A young man has fled his native country of Kyrgyzstan in fear for his life, after two vicious hate crimes that included having the word “gay” carved into his flesh.
The victim, only identified as A.D. for his protection, told Pink News of the two harrowing experiences he endured in the Issyk-Kul region in East of Kyrgyzstan.
A.D., who is a bisexual man in his twenties, says the first attack happened in early November of last year after leaving his male friend’s home.
A.D.’s friend, identified as A.A., hugged him while A.D. was waiting for a taxi. Three men then approached the two and called A.A. by his name, making it clear to A.D. that they knew his friend.
The unidentified assailants took them both to an isolated area and beat them, especially A.A., with batons and left them there.
“They beat us mostly in the kidneys, stomach and legs with batons, and they left,” A.D. recalled.
Having been an attendee at a workshop from a local LGBT+ group recently, A.D. decided to file a report about the homophobic attack to the police.
A.D. described the attackers’ appearance in his police statement, including the information that police batons were used to beat him and his friend up.
A.A. expressed his concern of the possible consequences after finding out what A.D. has done, regarding what the police might do.
The second assault happened just a few weeks after the first attack.
While on his way home on November 19, a man approached A.D, identifying himself as a member of the police force and insisted A.D. come with him as they had detained his alleged attackers and he was needed for their ID confirmation.
A.D. reluctantly got in the car and found another man sitting in the vehicle.
A.D.’s reluctance turned into fear as the car drove towards an isolated area outside of the city, not the police station.
The two men then told A.D. to get out of the car started berating him.
“They told me to get out of the car and started insulting me saying: ‘You damn gay, how dare you write a statement, don’t you understand that no one will not help you, you are a shame for the whole society,” A.D. recounted.
After the insults and threats, one of the men brought out two bottles of vodka and told A.D. to drink with them and forget what just happened.
A.D. told the men that he does not drink and that he was willing to forget what they did without it but then they started to hit him.
“I said that I did not drink and ready to forget everything without drinking. But then the second man hit me hard in the head from behind and I fell. They continued to beat me, they clamped my nose and started pouring vodka in my mouth.
“After that, I woke up in the hospital from pain all over my body, especially in the stomach.”
A.D. did not immediately see the wounds but later on his doctors told him that the word ‘gay’ was carve on his stomach.
With only his mother by his side supporting him all throughout this horrible ordeal, A.D. was moved from a public hospital to a private clinic so that he could receive better care.
“I’ve always tried to hide my sexuality, I often felt like a two-faced man,
“I lost all my relatives and friends, but only my mother does not leave me,” A.D. added.
By telling his story, A.D. said he hopes to highlight the challenges the LGBTIQ community currently faces in Kyrgyzstan.
