Amid Life or Death Persecution 125 Gays Left Chechnya
As reported by Russian LGBT Network movement, 125 people left Chechnya amid the persecution of LGBT people. Most of them left the country. The Russian authorities stated that the victims almost did not file applications over abuses, and the words of the only applicant were not confirmed. Human rights activists note that the victims will look for protection abroad until the law enforcement agencies begin to adequately investigate crimes against sex minorities in the North Caucasus.
Since the beginning of 2017, 125 people have left Chechnya; they were victims of the persecution of sexual minorities, the Russian LGBT Network reported. "49 people of them were detained in Chechnya by law enforcers and questioned. They were forced to confess to homosexuality and spill the data about acquaintances," said a representative of the Russian LGBT Network, who asked for anonymity. "Of those who were detained, 37 people were reported on torture and imprisonment for a term of three days to three weeks. Others are partners and family members of the victims, who also received threats." According to the interlocutor, a large part of the citizens have already been fled abroad, but some are still in Russia. So, in July 2018, 20-year-old Chechen native Zelimkhan Akhmadov was kidnapped from a rented apartment in St. Petersburg. "He was handcuffed and put in a car. The concierge remembered the number of the car. They detained everyone," the source said. The kidnapper was his father Eli Akhmadov, and Zelimkhan Akhmadov had to fly abroad urgently.
Recall that in 2017 some reports of the detentions and disappearances of LGBT people in Chechnya appeared. The first one who reported about the persecution was 30-year-old native of the Omsk region Maxim Lapunov, who worked in Chechnya as the host of the events. He told how the policemen detained him and demanded to give information about his LGBT acquaintances, and when he refused, they beat and threatened to torture him with electrocution. Mr. Lapunov spent 12 days in a 2x2m cell and was released when his relatives outside of Chechnya made a fuss due to his disappearance. The victim met with federal Ombudswoman Tatyana Moskalkova, and she transferred his application to the Investigative Committee of Russia. However, the criminal case was never initiated. Earlier, press secretary of the Chechen Head Alvi Karimov stated that information about the persecution of LGBT people in the republic is "an insolent lie" and "one of the forms of information attacks on Chechnya and Russia as a whole." Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov has repeatedly argued that homosexuality is "classless for the Chechen people."
The Russian LGBT Network is concerned about the authorities' refusal to recognize the persecution of gays in Chechnya. This topic was raised at the meeting of the Committee against Torture of the United Nations last week, where the Russian delegation confirmed that there are no such persecutions. "All reports of the use of violence, including those on the part of officials, have been studied and verified. The basis for the audit was information in the media about the persecution of people suspected of homosexuality, the killing of at least three citizens. This information was not confirmed," stated Valery Maksimenko, head of the Main Directorate for Supervision over Investigation and Operational Investigative Activities at the Prosecutor General's Office. "Regarding the prosecution of Lapunov, there are no data showing that Mr. Lapunov was illegally detained and tortured, and therefore the investigator refused to initiate criminal proceedings. The investigator's conclusions fully correspond with the conclusion of the human rights commissioner in the Russian Federation," Mr. Maksimenko assured. Meanwhile, Ombudswoman Tatyana Moskalkova twice appealed to law enforcement agencies with a request to initiate a criminal case. Ms. Moskalkova stated: "I got acquainted with the refusal materials. I have my own opinion on this issue; there are grounds for instituting criminal proceedings. I will appeal to the prosecutor with a request to reconsider this decision. "
Mr. Maksimenko pointed out that investigators do not have statements from the victims. "They get a statement from Maxim Lapunov, but despite his description of the place where he was held, the authorities do not want to open a criminal case. The state affirms that there is no point in demanding justice," the Russian LGBT Network believes.
Comments