Kazakh firm fined for gay club advertisement
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 28 October 2014 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Kazakh firm fined for gay club advertisement, 28 October 2014, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/548ea66c15.html [accessed 17 September 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
October 28, 2014
By RFE/RL's Kazakh Service
This image of Russian poet Aleksandr Pushkin kissing Kazakh composer Qurmanghazy Saghyrbaiuly outraged many in Kazakhstan.
A Kazakh company behind a controversial advertisement for a gay club in Almaty has been ordered to pay about $180,000 to 34 students who filed a lawsuit against the firm.
Daria Khamidzhanova, director of the Havas Worldwide Kazakhstan Company, said she was "shocked" by the Almaty court's October 28 ruling and will appeal the decision.
The online banner advertisement – created for a gay club called "Studio 69" – depicts a 19th century Kazakh composer and folk singer, Qurmanghazy Saghyrbaiuly, kissing Russian poet Aleksandr Pushkin.
The students from the Qurmanghazy Conservatory accused the company of "insulting both Kazakhs and Russians."
The banner prompted protests in August and an apology from the firm, which said it would not display the banner on the streets of Almaty.
In September, an Almaty court found the company guilty of "advertising goods and services banned in Kazakhstan."
Homosexual relations were decriminalized in Kazakhstan in the 1990s, but intolerance towards homosexuals remains strong.
Link to original story on RFE/RL website