Azerbaijan: Parents Set Son on Fire After Learning He's Gay

A teen in Azerbaijan was set on fire by his parents in an anti-gay attack after they learned of his sexuality, the International Business Times reports.

The incident occurred after the 18-year-old, identified as Malik, after he was blackmailed via Facebook on July 23. The teen's mother and father were sent a photo of him at an LGBT rights march, sparking them to attack their own son.

A friend recounted the attack and said Malik's parents set him on fire with gasoline. They also punched and kicked their son.

"[Malik's] parents attempted to burn him with gasoline," the LGBT Azerbaijan Alliance reports via Gay Star News. "Even though [Malik] ran away from home, a lot of his personal belongings and documents were taken away by his family....meaning he has no chance to leave the country. [Malik] is in a safe place right now. However, a threat to his life continues."

Malik did not die, however, and has been forced to go into hiding since the attack, Gay Star News reports. The teen is stuck in Azerbaijan, a tiny country located at the crossroads of Eastern Europe and West Asia surrounded by the Caspian Sea, Russia, Georgia, Armenia and Iran, as his passport and clothes were taken by relatives.

Being gay in Azerbaijan is not illegal but there is a strong conservative Muslim culture that makes it hard for LGBT people to live openly.

Earlier this year, it was reported that a 20-year-old LGBT leader from Azerbaijan took his own life by hanging himself with a rainbow flag.