Member of Russian LGBT Network

I work with the Russian LGBT Network, the organisation that was first to support the survivors from Chechnya. For us, it started in April 2017 when Chechen police carried out a ‘purge’ of gay men, capturing and torturing them. And it has never really stopped. Despite all of our work, all this time there were reports from Chechnya saying that there are people arrested and tortured. We did and we are still doing our best. We evacuate people out of Chechnya and organise shelters; we provide them with the essentials, medical and psychological aid and help them to leave the country.

For most of them it is deadly dangerous to stay in Russia, even outside of Chechnya. Since April 2017, we have evacuated around 150 people out of the region, and most of them have found sanctuary outside of Russia.

Sometimes they send news about their new lives, where they can be open about who they love. And, most importantly, be alive. We are often asked what other people can do to support our work and to help LGBT people in Chechnya. I truly believe that it was the international attention and support from all over the world that made the mass persecution stop last time. Read more via Metro