LGBTQIA+ Rights Event in Astana Ends in Disruption

On November 21, a roundtable on the impact of LGBTQIA+ discrimination on Kazakhstan's international standing, economy, healthcare, and human rights was held in Astana.

Activists also presented the results of a study.

However, the presentation was disrupted, and police arrived at the event, Orda.kz reports.

Background

The meeting was prompted by recent amendments banning so-called "LGBT propaganda," which the Majilis approved in its second reading. Deputies insist this merely prohibits "positive coverage," but human rights activists warn that the consequences are far more serious.

According to queer.kz, the law effectively bans Kazakhstanis from any mention of LGBT individuals, equating sexual orientation with pedophilia and violence. Educational content is also targeted, with any information automatically deemed harmful.

This means distributing the material on any platform will be prohibited.

How Did The Round Table Go?

We observed the meeting online. The focus was on the results of a study based on a survey of over 600 LGBT people in Kazakhstan.

Activists called the findings extremely alarming:

Data shows that LGBTQ+ people feel most unsafe when interacting with government agencies and in public spaces,
 the presentation says.

Event Disruption

Barely had the organizers finished discussing the lack of safety when a dissenter attempted to disrupt the event. According to a post on Education Community, this individual was identified as Ziuar Zh.

At the beginning of the event, the police arrived, ostensibly to provide protection, but they only disrupted the event. Then a woman named Ziuar Zh. arrived and began disrupting the event, shouting and interrupting the speakers,
 writes Education Community.

Video from the live feed! The event was attacked by supporters of the Union of Pests and Bagili Baltabeva. They insulted, provoked fights, and behaved inappropriately, while LGBT+ people sat calmly and tried to calm the instigator,
 writes queer.kz.

While attending the conference online, we heard the woman repeatedly attempt to interrupt the speaker. The woman ignored activists' requests to calm down and ask questions after the speech.

She also refused to leave the room at the owner's request.

The live feed kept cutting out and then restarting as activists tried to calm the angry woman. She then filed a complaint against one of the researchers, Arj Tursynkhan, for allegedly swearing in public.

The police took Arj to the station. Ziuar, however, was not arrested for disturbing the peace, shouting, or attempting to disrupt the event.

As a result, the brave police arrested our colleague who was giving a presentation at a private event. This is outrageous and arbitrary! We won't tolerate this; it's time to fight for our rights!
 says the post on queer.kz.

The police failed to detain the women who rudely expressed disrespect to others; instead, at the request of these activists, they detained the speaker, Arj, for uttering an obscene word in an emotional tone, not directed at women,
 writes feminita_kz.

We later contacted Aziyat Agishev, one of the speakers and the author of the study. He reported that he and his colleagues had been at the police station for several hours, where they were being forced to write statements.

Meanwhile, Arj was being held in custody pending trial. 

They say the colleague will be tried tomorrow at 10:00 for petty hooliganism, even though it was the woman who disrupted the entire event,
 explained Aziyat.

They're going to keep him in the isolation ward, even though he's not feeling well. They've already called an ambulance. He fell in front of me, and they won't let him leave. They won't even let him take his medication. He needs antidepressants — he's been diagnosed with depression,
 the activist added.

Arj will spend tonight in a detention center, despite having suffered two strokes last year, despite calling an ambulance today, despite having a Group III disability! The court date is tomorrow, presumably this afternoon. The suspect is charged under Article 434.1 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Republic of Kazakhstan,
 as stated in feminita_kz's story.

We previously attended a press conference by Almaty activists, where they stated that such amendments violate the Constitution and restrict citizens' freedoms. They also argued that the measures taken could lead to increased hatred and a rise in teenage suicides due to a lack of necessary support and information.

Subsequent Developments

After Arj's arrest, activists expected his trial to begin at 10:00 a.m. at 10 Zhenis Street.

But when they arrived to support him, they discovered the hearing had been postponed without even notifying his lawyer.

We were told the trial would be after lunch, but they didn't tell us the time or where Arj would be. At 1:48 p.m., the lawyer texted us and said it was court, and that she had only been brought in after the trial had already begun,
Aziyat Agishev, told us.

15:00

Activists found a recording that showed the woman who filed the police report using obscene language.

She also said that after his release, Arj was experiencing psychological difficulties.

They brought him men who threatened to sexually assault him, broke his glasses, doused him with soda, and tried to drive him to suicide. He took a whole bottle of antidepressants and painkillers,
 the mother added.

15:10

LGBT activist and founder of the organization Feminita, Zhanar Sekerbayeva, and other activists were in a café when Ziuar, along with other women, arrived.

According to queer.kz, "Ziuar and other women burst into the cafe and used physical force."

She started yelling and pushing Zhanar, and the police arrived,
 wrote in the organization's stories.

16:38

After the incident, the activists went to another cafe, but the police arrived. Zhanar Sekerbayeva, who went out to the store, was detained. The reason is unclear.

November 21, 11:58 PM

Another case of LGBTQIA+ detention was later reported. It occurred late in the evening of November 21. The LGBTQIA+ human rights initiative REQUEST reported a raid on a bar in Astana.

According to Arsen Aubakirov, co-founder of the REQUEST initiative, local police officers, special rapid response units, representatives of the organized crime department, and several others dressed as civilians arrived for the arrest.

They claimed they were conducting an investigative operation, but they didn't tell us what exactly was going on or the basis for their investigation. They gathered all the staff and guests on the first floor and began checking documents and drawing up reports,
 Arsen Aubakirov said.

They added words to the report that I didn't say. I saw the officer's note on the tablet that I refused a copy of the document. But I said I would appeal and disagreed with the report. Ultimately, they didn't issue it.

The organization reported in its stories that police ultimately detained the entire art group.

Twelve people were detained.

Original Author: Yegor Grozny, second article