Watch: Gay Doctor 'Disappeared' in Turkmenistan?
International concern has been sparked in the wake of the disappearance of a gay cardiologist in the repressive nation of Turkmenistan.
The Central Asian nation is virulently homophobic, with consensual sex between adults of the same gender being punished with prison sentences of up to two years, media sources note. But more alarming are the many disappearances of people viewed as undesirable by the repressive Turkmen government.
International watchdogs such as the Human Rights Watch fear that disappearance is the fate that had befallen Kasymberdy Garayev, a cardiologist who spoke with Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty for a profile that was broadcast on Oct. 21. Though Garayev was not identified by name, the Turkmen government reportedly began seeking him after the broadcast.
Acording to Human Rights Watch, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty heard from Garayev on Oct. 24. The cardiologist told the RFE/RL that the government had called him in for a "background check." But half an hour before he was due to report, Garayev disappeared and has not been heard from since. Rights watchdogs fear the worst.
The cardiologist had been a target for the anti-LGTBQ government previously, reports Human Right Watch:
Turkmen police had detained Garayev previously, in 2018, after the authorities used proxies to lure him online into a date with another man. He told RFE/RL, "They used a stun gun, they demanded that I confess to the camera that I was gay." Garayev was released without charge after several hours.
Garayev foresaw that being disappeared by the Turkmen government was a possibility, and prepared a video in advance in which he shares his name publicly and offers apologies to his family — even though his family had reportedly harassed him and forced him to undergo so-called "conversion therapy," a sham practice that relies on pseudoscience in its claims to "turn" people into heterosexuals. The practice is considered harmful and utterly ineffective by reputable mental health professionals, and has been banned for use on minors in eighteen American states.
"My dears, forgive me," Garayev says in the video. "I've caused you a lot of pain recently. I made you cry."
Seemingly on the verge of tears himself, Garayev goes on to say, "If I am forcibly taken away, know that I am innocent.... If I disappear, forgive me."
Notes the HRW report:
People who cooperate with foreign media outlets are often persecuted. More than 120 people have been forcibly disappeared either after being arrested or following a trial, and their families have no official information about their whereabouts or status. In this context, when someone who has been summoned by the police is reported missing, there is a real risk they could be the victim of an enforced disappearance.
The group's Deputy Europe and Central Asia Director, Rachel Demnber, stated the group's concern for Garayev's life and safety.
We are very concerned that Kasymberdy Garayev is being held incommunicado in the wake of coming out about his sexual orientation.
Given Turkmenistan's appalling human rights record, including enforced disappearances, we have every reason to fear for his safety and well-being.
Watch Garayev's video, which he prepared in case of his disappearance, below.