Kathmandu police assault transgendered for carrying condoms

by Rex Wockner

Originally printed 07/26/2007 (Issue 1530 - Between The Lines News)

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Police in Kathmandu, Nepal, have admitted that they target effeminate males and transgendered people (both known as metis) for the apparent crime of carrying condoms.

On July 14, city police allegedly beat, stripped and sexually abused several metis who had gathered in Ratna Park.

Upon receiving complaints about the incident from Nepal's LGBT Blue Diamond Society and a visiting activist from New York-based Human Rights Watch, a Janasewa Police Station sub-inspector, Pardeep Chand, reportedly informed the activists: "We found metis carrying condoms, and the metis also told us that they use condom(s) while having anal or oral sex. So it's our regular campaign to control metis inside the Ratna Park and elsewhere."

According to Blue Diamond's account of the events in the park, officers approached the metis; threatened to shoot them if they tried to flee; slapped, kicked and clubbed them; searched their pockets, found money and stated, "You ... motherfuckers, you make this money by anal sex and prostitution."

According to Blue Diamond, the officers forced the metis to strip and pull back their foreskins to be checked for semen residue. The officers allegedly searched the metis' bags, found condoms and asked what they were for. When the metis said they use the condoms for sex, they were beaten further and accused of engaging in unnatural and illegal sexual activities.

The metis were later held in two police vans, then released.

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