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Plight Worsens For Nepal's LGBT Community
365 Gay.com - 5 Jan 07
When the government of King Gyanendra entered into a peace agreement with Maoist rebels Nepal's gay community thought a new constitution and promises of civil rights would end years of torment at the hands of police. Now they find the situation has actually worsened as roaming bands of communists round up gays and transsexuals as part of a so-called cleansing of "social pollutants".
For gays it is the ultimate in betrayal after having supported the new government.
Blue Diamond Society, Nepal's only LGBT civil rights organization, had participated in the demonstrations against the regime of King Gyanendra that helped usher in an elected government but the group says now that the new government is no better than the old one.
Attempts by Blue Diamond to meet with Maoist leaders have been rebuffed.
"We are against any aberrant activity that could have a negative and vitiating effect on society," a Maoist leader identified only as Sagar, told Indian news service IANS.
Moaists maintain that homosexuality is product of capitalism.
Pogroms against gays began in the early days of King Gyanendra's regime.
Members of the LGBT community are arbitrarily arrested, held without a hearing and beaten and tortured by prison guards.
In March police arrested 26 transsexuals in one raid. According to Blue Diamond they were taken to the Hanuman Dhoka central police station in Kathmandu where they were held for weeks without being allowed to contact anyone.
Blue Diamond also said that people working in the areas of HIV prevention are regularly harassed by police.
Nepal was one of several countries named in this year's State Department report on human rights violators.
365 Gay.com - 5 Jan 07
When the government of King Gyanendra entered into a peace agreement with Maoist rebels Nepal's gay community thought a new constitution and promises of civil rights would end years of torment at the hands of police. Now they find the situation has actually worsened as roaming bands of communists round up gays and transsexuals as part of a so-called cleansing of "social pollutants".
For gays it is the ultimate in betrayal after having supported the new government.
Blue Diamond Society, Nepal's only LGBT civil rights organization, had participated in the demonstrations against the regime of King Gyanendra that helped usher in an elected government but the group says now that the new government is no better than the old one.
Attempts by Blue Diamond to meet with Maoist leaders have been rebuffed.
"We are against any aberrant activity that could have a negative and vitiating effect on society," a Maoist leader identified only as Sagar, told Indian news service IANS.
Moaists maintain that homosexuality is product of capitalism.
Pogroms against gays began in the early days of King Gyanendra's regime.
Members of the LGBT community are arbitrarily arrested, held without a hearing and beaten and tortured by prison guards.
In March police arrested 26 transsexuals in one raid. According to Blue Diamond they were taken to the Hanuman Dhoka central police station in Kathmandu where they were held for weeks without being allowed to contact anyone.
Blue Diamond also said that people working in the areas of HIV prevention are regularly harassed by police.
Nepal was one of several countries named in this year's State Department report on human rights violators.
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