The regional report on human rights violations against lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans people (LGBT people) in Eastern Europe and Central Asia (EECA) in 2025 is based on an analysis of documented cases of human rights violations in seven countries of the region: Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Ukraine.
In 2025, human rights violations against LGBT people in the EECA region remained systemic and interconnected. Documented cases show that violence, interference in private life, extortion, discrimination in employment, education, healthcare, and access to services, as well as arbitrary detention, rarely occur in isolation and often form chains of violations that increase the vulnerability of those affected.
Sources of threats are distributed between both state institutions and private individuals and organizations with whom LGBT people interact in their daily lives. Violations are recorded on the part of law enforcement authorities, migration services, and medical institutions, as well as on the part of sexual partners, family members, employers, colleagues, neighbors, and service industry workers. This range of violators indicates the persistent vulnerability of LGBT people and the limitations of protection mechanisms at both the governmental and societal levels.
The purpose of this report is to present a systemic analysis of documented human rights violations against LGBT people in the EECA region and to identify key mechanisms contributing to their perpetuation.
The publication was created by ECOM and published within the framework of the regional project “Sustainability of services for key populations in Eastern Europe and Central Asia (EECA) — #iSoS: Empowering and Innovations”, implemented by a consortium of organizations under management of the ICF “Alliance for Public Health”, with the financial support of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. Viewpoints presented herein are solely those of its authors and may not coincide with the views or opinions of the Alliance for Public Health and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria.
