Briton faces five years in Kyrgyzstan jail over horse penis joke

A British mine worker has reportedly been arrested in Kyrgyzstan after comparing its national dish to a horse's penis on Facebook.

Scotsman Michael McFeat was held after posting a picture of Kyrgyz co-workers queuing for a “chuchuk” horsemeat sausage, with a caption comparing the spicy delicacy to a stallion’s genitalia, the AFP news agency said.

It was reported that the caption upset his co-workers to such an extent that they called a brief strike at the Kumtor goldmine where he works.

Mr McFeat has deleted the post but put an apology on his Facebook page on Saturday, saying: “I would like to take the opportunity to sincerely apologise for the comment I made on here about the Kyrgyz people and horse penis.”

A British foreign office spokesman said: “We are in contact with the local authorities after a British national was detained in Kyrgyzstan and are ready to provide consular assistance.”

Mr McFeat faces up to five years in prison, according to reports.

The Kumtor open-pit mine is the largest gold mine in Central Asia and its output accounts for more than one-third of the country’s export of goods and services, according to its website. It is operated by Canadian firm Centerra Gold, based in Toronto. The company was unavailable for comment.