the lesser-publicized issue of the rights of homosexuals.
Bogner said the conviction showed that "justice isn't served in Uzbekistan and the judiciary isn't independent."
The International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission called for Sharipov's immediate release and the dismissal of all charges against him. It said there was a serious danger that he was being mistreated in custody.
The group, based in San Francisco, said Sharipov had told those who had visited him in jail that he had been subjected to "continued and escalating beatings, threats of sexual violence and verbal abuse."
The Paris-based media rights group, Reporters Without Borders, expressed deep concern over Sharipov's case and demanded that the charges be dropped.
"Everything indicates that Sharipov was arrested on false and sordid pretenses designed to rid the authorities of a bothersome, dissident voice," the group's secretary general, Robert Menard, said in a letter to Uzbek President Islam Karimov.
The New York-based Human Rights Watch has also urged Sharipov's release and raised concerns that he was tortured to confess. A U.N. envoy who visited Uzbekistan last year concluded that torture was systematic in the nation's jails.
qen
Unregistered User
(8/14/03 2:37 am)
Uzbekistan is a Fundamentalist Country
And as everyone knows, fundamentalist countries are very well known for their tolerance of different ideas and cultures.
bdr
Unregistered User
(8/14/03 2:52 am)
RE: Uzbekistan is a Fundamentalist Country
Just like the USA--especially the south, huh?
verb88
Unregistered User
(8/14/03 2:55 am)
RE: Gay Uzbek Journalist Convicted of Sodomy
so he was with little boys?
does he deny they were minors?
I dont have any problem with gays.
However, why cant they keep it in the bedroom, out of the press, and come on,,, they gotta be of legal age.
its not so hard... but the 'radical' gays, and ultra conservative heteros... they are both fvck'd.
just mind your own biz.
do on to others as you'd have them do on to you.
and keep your sex life limited to those around you who are interested in it.
isnt it easy? or am i missing something here?
pumakytt
Unregistered User
(8/14/03 2:58 am)
RE: Gay Uzbek Journalist Convicted of Sodomy
Quote:'so he was with little boys?'
No one truthfully knows what he was doing since it's widely believed he's been tortured and his family threatened if he didn't plead guilty.
Quote:'However, why cant they keep it in the bedroom, out of the press, and come on,,, they gotta be of legal age'
1) We DO keep it in the bedroom. Our desire to get equal rights is separate from our sexual habits. Also, when did straight men and women keep their sexuality in the bedroom? If I remember right you have the right to kiss your companion(boyfriend/girlfriend, wife/husband) and hold their hand or hug them in public without ridicule. Gays and lesbians, however, do not. Most times it's greeted with juvenile jeering or public rebuke.
2) We do not desire children(that means anyone under the age of 18 btw) nor are we pedophiles that hunt children down and rape them. That's restricted to the twisted members of NAMBLA, which overall most gays/lesbians abhor and consider in the same way that most straight people consider pedophiles: Sick, demented individuals. One little fact btw: Most pedophiles are heterosexual(90-95%). Read any abnormal/criminal psych text to see that.
Quote:'just mind your own biz.
do on to others as you'd have them do on to you'
That wouldn't be good since I'd be getting a group of three gay men/women together to beat the hell out of a straight man/woman that I see holding their companion's hand on their property.
That's what happened to me. On my own property I was attacked by three teenagers. I lost three teeth, had numerous broken bones/injuries, and lost around 2 months of work during rehab, and to this day still fear holding my companion's hand in public out of fear I'll be attacked.
Do unto others as I would have them do unto me is a nice thought, but not placed very well when you consider how gays and lesbians are treated.
Quote:'and keep your sex life limited to those around you who are interested in it. isnt it easy? or am i missing something here? '
1) we do keep our sex life limited to those around us who are interested in it. You see we're not into raping people, we only have consensual sex(barring rapists and pedophiles, just as occurs among straight people) and have absolutely no desire to force sex upon anyone.
2) Apparently you are missing something since you assume that we do all the above things. I have to wonder where you get your ideas about gays and lesbians from? Do you think gay men dress in drag and lesbians wear combat boots and mullets? If so then you'd probably be surprised at how many gays and lesbians are around you daily. If I were next to you you'd probably not even notice I was gay. Matter of fact I know you wouldn't. Very few ever realize I'm gay until I actually tell them(or they see me out with my companion at dinner or the theme parks) and just get a laugh for the mistake.
So next time you start taking stereotypes as literal, consider your thoughts.
tpgresham
Unregistered User
(8/14/03 3:00 am)
RE: Gay Uzbek Journalist Convicted of Sodomy
STICKING THIS FUDGEPUCKER IN JAIL SO HE CAN BE REAMED FOR THE NEXT 5 1/2 YEARS...BOY'S GOING TO THINK HE DIED AND WENT TO HEAVEN...
ON THE POSITIVE SIDE...WAY TO GO UZBEK, WHERE EVER THE HELL YOU ARE, FOR HAVING THE SENSE TO LOCK UP THIS PERVERT...
phishoil
Unregistered User
(8/14/03 3:02 am)
A Sad Day
This is why we must fight against idiocy in the world, because if it were left up to anyone else we'd be in the same conditions i.e. G. Dubya Bush
There must be something we can do to get Sharipov released immediately before he has to endure anymore pain. My heart goes out to his mother.
Re: A good Day
The pervert got what he deserved;I wish the prisoners do at him,what he done to the children.
That's the only way the moslem ummah is being kept cleaned from corruption and pedophilea.
In the Islamic society gays aren't accepted,they are sick people,their place is --keep them away from the children,lock them up!.
Punishment for the perverts.
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