Support The Moscow Times!

Reports Surface of Fresh Anti-Gay Purge in Chechnya

Valery Matytsin / TASS

Activists in Russia’s North Caucasus republic of Chechnya are warning of a new gay purge even as Chelyabinsk celebrated a small victory.

The Associated Press on Friday cited activist Igor Kochetkov as saying Chechnya has seen a spike in detentions of women and men suspected of being gay since December.

His comments came on the back of an article by investigative outlet Novaya Gazeta — which first reported on a widespread crackdown on LGBT people in Chechnya in April 2017 — that gay women and men in the republic were once again facing persecution.

The outlet said warnings were being posted on social media groups, citing one post which called on LGBT people to “flee the republic as soon as possible.”

The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe last month called for Russia to investigate the earlier reports.

Meanwhile, an LGBT activist group based in southern Russia has said prosecutors in the Siberian region of Chelyabinsk have “for the first time” ordered police to find and interrogate a resident for harassing one of the group's members online.

The “Solidarity” group, which is based in the city of Pyatigorsk, posted a screenshot of the abuse on its social media website Vkontakte page on Friday. Addressing activist Artyom Gordiyenko in derogatory terms, a Chelyabinsk-based Vkontakte user asked: “When will they eliminate all this gay stuff?”

The regional prosecutor’s office confirmed to the 360tv.ru news channel that it had “organized an inspection” at the Chelyabinsk police branch.

The LGBT activist group’s Vkontakte page said its authors have received more online threats and insults with increased media coverage.

“Of course, complaints will be sent to the authorities in relation to each of these,” activist Artyom Shitukhin wrote on the group’s Vkontakte page.

Sign up for our free weekly newsletter

Our weekly newsletter contains a hand-picked selection of news, features, analysiss and more from The Moscow Times. You will receive it in your mailbox every Friday. Never miss the latest news from Russia. Preview
Subscribers agree to the Privacy Policy

A Message from The Moscow Times:

Dear readers,

We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."

These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.

By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.

Once
Monthly
Annual
Continue
paiment methods
Not ready to support today?
Remind me later.

Read more