Countries across Europe, including Germany and Lithuania, have begun opening their doors to gay Chechen refugees on the grounds that they have been persecuted because of their sexual orientation.

The German Foreign Ministry confirmed on Friday that it has admitted one man, who arrived in the country on Tuesday, on a special visa on humanitarian grounds. Three other men have met with officials at the German Embassy in Moscow, a ministry spokeswoman said, while another man’s application is being reviewed.

In mid-May, Lithuania’s foreign minister announced that his government had granted visas to two Chechens who “suffered persecution because of their sexual orientation.” And last week, Joël Deumier, president of the French gay rights group SOS Homophobie, said a Chechen refugee had arrived in France.

Officials with ILGA-Europe, a gay and transgender rights group, said that in recent weeks, several other European countries had also entered into discussions to admit gay refugees on grounds of persecution. But they declined to name the countries because to do so, they said, could put the refugees at risk. Read more via New York Times