Two Gay Men Are In “Mortal Danger” After Being Arrested By Russian Authorities
Two gay Chechen men have been arrested by Russian police and forcibly returned to their homeland. 20-year-old Salekh Magamadov and 17-year-old Ismail Isayev have been handed over to the Chechen authorities and detained.
The pair had previously fled persecution and torture in Chechnya and taught refuge in the Russian city of Nizhny Novgorod, as ‘Gay Times’ report.
Last June, both Magamadov and Isayev were forced to leave Chechnya after being tortured by Chechen special police for running an opposition Telegram messaging channel. The police made the men publicly apologise in a recorded video.
The men were abducted last Thursday and reports state that the men were being detained for “aiding terrorism”.
Once again, the Magamadov and Isayev have been forcibly detained by the Chechen police. In response to the news, All Out and the non-profit US organisation Freedom House are campaigning for the release of both men.
In an online statement, Marc Behrendt, director of Europe and Eurasia programs at Freedom House, has said: “When Russian authorities detained and delivered Salekh Magamadov and Ismail Isayev to the Chechen security services, they demonstrated their complete disregard to the rights of citizens and the arbitrariness of justice in Russia, especially as it concerns Chechnya and particularly when it targets members of the LGBT+ community.
“That fully three days passed between their detention and transfer to Chechnya and the opening of a terrorism investigation demonstrates the illegitimacy of the entire operation, and the complete disregard the Russian authorities have for their well-being.
“Salekh Magamadov and Ismail Isayev are in grave danger in Chechnya. Freedom House demands the two should immediately be examined by independent health professionals and receive unfettered access to their lawyers per the ruling of the European Court of Human Rights.”
Read related myGwork articles here:
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Vladimir Putin Vows Gay Marriage Will Never Be Legal In Russia As Long As He Is In Charge
Teenager Attacked In Russia By 7 Men Because Of “Lesbian Appearance”
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