AZERBAIJAN: UN RIGHTS EXPERTS ALARMED BY REPORTS OF PERSECUTION OF PEOPLE PERCEIVED TO BE GAY OR TRANS
(WorldNews Switzerland)

13 October 2017 GENEVA, 13 October 2017 (Issued as received) - A group of UN experts* has urged Azerbaijan to act after receiving credible reports of human rights abuses against gay and transgender people, including arbitrary arrests and ill-treatment, torture and forced medical examinations in detention. `We are deeply disturbed by a series of police raids launched since mid-September in the capital, Baku, leading to the arrest and detention of more than 80 people perceived to be gay, transgender or whom the authorities have alleged are involved in sex work,` the experts said. `International human rights law and the treaty obligations of Azerbaijan are clear - no one should be arrested on...