Russian newspaper accuses local authorities of violent campaign against gays. Government says persecution is impossible, as there are no gays in the region
Gay men are suffering acts of violence and persecution in Chechnya. The revelation was first made by the Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta, known for its investigative reporting and opposition to Vladimir Putin's government, and later corroborated by human rights advocates such as Human Rights Watch (HRW) and international vehicles such as The New York Times and The Guardian.
According to the Russian publication, the government of Chechnya would be conducting a campaign of repression against the LGBT community a few weeks ago, after advocacy groups began asking for permits to hold gay pride parades in different regions of the Caucasus .
Chechen leader Kamzan Kadyrov has denied the persecution, saying it is impossible to pursue what does not exist: gays in a predominantly Muslim region. "If there were such people in Chechnya, authorities would not have to do anything, because their families would send them somewhere far and without a return," Kadyrov added.
But this is not the portrait found by HRW and the newspapers, which have heard testimony from victims of this repression. According to Novaya Gazeta, at least 100 men have been arrested in recent months. Some have been beaten, others tortured and others have not even known whereabouts.
Persecution and imprisonment
To the NYT, a young man identified only as Maksim said that, in the region, gays hardly treat themselves by their real names. They are hidden away in groups of online chats or in apartments rented for just one night. He himself claimed to have been beaten by police officers during what would be a meeting with a longtime friend, also gay.
The pair arranged a meeting in an apartment. Upon arriving, Maksim said he was greeted by police officers who had beaten his friend. They then arrested him in a chair and interrogated him with electric shocks, pressing him to name other gays. He resisted, but others were not so lucky. That night, he ended up stuck with six more men in an impromptu cell.
Another report, heard by the British newspaper The Guardian, came from a young man named Adam, who was also ambushed and ended up trapped in a cell with 30 men. "Different people entered the cell for years to beat," he told the publication, "they called us animals and said we were going to die there."
Now, LGBT rights groups in Russia have been helping people escape from the region with the purchase of air tickets, safe accommodations and medical care.
Repercussion
While denying allegations in the Russian newspaper, Chechnyan authorities and local religious leaders have begun to threaten Novaya Gazeta journalists, whose blatant reports on corruption and human rights violations in Russia have already had replies to the murder of their journalists.
The Russian government, for its part, initially said it had no news of the case and that anyone who felt persecuted could seek the authorities and make their denunciations. Following pressure from the international community, however, the Kremilin has opened a federal investigation into allegations, but goes on to say there is no evidence of such persecution.
Comentários
Postar um comentário