LGBTQ rights in Tajikistan | |
---|---|
Status | Legal since 1998[1] |
Gender identity | Legal (after sex reassignment surgery) |
Military | No |
Family rights | |
Recognition of relationships | No |
Adoption | No |
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in Tajikistan face legal challenges not experienced by non-LGBTQ residents. Both male and female types of same-sex sexual activity are legal in Tajikistan, but same-sex couples and households headed by same-sex couples are not eligible for the same legal protections available to heterosexual married couples.[1]
LGBT people tend to face frequent discrimination, harassment and violence from the authorities and the Muslim-majority public.[2]
In 2017, the authorities drew up an "official list" of LGBT citizens following two state operations named "Morality" and "Purge".[2][3]
During raids in 2022 and 2023, police subjected numerous LGBT persons to forced HIV testing. Those who tested positive were charged with “putting another person at risk of infection with human immunodeficiency virus” (Article 125, part 1 of the Criminal Code) or made to pay large bribes to the police in exchange for being released. This happened even in cases where the accused was not infectious due to regular antiretroviral treatment or where sexual partners did not complain about the accused. IPHR has documented dozens of credible cases of police arbitrarily detaining LGBT people and of extorting money from them.[4]