The Turkmen doctor who disappeared, along with his family, after coming out as gay now denies ever coming out at all.
Earlier this week, we shared with you the story of Kasymberdy Garayev. The cardiologist from the Central Asian country of Turkmenistan was tied to a viral coming out post shared online. Last month, Radio Free Europe or RFE/RL shared an interview with a closeted man using a pseudonym. The man talked about gay life in the country where homosexuality can result in two years of imprisonment. He specifically noted how his family knew of his sexuality and pressured him to hide it.
Unfortunately, the anti-gay government didn’t take the story sitting down. After the interview published, police officers started intensely investigating to find out the identity of the anonymous gay man. This eventually led to Garayev.
After catching wind that the police were looking for him, Garayev posted the below video online through RFE/RL. The video shared Garayev’s goodbye. After the video went live, Garayev and his family went missing.
But now after his name started trending online and on news sites, with many asking the Turkmen government for his whereabouts, Garayev has resurfaced. Unfortunately, he’s now denying ever coming out.
According to Radio Free Europe, Kasymberdy Garayev reappeared on November 6 to deny having that conversation with RFE/RL about gay life. He also claimed that his farewell video where he apologized to his family for problems he has caused them after coming out was recorded for a different purpose. The recording, he said, was sent to RFE/RL by mistake.
In addition, the clinic where Garayev once worked shared that he is no longer employed by them. Also, Garayev’s father asked RFE to tell all LGBTQ organizations that voiced concern over the family that Kasymberdy and his family are fine.
Source: Radio Free Europe
