- Peter Hoskins
- Business Editor
15 minutes ago
Amazon, the e-commerce giant, has imposed restrictions on search results related to LGBT people and their issues on its site in the UAE.
It is reported that the company took the step following coming under pressure from the UAE authorities.
Same-sex relations are prohibited in the UAE, and expressing support for the rights of LGBT people can be considered a violation of the law.
Amazon’s move comes as the “Pride Month” dedicated to celebrating LGBTQ people around the world approaches the end.
An Amazon spokesperson told the BBC: “As a company we remain committed to pluralism, fairness and inclusion, and we believe there is a need to protect the rights of LGBT people.”
“But for Amazon stores around the world, they have to abide by local laws and rules.”
The company took the decision to restrict searches following it was threatened with sanctions by the authorities in the UAE, according to the New York Times, which was the first to cover the news.
The UAE embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a BBC request for comment.
Earlier this month, the Kuwaiti Foreign Ministry said it had summoned a high-ranking US diplomat to protest tweets by the US embassy in support of LGBT rights.
Embassy officials had posted a rainbow flag and a message of solidarity from President Biden to mark “Pride Month.”
Kuwait imposes strict restrictions on LGBT people, and homosexuality is considered a legal offense.
Also during this month, the authorities in Saudi Arabia confiscated toys and children’s clothes in rainbow colors, and Saudi TV said that the reason was that they encouraged homosexuality.
And a television report by Al-Ekhbariya channel showed employees of the Saudi Ministry of Commerce removing goods from the shelves of shops in the capital, Riyadh, including hair ties, shirts, hats and pen purses.
