Joe.My.God. LGBT News
Yesterday the State Department called on Russia to investigate reports that Chechen police are rounding up and murdering gay men. Tonight the State Department has issued a second statement:
We are increasingly concerned about the situation in the Republic of Chechnya, where there have been numerous credible reports indicating the detention of at least 100 men on the basis of their sexual orientation. Some reports indicate many of those arrested have been tortured, in some cases leading to death. We categorically condemn the persecution of individuals based on their sexual orientation or any other basis.
We are deeply disturbed by recent public statements by Chechen authorities that condone and incite violence against LGBTI persons. We urge Russian federal authorities to speak out against such practices, take steps to ensure the release of anyone wrongfully detained, conduct an independent and credible investigation into these, reports and hold any perpetrators responsible.
Tonight’s statement comes after this report from Haaretz:
According to a man Novaya Gazeta identified as Eyewitness 1, “We have never had persecution of gays like what’s going on at home. It started on February 20,” said the witness, who is currently hiding in Russia.
“The police arrested one man for possession of painkillers, checked his phone and saw pornography, a video, lists of contacts, and messages to and from other gays. These contacts started the mass arrests. People were taken from work and home, and even if the person had the misfortune of being in the phone book. It started a chain reaction,” he said.
“If you’re taken in there are only three ways out: You can pay a huge sum − I heard about 1.5 million − or give other names. They can also release you to your relatives with the instruction: Handle it yourselves. Those who manage to get out usually run away and go into hiding.”
Such accounts corroborate comments by police sources who told the newspaper this week that arrested gay men are kept in a secret prison in the Chechen city of Argun near the capital Grozny. Another eyewitnesses, referred to as Eyewitness 2 by Novaya Gazeta, described the conditions at the prison. He said he and other men were brought to a deserted area save for a place that looks “like a closed prison, one that no one officially knows about.”
“In the building next to us they’re keeping ‘Syrians’ − people who are suspected of being in touch with fighters in Syria. There were a few dozens of us whose number kept changing − some were let go, new ones were brought in. A few times a day we were brought out and beaten − it was called questioning,” he said.
U.S. concerned by reports of detentions and deaths of #LGBTI individuals in Chechnya, Russia. https://t.co/gcmYdzUQrF
— Department of State (@StateDept) April 7, 2017