- Title: Activists call for Moscow to curb anti-LGBT violence in Chechnya
- Date: 8th April 2017
- Summary: DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH (HRW) RUSSIA, TANYA LOKSHINA, WORKING ON COMPUTER SIGN READING (English): "HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH" (SOUNDBITE) (Russian) DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH (HRW) RUSSIA, TANYA LOKSHINA, SAYING: "No effective investigations have been conducted of the vast majority of such blatant cases. So in this particular case our hopes that concrete facts will be properly investigated are not big, judging by the previous experiences. But there is hope that at least such (anti-gay) practices will be stooped, that the federal centre will unambiguously call down the republic's leadership." LOKSHINA SPEAKING (SOUNDBITE) (Russian) DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH (HRW) RUSSIA, TANYA LOKSHINA, SAYING: "The detainees were being beaten, the detainees were being humiliated. We also had reports that some of the detainees have been raped. We are also aware of the deaths of supposedly three detainees. In total, dozens have been detainees." MAP WITH SIGN READING (Russian): 'GROZNY' (SOUNDBITE) (Russian) DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH (HRW) RUSSIA, TANYA LOKSHINA, SAYING: "It is very important that the federal centre should handle this. It is very important that the investigation of those reports, that information, is conducted by Moscow. It is very important that the victims are offered adequate protection, guarantees of safety. If the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation decides simply to send the documents back to Chechnya and tells them to sort that out, there will be no investigation."
- Embargoed: 22nd April 2017 13:12
- Keywords: Russia Chechnya gay LGBT gay rights human rights
- Location: ST PETERSBURG / MOSCOW / GROZNY, RUSSIA
- City: ST PETERSBURG / MOSCOW / GROZNY, RUSSIA
- Country: Russia
- Topics: Conflicts/War/Peace
- Reuters ID: LVA0036BJFCJR
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text:Human rights and LGBT activists recently reported the crackdown on the gay community in Russia's Chechnya region, with scores of people detained and subject to torture.
LGBT network activist, Igor Kochetkov, said at least over 100 people have been kidnapped. Deputy director of Human Rights Watch (HRW) Russia, Tanya Lokshina, confirmed this number and added that according to her sources at least three of the detainees had died, while others had been beaten or raped.
According to the media the surge of detentions by the security institutions in the predominantly Muslim republic followed a series of requests for gay-parades sent in March by the LGBT activists to the authorities of several cities in the Caucasus. None of the requests was satisfied, but this information inspired a number of anti-gay protests in the region.
Spokesman for the head of the region, Alvi Karimov, was quoted as saying there was no gay community in the republic, adding that if there were gays in Chechnya 'there would be no problems with them, as the relatives would send them to the destination with no return'. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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