Kyrgyzstan deports Scottish miner after 'horse penis' sausage joke

BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan, Jan. 4 (UPI) -- A Scottish mine worker is being deported from Kyrgyzstan after he was arrested for a Facebook joke comparing the country's national dish to a horse penis.

Michael McFeat of Abernethy was arrested Sunday at Manas International Airport under the country's race hate laws after a Dec. 31 Facebook post showed his coworkers from the Kumtor gold mine lining up for chuchuk horse meat sausages.

"The Kyrgyz people queuing out of the door for there special delicacy the horses penis!!!" he wrote.

McFeat deleted the post and replaced it with an apology Saturday, after locals complained his joke disrespectful.

"I would like to take the opportunity to sincerely apologize for the comment I made on here about the Kygyz people and horses penis. I truly never meant to [offend] anyone and [I'm] truly sorry as it was never my [intention]. I would also like to say the people in the picture had absolutely nothing to do with it. Again [I'm] very very sorry."

McFeat was arrested at the airport Sunday and faced up to five years in jail under the race hate laws, but police eventually told the Karakol City Court the worker's comment was not found to have incited ethnic violence.

Officials later announced McFeat was being deported over an issue with his documentation.