On July 10, 2019, Eldar Dairabayev - one of Kok.team’s authors, openly bisexual LGBT activist and just a good person left Kazakhstan.

Eldar left Kazakhstan forever because he is in mortal danger there. In his hometown, he was persecuted because of his sexual orientation and activism. He was fired twice for his orientation and activism; he was beaten, insulted, humiliated, and deprived of his livelihood. He was threatened to be injected with addictive drugs and then killed. He was blackmailed: he was subjected to extortion and was slandered by being called a pedophile. His family members, brother and mother, have also been threatened.

The last attack took place on May 7, 2019, in a bus. Bus conductor recognized Eldar and started beating him, threatening to kill him. For LGBT people, seeking help from the police means putting themselves at risk of police violence. Moreover, Kazakh police often blackmails LGBT people. Kazakh legislation has no notion of hate crimes based on sexual orientation and gender identity; all these crimes are instead categorized as simple hooliganism. Kazakh Parliament regularly pushes for new homophobic laws.

Eldar is exhausted and scared. For him, the only way out was to escape from the country. He flew to Madrid (Spain), where he is seeking political asylum and asking local LGBT organizations for help.

Kok.team is looking for help from all who can assist Eldar in legal procedures and finding a Russian to Spanish translator as well as housing and livelihood. Emotional support is also welcome.

If you can and want to help, please, write to office@kok.team, and we will connect you with Eldar.

With solidarity,

Kok.team