The Azerbaijani law forbidding gay sex was abolished in 2000.[1] A special edition of Azerbaijan, the official newspaper of the Parliament, published on 28 May, reported that the Parliament had approved a new Criminal Code, and that the President had signed a decree bringing it into force in September. The text of the new Criminal Code was also published. The old Article 113 (inherited from the Soviet era which punished anal sex between men with three years imprisonment)[2] has been replaced with a new Article 150, which bans only forcible sexual acts.
When Azerbaijan became part of USSR, homosexuality was a crime in Azerbaijan, although it was not in Russia.[3] After the independence of Azerbaijan in 1991, homosexual acts were legalized in 2000.[1]
Although homosexual acts between consenting male adults were officially decriminalized, there were still reports about police abuses against gays, mainly male prostitutes. The victims wanted to remain anonymous. They were afraid of the police. (2001 Report of the International Helsinki Federation).
State-controlled media outlets use homosexuality as a tool to harass and discredit critics of the government[4] and opposition journalists.[5][6]
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