UN condemns arrests of gays in Azerbaijan, Egypt, Indonesia

Geneva [Switzerland]: United Nations (UN) condemned the recent arrest of transgender and gay people in Azerbaijan, Egypt and Indonesia, and said by detaining, mistreating and torturing the community, the authorities of the respected countries have infringed the international law.

The UN officials said the arrests made, exposes patterns of discrimination and abuse that also damage broad development goals, reported the New York Times.

Around 80 people in Azerbaijan, 50 in Egypt and 50 in Indonesia have been arrested till now.

As per report, the authorities in Azerbaijan detained more than 80 people identified as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender since mid-September. They were reportedly beaten, given electric shocks and forced shaving, said Rupert Colville, a spokesman for the United Nations high commissioner for human rights.

Apart from this, numbers of the people were forced to undergo medical examinations and then their results or details of their medical status were released to the news media.

Colville said that around 50 people were arrested by the Egyptian authorities on the basis of their assumed sexual orientation or gender identity, some of them entrapped by law enforcement officials on websites and chat rooms.

A few of those arrested in Egypt have been released, but 10 men were sentenced to prison terms of one to six years.

The Indonesian police arrested 50 people at a sauna in the capital, Jakarta, on the basis of their perceived sexual orientation. Many were released, but four men and one woman were charged under a "law on pornography".

Colville said the authorities in all three countries accused those arrested of being involved in sex work.

However, in all cases the accused have denied such allegations.