Rsian Gay Activist's Plea: 'Get Us the Hell Out of Here' | HuffPost Voic

Contents:

• RSIA TO GAYS: SHUT UP AND DISAPPEAR
• WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT RSIA’S SO-CALLED ‘GAY PROPAGANDA’ BILL
• WHY RSIA TURNED AGAST THE GAYS
• RSIAN GAY ACTIVIST'S PLEA: 'GET US THE HELL OUT OF HERE'
• RSIA’S ‘ANTI-GAY’ LAW PH GAY MUNY TO SHADOWS
• LGBT, TERRIFIED FOR THEIR LIV RSIA, AND DPERATE FOR ASYLUMHEROTHE RSIAN-BASED ANIZATN STIMUL OFFERS SAFE PLAC TO LIVE AND ASYLUM ADVOCY FOR LGBT PEOPLE FLEEG LIFE-THREATENG SUATNS HOMOPHOBIC CENTRAL ASIAN UNTRI.TIM TEEMANSENR EDOR AND WRERUPDATED FEB. 26, 2020 6:46PM EST / PUBLISHED JUN. 01, 2018 4:41AM EDT GETTYWHEN HE WAS 15, HIS FAY FOUND OUT THAT IBRAHIM (NOT HIS REAL NAME) WAS GAY.IN A WRTEN TTIMONY, THE NOW 20-YEAR-OLD CHECHEN RELLED TO THE DAILY BEAST THAT OM THAT MOMENT ON, LOL MULLAHS AND “OLD WIV” (FAH HEALERS AND LOL WOMEN REPUTED TO BE WCH) “TRIED TO ‘TREAT’ ME FOR MY HOMOSEXUALY.”HE RELLED THE “TREATMENTS” GRAPHIC TAIL. “THEIR ABHORRENT ACTNS—BLOODLETTG (WHEN THE SK IS BROKEN OFF WH THE HELP OF A MEDIL JAR], HERBS (AFTER WHICH I HAD HALLUCATNS, NSEA, STOMACH PAS), STRONG PRSURE ON THE PAFUL POTS OF THE BODY, AND WHAT WAS EVEN MORE TERRIBLE—THE ELECTRIC SHOCKS ONTO THE PENIS. THERE WERE ALSO SOME ‘SPELLS’ OR NASHIDAS (THOUGH TO NO EFFECT). THE ALL EXHSTED ME. IT WENT ON AND OFF FOR MONTHS TILL I TURNED 18.”IBRAHIM IS ALL RIGHT, FOR NOW, HAVG PED CHECHNYA. HE IS LIVG UNR THE RE OF STIMUL, A RSIAN LGBT ANIZATN STAFFED BY SIX ACTIVISTS THAT, AMONG S OTHER WORK, ARRANG SAFE HOG AND ADVICE AND ADVOCY LARGE RSIAN CI FOR VULNERABLE LGBT PEOPLE SEEKG ASYLUM OM CENTRAL ASIAN UNTRI LIKE AFGHANISTAN, UZBEKISTAN, AND TAJIKISTAN, AS WELL AS CHECHNYA, WHERE HOMOSEXUALY IS NOT ONLY AGAST THE LAW—EXCEPT TAJIKISTAN—BUT WHERE LGBT PEOPLE ARE ALSO VICLY PERSECUTED. IN APRIL LAST YEAR, TERNATNAL OUTRAGE FOLLOWED REPORTS THAT HUNDREDS OF GAY MEN HAD BEEN TAED AND TORTURED, AND SOME KILLED, BY CHECHEN THORI.ULTIMATELY, STIMUL AIMS TO SUCCSFULLY PLACE LGBT PEOPLE FACG PERSECUTN LIKE IBRAHIM SEEKG ASYLUM EUROPEAN UNTRI, THE U.S., AND CANADA.AFTER HE TURNED 18, IBRAHIM SAID HIS PARENTS, NTS, AND OTHER RELATIV GOT ED TO HIM BEG GAY “AND BEGAN TO TREAT ME LIGHTER, ACCEPTED, SO TO SAY. BUT MY VISS TO THE ‘HEALERS’ DIDN’T END. NOT AS OFTEN, BUT I VISED THEM, BEE MY PARENTS STILL HOPED THAT HOMOSEXUALY WOULD PASS, OR OTHER WORDS, ‘HEAL.’” HE FACED EVEN GRAVER PROBLEMS WHEN HIS EX-BOYIEND, A SUPPORTER OF CHECHEN LEAR RAMZAN KADYROV, TOLD IBRAHIM THAT HE WAS ON THE LIST OF GAY MEN THE THORI WERE LOOKG FOR.“I LEARNED ABOUT THIS LIST LATER, WHEN RMATN APPEARED THAT KADYROV’S SUPPORTERS AND THE LOL POLICE WERE LOOKG FOR GAYS CHECHNYA, ACRDG TO PILED LISTS.” IF THE MEN WERE FOUND, IBRAHIM HEARD, THEY WERE TAED, KEPT SECRET PRISONS, AND TORTURED.THOSE GAY MEN WERE TOLD BY THEIR PTORS ABOUT OTHER GAY MEN, AND THEN GIVEN BACK TO RELATIV, “IF THEY HADN’T ALREADY TORTURED THEM TO ATH. AFTER THAT, THERE IS NO RMATN ABOUT THE GUYS: WHETHER THEY ARE ALIVE OR NOT. MOST LIKELY, THEIR RELATIV SECRETLY KILLED THEM (‘MURRS OF HONOR’) AND FOT ABOUT THEM ONCE AND FOR ALL.“I DID NOT HAVE TIME TO ASK MY BOYIEND ANY QUTNS. HE TURNED HIS PHONE OFF AND DISAPPEARED. AFTER THIS LL, I REALIZED THAT HE CHANGED HIS NUMBER.”IBRAHIM PACKED WHAT HE ULD AND FLED OM GROZNY, TURNG TO HELP OM THE RSIAN LGBT NETWORK, WHERE THERE WAS A PROGRAM TO HELP LGBT PEOPLE FLEEG CHECHNYA. (THAT ANIZATN AND THE MOSW LGBT COMMUNY CENTER, AS REPORTED BY MASHA GSEN THE NEW YORKER, HAS SAVED THE LIV OF MORE THAN 100 CHECHEN GAY MEN.) THEN IBRAHIM FOUND STIMUL.THE ANIZATN, WHICH PENDS ON DONATNS, WAS FOUND 2015 AS A GENERAL LGBT ADVICE AND ADVOCY ANIZATN. SCE JUNE 2017, HAS ALSO PROVID SAFE SHELTER AND LEGAL HELP AND ASSISTANCE TO THOSE SEEKG SAFETY RSIA, AND THEN ASYLUM ELSEWHERE. YURI GUAIANA, SENR MPAIGNS MANAGER OF THE TERNATNAL LGBT ADVOCY ANIZATN ALL OUT, TOLD THE DAILY BEAST LGBT THAT PEOPLE OM CENTRAL ASIA AND CHECHNYA WERE FACG “A TERRIBLE SUATN, THE LEVEL OF DISCRIMATN AND PERSECUTN IS SO HIGH.”THEY NEED THE SAFETY AND PROTECTN THAT STIMUL OFFERS, GUAIANA ADD (ALL OUT IS CURRENTLY PARTNERG A FUNDRAISG DRIVE FOR THE ANIZATN).TWO OF STIMUL’S CLIENTS ARE NOW SAFE EUROPEAN UNTRI, AND THREE ARE AWAG FAL APPROVAL OF DOCUMENTATN. ANDREI PETROV, THE HEAD OF STIMUL, AND ANTON RYZHOV, A LAWYER FOR THE ANIZATN WHO TRANSLATED PETROV’S WORDS, SAID THAT ABOUT 20 PEOPLE HAD NTACTED STIMUL FOR HELP SCE LAST SUMMER. THE NUMBERS OF THOSE SEEKG ASYLUM OM SUCH UNTRI ARE CREASG, THE MEN SAID. “THE MOST SURPRISG, SHOCKG THGS ARE THE STORI ABOUT TORTURE, AND FORCED ‘CUR’ OF HOMOSEXUALY.”— ANDREI PETROV, HEAD OF STIMUL RSIA SELF IS A NOTABLY UNSAFE PLACE FOR LGBT PEOPLE; HATE CRIM AGAST LGBT PEOPLE HAVE DOUBLED THERE THE LAST FIVE YEARS. AS REPORTED THIS WEEK, ANTI-GAY AND RACIST SOCCER CHANTS HAVE CREASED THE N-UP TO THE WORLD CUP, WHICH RSIA IS HOSTG.“WE DON’T HAVE ANY ERNMENTAL SUPPORT,” SAID PETROV OF STIMUL’S WORK. “AS FOR THE LEVEL OF DANGERS, AS FOR THE LEVEL OF THREATS, WE THK ’S THE SAME AS FOR ANY NGO IS RSIA, NOT JT FOR AN LGBT ANIZATN, BUT HUMAN RIGHTS FENRS. WE ARE UNR THIS NSTANT THREAT, BUT LUCKILY NO SER ATTACKS HAVE BEEN MA ON .“THE ATTU OF SOCIETY TO LGBT PEOPLE AND THE S IS STILL VERY HOMOPHOBIC. BUT WHERE ONCE THERE WERE NO LGBT ANIZATNS, NOW THERE ARE THREE. THAT’S POSIVE, AS IS THE SUPPORT WE GET OM OTHER HUMAN RIGHTS ANIZATNS HERE.”GUAIANA LLED THE ACTIVISTS OF STIMUL “EXTREMELY BRAVE.”THE ANIZATN NNECTS S CLIENTS WH THE UN REFUGEE AGENCY (UNHCR) AND THE EMBASSI OF WELG EUROPEAN UNTRI.“THE MOST SURPRISG, SHOCKG THGS ARE THE STORI ABOUT TORTURE, AND FORCED ‘CUR’ OF HOMOSEXUALY,” SAID PETROV. “IT IS NOT LIKE HOW THGS ARE CIVILIZED UNTRI, AND EVEN FOR RSIA IS RATHER SHOCKG.” ONE RECENT APPLITN WAS OM A YOUNG MAN OM TAJIKISTAN. AFTER HIS PARENTS DISVERED HE WAS GAY, THEY VED A REPRENTATIVE OM THE LOL MOSQUE TO “CHANT SOME SPELLS” OVER THEIR SON. THE YOUNG MAN WAS TOLD TO SPEND ONE MONTH A CLOSED ROOM WH NO MUNITN WH ANYONE ELSE. HE GOT OUT.ANOTHER YOUNG WOMAN WHO NTACTED STIMUL SAID SHE WAS A LBIAN WHO HAD BEEN FORCIBLY MARRIED TO A YOUNG MAN. “NOW SHE’S NSTANTLY BEATEN BY HIM AND RAPED BY HIM, AND SHE IS STILL SUCH A MARRIAGE. WE ARE TRYG TO HELP HER SOMEHOW,” SAID PETROV.RYZHOV WORKED CHECHNYA FOR MORE THAN SEVEN YEARS AS A HUMAN RIGHTS ADVOTE, NOT ALG WH LGBT S SPECIFILLY BUT MORE GENERALLY ABDUCTN AND TORTURE S VOLVG LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCI. THE STATE THORI DO NOT VTIGATE ALLEGATNS OF BTALY, AND PEOPLE ARE TOO AAID TO REPORT SUCH ALLEGATNS TO THEM, HE TOLD THE DAILY BEAST.THE HIGHLY PUBLICIZED LGBT PERSECUTN LAST YEAR CHECHNYA HAS NOW RECED, RYZHOV SAID, ALTHOUGH LGBT PEOPLE REMA UNR “NSTANT THREAT” THERE. THE CHECHEN THORI LNCH “WAV OF PROPAGANDA” AIMED AT GROUPS AS DISPARATE AS LGBT PEOPLE, DG ERS, ALHOLICS, AND MEMBERS OF ISIS, HE ADD—GROUPS THAT FOR VERY DIFFERENT REASONS ARE SEEN AS “DANGERO AND APPROPRIATE, AND MT BE ELIMATED PHYSILLY OR BY SOME OTHER MEANS.”IN MAY 2017, GUAIANA WAS ARRTED MOSW ALONG WH FOUR OTHER ACTIVISTS. THEY WERE ATTEMPTG TO HAND A 2 LN-SIGNATURE PETN ASKG THE RSIAN THORI TO VTIGATE WHAT HAD HAPPENED CHECHNYA.ASKED IF ANY OF THE UNTRI STIMUL HAD CLIENTS OM WERE AS BAD AS CHECHNYA FOR LGBT PEOPLE, PETROV REPLIED, “UZBEKISTAN. THERE, LGBT PEOPLE ARE ARRTED AND PUT PRISON. THE POLICE DO THE SAME KDS OF RAIDS AND MPAIGNS. THERE IS PHYSIL VLENCE SI PRISONS TOO.”THE MOSW TIM REPORTED THAT ACTG JTICE MISTER ALEXANR KONOVALOV TOLD THE UN HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL MID-MAY, “THE VTIGATNS THAT WE RRIED OUT [...] DID NOT NFIRM EVINCE OF RIGHTS’ VLATNS, NOR WERE WE EVEN ABLE TO FD REPRENTATIV OF THE LGBT MUNY CHECHNYA... PLEASE, HELP DO THIS AND FD THEM.”KONOVALOV SAID ACCATNS OF DISCRIMATN RSIA WERE EHER “LACKG NCRETE EVINCE” OR “NOT AT ALL RELATED TO THEIR [VICTIMS’] POLIL BELIEFS, SEXUAL ORIENTATN, RELIG VIEWS AND SO ON.” “THE ONLY POSIVE THG IS THAT THE APPLINTS HAVE TAKEN THE CISN TO FIGHT FOR THEIR LIV. THEY ULDN’T HI THEMSELV, SO THEY CID TO TRY TO PROTECT THEIR RIGHTS.”— ANDREI PETROV, HEAD OF STIMUL PETROV SAID THE SUATN FOR STIMUL’S CLIENTS WAS NOT GETTG BETTER ANY OF THE CENTRAL ASIAN UNTRI ALS WH. “WE N’T SEE ANY POSIVE CHANG, WE DON’T SEE ANY LIGHT SUCH ATTUS TO LGBT PEOPLE THE UNTRI,” SAID PETROV. “THE ONLY POSIVE THG IS THAT THE APPLINTS HAVE TAKEN THE CISN TO FIGHT FOR THEIR LIV. THEY ULDN’T HI THEMSELV, SO THEY CID TO TRY TO PROTECT THEIR RIGHTS. TO EVEN GO TO HUMAN RIGHTS FENRS, TAK A HUGE URAGE TO TALK, TO TELL YOUR STORY. SOMETIM YOU NEED TO LODGE OFFICIAL DOCUMENTS WH EMBASSI, OR THE CRIMAL LAW THORI.”WHEN THE APPLINTS REACH STIMUL, SOME NEED URGENT PSYCHOLOGIL HELP PENDG ON WHAT THEY HAVE ENDURED. “SOME ARE NSTANT STRS,” SAID PETROV. “YOU NTUE TO BE NSTANT THREAT. RSIA N EXPEL YOU BACK TO YOUR NATIVE UNTRY.” HE CED THE SE OF ALI FEZ, A GAY JOURNALIST FOR NOVAYA GAZETA WHOM THE MOSW THORI WISHED TO PORT BACK TO UZBEKISTAN BUT WHO EVENTUALLY FOUND SANCTUARY GERMANY, THANKS TO THE TERVENTN OF THE EUROPEAN COURT OF HUMAN RIGHTS. “RSIA IS NOT A SAFE PLACE FOR THE PEOPLE,” SAID PETROV. “IT IS AN TERMEDIATE PLACE TO STAY BEFORE GOG TO A SAFER PLACE EUROPE. THE LGBT PEOPLE ARE LIFE-THREATENG SUATNS. LIFE RSIA ISN’T SAFE FOR THEM. LGBT PEOPLE ARE NSTANT DANGER HERE, AND WE TRY TO FD THEM SAFE, SECRET HOG WHILE WAG FOR ASYLUM A SAFER UNTRY.”IBRAHIM, OM CHECHNYA, TOLD THE DAILY BEAST THAT STIMUL HAD SO FAR HELPED HIM ACQUIRE A FOREIGN PASSPORT.“I REALLY HOPE THAT THEY WILL HELP ME TO LEAVE RSIA, OTHERWISE WILL BE LERALLY THE END OF ME,” HE TOLD THE DAILY BEAST. “IF I’M ON KADYROV’S SUPPORTERS’ LISTS, SOONER OR LATER THEY’LL FD ME. KADYROV’S SUPPORTERS MAY NOT KILL ME, BUT THEY MIGHT HURT PERMANENTLY BOTH MY LIFE AND HEALTH FOREVER—THAT’S NO PROBLEM FOR THEM. I HAVE NO OTHER WAY OR CHANCE TO BE SAVED. IT IS EHER EEDOM AND LIFE—OR THEM, KADYROV’S SUPPORTERS.” DAVID (NAME HAS BEEN CHANGED): ‘I WANT TO LEAVE AND TO NOT BE AAID ANYMORE, TO NOT HI AND JT LIVE’MY NAME IS DAVID, I’M 20 YEARS OLD, I’M GAY, OM OSSETIA. I NSTANTLY HID MY ORIENTATN: IN THE CS THEY KILL FOR , SO I HAD TO PRETEND I WAS “STRAIGHT.”ON THE NIGHT OF SEPT. 25 OR 26, 2016, I WAS ATTACKED BY THREE GUYS THE CY WHERE I WAS STUDYG AT UNIVERSY.I WAS BEATEN ALL NIGHT, THREATENED TO BE KILLED OR SOLD TO SLAVERY. AFTER THREE TO FOUR HOURS OF BEATG, WHEN THERE WERE NO PLAC ON MY HEAD AND BODY LEFT TO BEAT, THEY AGREED TO LET ME GO IF I GAVE THEM MY MONEY, PHONE, AND MY LAPTOP. IN THE MORNG THEY LET ME GO, TAKG MY SNEAKERS AND JACKET OM ME.I BARELY MA TO A IEND AND ASKED FOR PERMISSN TO LIVE WH HIM. HE IMMEDIATELY AGREED AND BEGAN TO PERSUA ME TO GO TO THE POLICE OR AT LEAST TO A HOSPAL. I WAS AAID, SO FOR TWO DAYS I WAS JT LYG AT HOME. ON THE THIRD DAY HE FALLY PERSUAD ME TO GO TO THE HOSPAL. SOMEHOW WE AGREED WH THE DOCTOR NOT TO RM THE POLICE.AFTER THE BEATGS WERE RERD, I WAS PRCRIBED MEDITNS AND I WENT AGA TO MY IEND. I DID NOT SAY ANYTHG TO MY RELATIV AND FAY. ALMOST NOBODY KNEW ABOUT THIS. FOR TWO MONTHS I LIVED WH MY IEND AND DID NOT GO OUT, BEE I WAS AAID THAT THEY WOULD SEE ME AGA AND ATTACK AGA. EVEN AFTER THAT, I SHUDRED WH FEAR WHEN A R WAS PASSG BY, REMBLG THE ONE THAT THEY HAD. IN DECEMBER, MY IEND SAID THAT HE HAD A IEND THE POLICE AND PERSUAD ME TO FILE A REPORT. I AGREED. I THOUGHT WOULD ALL GO AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE AND ANONYMOLY. BUT WAS THEN THAT THE WHOLE NIGHTMARE BEGAN. THE VTIGATN DRAGGED ON FOR SIX MONTHS. MY ORIENTATN WAS KNOWN TO ALL POLICE OFFICERS, AND LATER THE MISTRY OF INTERNAL AFFAIRS.I EXPERIENCED NSTANT MOCKERY AND FEAR. FOR TERROGATNS, I ALWAYS ME AND LEFT WH AN RT. THERE WERE LLS AND MSAG OM RELATIV OF THOSE GUYS WHO BEAT ME UP AND ROBBED ME, FIRST WH REQUTS TO WHDRAW THE REPORT, LATER WH THREATS.TO BE HONT, I TRIED SEVERAL TIM TO WHDRAW THE REPORT, BUT EACH TIME I WAS EHER TOLD THAT WAS NOT ALLOWED OR DISSUAD UNR OTHER PRETEXTS. I WENT OUTSI AS RARELY AS POSSIBLE. I ALSO MISSED CLASS AT THE UNIVERSY. “I REALIZED THAT I ULD NO LONGER LIVE NSTANT FEAR FOR MY LIFE.” THE VTIGATN END AT THE END OF APRIL 2017. IN EARLY MAY, THE URT HEARGS BEGAN. I ME TO THE FIRST HEARG AND IMMEDIATELY GOT THREATENED. THE BROTHER OF ONE OF THE ACCED TRIED TO BEAT ME RIGHT THE URTROOM. THERE WAS NO REACTN OM THE OFFICERS OF THE URT. AFTER THE HEARG, THE VTIGATOR SENT POLICE OFFICERS TO BRG ME TO THE MISTRY, TO HIM. IT WAS NOT SAFE TO LEAVE THAT PLACE ALONE AND GO HOME. I REALIZED THAT I ULD NO LONGER LIVE NSTANT FEAR FOR MY LIFE. AT ANY TIME, MY RELATIV ULD LEARN ABOUT MY ORIENTATN, SO I TURNED TO THE RSIAN LGBT NETWORK FOR HELP. THEY HELPED ME TO MOVE TO ST. PETERSBURG AND HELPED WH ACMODATN AND FOOD.IN JULY, MY RELATIV LEARNED ABOUT MY SE AND MY ORIENTATN. MY UNCLE WORKS FOR THE POLICE. HE TRIED TO LOOK FOR ME. HE THOUGHT THAT I WAS STILL THE CS. MY WHO WORKED THE PROTECTN OF THE PRINT OF SOUTH OSSETIA HAS STRONG NNECTNS. HE WAS LOOKG FOR ME ST. PETERSBURG, BUT AT THAT TIME I HAD ALREADY MOVED TO ANOTHER CY.I LIMED MY MUNITN WH EVERYONE EXCEPT MY MOTHER. SHE AND MY TWO YOUNGER BROTHERS ARE THE ONLY ON WHO ACCEPTED ME. ALL MY OTHER RELATIV WANT ME AD, AND PUT PRSURE ON MY MOTHER. NOW EVERYONE THKS THAT I’M NO LONGER RSIA.MY MOTHER TOLD THEM THAT I WENT TO EUROPE. IF MY RELATIV FD OUT THAT I’M RSIA, THEY’LL START LOOKG FOR ME AGA. BIS MY RELATIV, THE RELATIV OF THE THREE GUYS ARE LOOKG FOR ME, TOO. AT THE END OF DECEMBER, I WAS ASKED TO LEAVE THE SHELTER. SCE MID-DECEMBER, STIMUL HAS HELPED ME WH HOG. FOR ABOUT SIX MONTHS I HAVE WANTED TO LEAVE, BUT BEE OF PROBLEMS WH DOCUMENTS AND FANC I STILL HAVE NOT SUCCEED.I WANT TO LEAVE AND TO NOT BE AAID ANYMORE, TO NOT HI AND JT LIVE. NOW I’M WAG FOR A VISA TO ONE OF THE EUROPEAN UNTRI, AND I HOPE THAT WH THE HELP OF STIMUL I WILL LEAVE RSIA. AMIR (CIZEN OF UZBEKISTAN; NOT HIS REAL NAME): ‘HE KNEW THAT HE ULD BE BEATEN OR EVEN KILLED IF OTHERS FOUND OUT HE WAS GAY’STIMUL WR: ON NOV. 17, 2017, AMIR, 23, WAS REFERRED TO STIMUL BY EMPLOYE OF THE UNHCR AND THE CIVIC ASSISTANCE COMMTEE (A NONPROF WHICH HELPS REFUGE AND FORCED MIGRANTS). ACRDG TO THE CIVIC ASSISTANCE LAWYER, AMIR WAS TAED AT BORR NTROL WHEN HE TRIED TO CROSS THE RSIAN BORR TO GO TO EUROPE, WHERE HIS PARTNER WAS WAG FOR HIM.AMIR DO NOT HAVE A SO-LLED STICKER (EX VISA) OR A SCHENGEN VISA HIS PASSPORT, AND THEREFORE WAS TAED BY RSIAN BORR GUARDS. FROM THE BORR ZONE HE WAS TAKEN TO THE OPERATNAL PARTMENT OF THE BORR SERVICE OF THE RSIAN FERAL SECURY SERVICE AND FED UNR ARTICLE 18.1 OF THE ADMISTRATIVE CO (VLATN OF THE STATE BORR REGIME OF THE RSIAN FERATN). “WHEN WE WATCHED TV WH MY BROTHERS AND MY IENDS, IF WE WERE TALKG ABOUT GAYS, THEY SAID THAT ALL GAYS SHOULD BE KILLED.” AMIR WAS BORN THE REGN OF SAMARKAND. HE HAS TWO BROTHERS AND A SISTER. HE HAS SELF-INTIFIED AS GAY SCE THE AGE OF 14. BEE OF PRSURE OM HIS BROTHERS, HE WAS FORCED TO DATE A GIRL FOR SIX YEARS ( SPE OF HIS SEXUAL ORIENTATN), SO THAT THE BROTHERS WOULD NOT SPECT HIM OF HOMOSEXUALY.IN AMIR’S FAY AND AMONG IENDS, WHEN THE TOPIC OF HOMOSEXUALY WAS RAISED, PEOPLE MA CLEAR TO HIM THAT THEY WOULD TAKE ANY STEPS, CLUDG MURR, IF THEY LEARNED HE WAS GAY. ACRDG TO AMIR: “WHEN WE WATCHED TV WH MY BROTHERS AND MY IENDS, IF WE WERE TALKG ABOUT GAYS, THEY SAID THAT ALL GAYS SHOULD BE KILLED.”HIS IENDS BTALLY BEAT A NEIGHBOR JT BEE THEY SPECTED HIM OF HOMOSEXUALY. THEREFORE, AMIR WAS FORCED TO “STAY THE CLOSET.” ONE DAY A IEND TOLD HIM TO BE REFUL AND WATCH HIS IENDS BEE THEY BEGAN TO SPECT HIM OF HOMOSEXUALY. AFTER THAT AMIR STARTED TO THK ABOUT LEAVG FOR RSIA, AS HE HOPED TO GET LOST THERE. EVERY DAY WAS A TRAGEDY FOR HIM: HE KNEW THAT HE ULD BE BEATEN OR EVEN KILLED IF OTHERS FOUND OUT HE WAS GAY.ON OCT. 4, 2015, AMIR LEFT UZBEKISTAN FOR MOSW. BUT MOSW HE HAD TO LIVE WH HIS UNCLE AND GAED NO EEDOM. A MONTH LATER, A IEND VED HIM TO KHABAROVSK AND GAVE HIM WORK AND SHELTER. HOWEVER, KHABAROVSK, AMIR REMAED UNR THE NTROL OF HIS FAY AND BROTHER, WHO ME AFTER AMIR AND WANTED TO NTROL THE LIFE OF HIS YOUNGER BROTHER. IN AUGT 2017, AMIR MET A FRENCHMAN ON A DATG SE. ONE DAY, HIS BROTHER SAW AMIR TALKG TO HIS NEW ACQUATANCE ON A VIO LL, TOOK HIS PHONE AWAY OM HIM, AND BTALLY BEAT HIM.HE ALSO SAID THAT IF WAS NFIRMED THAT AMIR WAS GAY, HE WOULD KILL HIM. AFTER THIS CINT, THE NEW FRENCH IEND PERSUAD AMIR THAT HE NEED TO GO TO EUROPE AND SEEK ASYLUM. AMIR NTACTED LGBT ANIZATNS RSIA AND UKRAE, WHERE HE WAS TOLD THAT HE ULD GO TO EUROPE VIA UKRAE ( FACT, THE VISA-EE SHORT-TERM ENTRY TO EU UNTRI OM UKRAE IS ONLY ALLOWED FOR CIZENS OF UKRAE). AMIR NTACTED A FRENCH LGBT ANIZATN WH A REQUT FOR HELP AND THEY REPLIED THAT THEY WOULD HELP HIM.ON NOV. 11, AMIR LEFT KHABAROVSK, AND ON NOV. 13 HE TRIED TO GET TO THE TRANS TERNATNAL ZONE MOSW WH THE GOAL OF TRAVELG TO UKRAE WHOUT HAVG A “STICKER” (EX VISA OF UZBEKISTAN) OR A SCHENGEN VISA HIS PASSPORT.AT THE BORR NTROL, AMIR WAS TAED BY THE BORR SERVICE OF THE FSB OF RSIA AND FED 2,000 BL FOR VLATG THE STATE BORR REGIME OF THE RSIAN FERATN. DURG TENTN, AMIR WAS ABLE TO LL THE DUTY OFFICER OF UNHCR, WHO PASSED THE RMATN TO THE CIVIC ASSISTANCE MIGRATN LAWYER.THE LAWYER WAS ABLE TO MAKE AN AGREEMENT WH THE DUTY OFFICERS OF THE BORR NTROL PARTMENT TO ONLY IMPOSE A FE ON AMIR WHOUT PORTG HIM OM RSIA.AFTER DRAWG UP THE PROTOL AND OBTAG A CISN TO HOLD HIM ACUNTABLE, AMIR WAS RELEASED AND TOOK A TAXI TO THE RSIAN-UKRAIAN BORR. AMIR TOLD THE RSIAN BORR OFFICERS ABOUT HIS STORY AND WAS RELEASED OM THE TERRORY OF RSIA. HOWEVER, THE UKRAIAN BORR OFFICERS REFED TO LET AMIR TO THE UNTRY, MA A NOTE THE PASSPORT ON THE PROHIBN OF ENTRY TO UKRAE, AND SENT HIM BACK TO RSIA.RSIAN BORR OFFICERS REFED TO LET AMIR TO RSIA. AMIR WAS AGA TAED BY BORR OFFICERS, HE AGA NTACTED THE DUTY OFFICER OF UNHCR, AND THE CIVIC ASSISTANCE MIGRATN LAWYER MANAGED TO GET PERMISSN FOR AMIR TO RETURN TO RSIA.AFTER AMIR RETURNED TO MOSW, CIVIC ASSISTANCE NTACTED STIMUL WH A REQUT FOR ASSISTANCE PROVIDG TEMPORARY HOG FOR HIM. SCE NOV. 17, AMIR HAS BEEN UNR THE RE OF OUR ANIZATN. AFTER NDUCTG TERVIEWS AND CHECKG THE FACTS TO NFIRM THE EXISTENCE OF A REAL DANGER TO THE LIFE AND HEALTH OF AMIR, WE ME TO THE NCLN THAT AMIR NEED THE FASTT EVACUATN OM RSIA.ON FEB. 9 HE RECEIVED A MIGRATN VISA TO EUROPE. DUE TO THE ABSENCE OF THE SO-LLED STICKER (AN UZBEK EX VISA) AMIR’S PASSPORT, STIMUL GAVE AMIR TECHNIL ASSISTANCE CROSSG THE RSIAN BORR AND ONE OF OUR EMPLOYE ACPANIED AMIR TO EUROPE.ON FEB. 12, 2018, AMIR LEFT RSIA AND ARRIVED EUROPE, WHERE HE IS NOW UNR THE RE OF A FRENCH LGBT ANIZATN AND HIS IEND. TIM TEEMAN
• ALL OUT CONMNS INTERNATNAL OLYMPIC COMMTEE'S REFAL TO ACT ON RSIA'S ANTI-GAY LAWS
• GAYS RSIA FD NO HAVEN, DPE SUPPORT FROM THE WT

RSIA TO GAYS: SHUT UP AND DISAPPEAR

The European Court of Human Rights led 2017 that the 2013 law is discrimatory, promot homophobia and vlat the European Conventn on Human Rights.

The urt found that the law “served no legimate public tert, ” rejectg suggtns that public bate on LGBT issu uld fluence children to bee homosexual, or that threatened public morals.

WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT RSIA’S SO-CALLED ‘GAY PROPAGANDA’ BILL

Speakg before Put signed the bill to the law on Monday, Tanya Loksha, associate Europe and Central Asia director at Human Rights Watch said: “The 2013 ‘gay propaganda’ law was an unabashed example of polil homophobia, and the new draft legislatn amplifi that broar and harsher ways.

"Over the last two s, Rsian Print Vladimir Put has waged an all-out asslt on the LGBTQ muny, amg as part of a larger mpaign to protect Rsia's "tradnal culture" om what he scrib as an onslght of morn valu promoted by the has lled genr fluidy "a crime agast humany, " and equated homosexualy wh pedophilia. A "gay propaganda" law passed Rsia 2013 ma illegal to promote gay rights and has been ed to jail activists and shut down LGBTQ support groups. And durg a seri of anti-gay purg Rsia's Mlim-majory Chechen Republic, which officials kidnapped, tortured and some s killed men spected of havg sex wh other men, the Kreml turned a bld the same time, life for LGBTQ people Ukrae has slowly been, wh tens of thoands of Rsian troops encirclg major Ukraian ci, gay, lbian and transgenr people are worried about what a Rsian takeover might mean for them.

WHY RSIA TURNED AGAST THE GAYS

Put, he said, has long ed "the specter of LGBT rights as a polil wedge issue" to appeal to nservativ at home and Put has ma gay people the boogeymen for all of Rsia's ills, Reid said, he has also fueled "a monstrable crease discrimatn and vlence. "If we were unr Rsian le, we'd have to shut our mouths, we wouldn't be able to drs how we want, we would never have gay pri, " said Yura Dvizhon, 29, a well-known Ukraian director.

(Daniel Leal / AFP via Getty Imag)Ukrae was never a utopia for gays and transgenr people, Dvizhon marriage is illegal Ukrae, LGBTQ people are not protected by anti-discrimatn laws, and the fluential Christian Orthodox Church views homosexualy as a s. But he says thgs are slowly gettg year's annual gay pri para Kyiv drew 7, 000 people — a victory, even if police were lled to fend off anti-gay protters. Signifintly, the LGBTQ muny has begun to receive tac signs of support om Ukrae's European-allied 2019, Print Volodymyr Zelensky snapped back at a homophobic heckler who had terpted his speech.

RSIAN GAY ACTIVIST'S PLEA: 'GET US THE HELL OUT OF HERE'

”While there are still ncrete laws — an anti-discrimatn bill foremost among them — that the natn's LGBTQ muny is wag for, everybody knows that the suatn for gay people Rsia is "much, much, much worse, " said Natsya Kosach, a lbian DJ many Ukraian women have fled to Poland, part of an exod of 1 ln people jt the last week alone, Kosach cid to has been hidg om bombs an unrground bar where she ed to perform, sleepg fful shifts curled up on the stage and okg meals for soldiers and fai that have taken shelter unrground the cy's war, she said, had brought Ukraians together like never before, and has begun to feel like past divisns — cludg disput over genr and sexualy — don't really matter.

RSIA’S ‘ANTI-GAY’ LAW PH GAY MUNY TO SHADOWS

The regn has bee more homophobic sce then, she believ anti-gay and trans discrimatn has s roots the Orthodox Church but also the Soviet Unn, which broke up Soviet society, nformy was prized. As Rsia ntu to flounr Ukrae, wh attempts to pture the small town of Bakhmut turng to a grisly reenactment of the Battle of Verdun, and Kreml propagandists lurchg back and forth between hysteril swagger and the five stag of grief, the Rsian polil tablishment has cid to tackle what’s really important: a natnal “Don’t Say Gay” law. A bill that outlaws “LGBT propaganda”—fed so broadly as to ver not only gay or transgenr rights advocy but potentially all public exprsns of “nontradnal” sexualy or genr inty—passed the State Duma on November 24 and was approved by the upper hoe of Rsia’s fake legislature, the Council of Feratns, last Wednday.

) But do rell Soviet-era censorship unr which any mentn of Tchaikovsky’s homosexualy was scbbed om books and films about the great poser’s life, while bgraphil prefac to Soviet edns of Osr Wil cloaked the reason for his imprisonment such phemisms as “transgrsns agast moraly. ” Ocsnally, foreign books wh gay characters, such as Iris Murdoch’s 1973 novel The Black Prce, slipped past the censor’s vigilant eye. But there uld have been no qutn, for stance, of publishg Jam Baldw’s gay-themed masterpiece Gvanni’s Room, even though Baldw was acclaimed the official Soviet media as a fighter agast Amerin racism; the novel had to wa until 2007 for s first Rsian edn.

LGBT, TERRIFIED FOR THEIR LIV RSIA, AND DPERATE FOR ASYLUMHEROTHE RSIAN-BASED ANIZATN STIMUL OFFERS SAFE PLAC TO LIVE AND ASYLUM ADVOCY FOR LGBT PEOPLE FLEEG LIFE-THREATENG SUATNS HOMOPHOBIC CENTRAL ASIAN UNTRI.TIM TEEMANSENR EDOR AND WRERUPDATED FEB. 26, 2020 6:46PM EST / PUBLISHED JUN. 01, 2018 4:41AM EDT GETTYWHEN HE WAS 15, HIS FAY FOUND OUT THAT IBRAHIM (NOT HIS REAL NAME) WAS GAY.IN A WRTEN TTIMONY, THE NOW 20-YEAR-OLD CHECHEN RELLED TO THE DAILY BEAST THAT OM THAT MOMENT ON, LOL MULLAHS AND “OLD WIV” (FAH HEALERS AND LOL WOMEN REPUTED TO BE WCH) “TRIED TO ‘TREAT’ ME FOR MY HOMOSEXUALY.”HE RELLED THE “TREATMENTS” GRAPHIC TAIL. “THEIR ABHORRENT ACTNS—BLOODLETTG (WHEN THE SK IS BROKEN OFF WH THE HELP OF A MEDIL JAR], HERBS (AFTER WHICH I HAD HALLUCATNS, NSEA, STOMACH PAS), STRONG PRSURE ON THE PAFUL POTS OF THE BODY, AND WHAT WAS EVEN MORE TERRIBLE—THE ELECTRIC SHOCKS ONTO THE PENIS. THERE WERE ALSO SOME ‘SPELLS’ OR NASHIDAS (THOUGH TO NO EFFECT). THE ALL EXHSTED ME. IT WENT ON AND OFF FOR MONTHS TILL I TURNED 18.”IBRAHIM IS ALL RIGHT, FOR NOW, HAVG PED CHECHNYA. HE IS LIVG UNR THE RE OF STIMUL, A RSIAN LGBT ANIZATN STAFFED BY SIX ACTIVISTS THAT, AMONG S OTHER WORK, ARRANG SAFE HOG AND ADVICE AND ADVOCY LARGE RSIAN CI FOR VULNERABLE LGBT PEOPLE SEEKG ASYLUM OM CENTRAL ASIAN UNTRI LIKE AFGHANISTAN, UZBEKISTAN, AND TAJIKISTAN, AS WELL AS CHECHNYA, WHERE HOMOSEXUALY IS NOT ONLY AGAST THE LAW—EXCEPT TAJIKISTAN—BUT WHERE LGBT PEOPLE ARE ALSO VICLY PERSECUTED. IN APRIL LAST YEAR, TERNATNAL OUTRAGE FOLLOWED REPORTS THAT HUNDREDS OF GAY MEN HAD BEEN TAED AND TORTURED, AND SOME KILLED, BY CHECHEN THORI.ULTIMATELY, STIMUL AIMS TO SUCCSFULLY PLACE LGBT PEOPLE FACG PERSECUTN LIKE IBRAHIM SEEKG ASYLUM EUROPEAN UNTRI, THE U.S., AND CANADA.AFTER HE TURNED 18, IBRAHIM SAID HIS PARENTS, NTS, AND OTHER RELATIV GOT ED TO HIM BEG GAY “AND BEGAN TO TREAT ME LIGHTER, ACCEPTED, SO TO SAY. BUT MY VISS TO THE ‘HEALERS’ DIDN’T END. NOT AS OFTEN, BUT I VISED THEM, BEE MY PARENTS STILL HOPED THAT HOMOSEXUALY WOULD PASS, OR OTHER WORDS, ‘HEAL.’” HE FACED EVEN GRAVER PROBLEMS WHEN HIS EX-BOYIEND, A SUPPORTER OF CHECHEN LEAR RAMZAN KADYROV, TOLD IBRAHIM THAT HE WAS ON THE LIST OF GAY MEN THE THORI WERE LOOKG FOR.“I LEARNED ABOUT THIS LIST LATER, WHEN RMATN APPEARED THAT KADYROV’S SUPPORTERS AND THE LOL POLICE WERE LOOKG FOR GAYS CHECHNYA, ACRDG TO PILED LISTS.” IF THE MEN WERE FOUND, IBRAHIM HEARD, THEY WERE TAED, KEPT SECRET PRISONS, AND TORTURED.THOSE GAY MEN WERE TOLD BY THEIR PTORS ABOUT OTHER GAY MEN, AND THEN GIVEN BACK TO RELATIV, “IF THEY HADN’T ALREADY TORTURED THEM TO ATH. AFTER THAT, THERE IS NO RMATN ABOUT THE GUYS: WHETHER THEY ARE ALIVE OR NOT. MOST LIKELY, THEIR RELATIV SECRETLY KILLED THEM (‘MURRS OF HONOR’) AND FOT ABOUT THEM ONCE AND FOR ALL.“I DID NOT HAVE TIME TO ASK MY BOYIEND ANY QUTNS. HE TURNED HIS PHONE OFF AND DISAPPEARED. AFTER THIS LL, I REALIZED THAT HE CHANGED HIS NUMBER.”IBRAHIM PACKED WHAT HE ULD AND FLED OM GROZNY, TURNG TO HELP OM THE RSIAN LGBT NETWORK, WHERE THERE WAS A PROGRAM TO HELP LGBT PEOPLE FLEEG CHECHNYA. (THAT ANIZATN AND THE MOSW LGBT COMMUNY CENTER, AS REPORTED BY MASHA GSEN THE NEW YORKER, HAS SAVED THE LIV OF MORE THAN 100 CHECHEN GAY MEN.) THEN IBRAHIM FOUND STIMUL.THE ANIZATN, WHICH PENDS ON DONATNS, WAS FOUND 2015 AS A GENERAL LGBT ADVICE AND ADVOCY ANIZATN. SCE JUNE 2017, HAS ALSO PROVID SAFE SHELTER AND LEGAL HELP AND ASSISTANCE TO THOSE SEEKG SAFETY RSIA, AND THEN ASYLUM ELSEWHERE. YURI GUAIANA, SENR MPAIGNS MANAGER OF THE TERNATNAL LGBT ADVOCY ANIZATN ALL OUT, TOLD THE DAILY BEAST LGBT THAT PEOPLE OM CENTRAL ASIA AND CHECHNYA WERE FACG “A TERRIBLE SUATN, THE LEVEL OF DISCRIMATN AND PERSECUTN IS SO HIGH.”THEY NEED THE SAFETY AND PROTECTN THAT STIMUL OFFERS, GUAIANA ADD (ALL OUT IS CURRENTLY PARTNERG A FUNDRAISG DRIVE FOR THE ANIZATN).TWO OF STIMUL’S CLIENTS ARE NOW SAFE EUROPEAN UNTRI, AND THREE ARE AWAG FAL APPROVAL OF DOCUMENTATN. ANDREI PETROV, THE HEAD OF STIMUL, AND ANTON RYZHOV, A LAWYER FOR THE ANIZATN WHO TRANSLATED PETROV’S WORDS, SAID THAT ABOUT 20 PEOPLE HAD NTACTED STIMUL FOR HELP SCE LAST SUMMER. THE NUMBERS OF THOSE SEEKG ASYLUM OM SUCH UNTRI ARE CREASG, THE MEN SAID. “THE MOST SURPRISG, SHOCKG THGS ARE THE STORI ABOUT TORTURE, AND FORCED ‘CUR’ OF HOMOSEXUALY.”— ANDREI PETROV, HEAD OF STIMUL RSIA SELF IS A NOTABLY UNSAFE PLACE FOR LGBT PEOPLE; HATE CRIM AGAST LGBT PEOPLE HAVE DOUBLED THERE THE LAST FIVE YEARS. AS REPORTED THIS WEEK, ANTI-GAY AND RACIST SOCCER CHANTS HAVE CREASED THE N-UP TO THE WORLD CUP, WHICH RSIA IS HOSTG.“WE DON’T HAVE ANY ERNMENTAL SUPPORT,” SAID PETROV OF STIMUL’S WORK. “AS FOR THE LEVEL OF DANGERS, AS FOR THE LEVEL OF THREATS, WE THK ’S THE SAME AS FOR ANY NGO IS RSIA, NOT JT FOR AN LGBT ANIZATN, BUT HUMAN RIGHTS FENRS. WE ARE UNR THIS NSTANT THREAT, BUT LUCKILY NO SER ATTACKS HAVE BEEN MA ON .“THE ATTU OF SOCIETY TO LGBT PEOPLE AND THE S IS STILL VERY HOMOPHOBIC. BUT WHERE ONCE THERE WERE NO LGBT ANIZATNS, NOW THERE ARE THREE. THAT’S POSIVE, AS IS THE SUPPORT WE GET OM OTHER HUMAN RIGHTS ANIZATNS HERE.”GUAIANA LLED THE ACTIVISTS OF STIMUL “EXTREMELY BRAVE.”THE ANIZATN NNECTS S CLIENTS WH THE UN REFUGEE AGENCY (UNHCR) AND THE EMBASSI OF WELG EUROPEAN UNTRI.“THE MOST SURPRISG, SHOCKG THGS ARE THE STORI ABOUT TORTURE, AND FORCED ‘CUR’ OF HOMOSEXUALY,” SAID PETROV. “IT IS NOT LIKE HOW THGS ARE CIVILIZED UNTRI, AND EVEN FOR RSIA IS RATHER SHOCKG.” ONE RECENT APPLITN WAS OM A YOUNG MAN OM TAJIKISTAN. AFTER HIS PARENTS DISVERED HE WAS GAY, THEY VED A REPRENTATIVE OM THE LOL MOSQUE TO “CHANT SOME SPELLS” OVER THEIR SON. THE YOUNG MAN WAS TOLD TO SPEND ONE MONTH A CLOSED ROOM WH NO MUNITN WH ANYONE ELSE. HE GOT OUT.ANOTHER YOUNG WOMAN WHO NTACTED STIMUL SAID SHE WAS A LBIAN WHO HAD BEEN FORCIBLY MARRIED TO A YOUNG MAN. “NOW SHE’S NSTANTLY BEATEN BY HIM AND RAPED BY HIM, AND SHE IS STILL SUCH A MARRIAGE. WE ARE TRYG TO HELP HER SOMEHOW,” SAID PETROV.RYZHOV WORKED CHECHNYA FOR MORE THAN SEVEN YEARS AS A HUMAN RIGHTS ADVOTE, NOT ALG WH LGBT S SPECIFILLY BUT MORE GENERALLY ABDUCTN AND TORTURE S VOLVG LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCI. THE STATE THORI DO NOT VTIGATE ALLEGATNS OF BTALY, AND PEOPLE ARE TOO AAID TO REPORT SUCH ALLEGATNS TO THEM, HE TOLD THE DAILY BEAST.THE HIGHLY PUBLICIZED LGBT PERSECUTN LAST YEAR CHECHNYA HAS NOW RECED, RYZHOV SAID, ALTHOUGH LGBT PEOPLE REMA UNR “NSTANT THREAT” THERE. THE CHECHEN THORI LNCH “WAV OF PROPAGANDA” AIMED AT GROUPS AS DISPARATE AS LGBT PEOPLE, DG ERS, ALHOLICS, AND MEMBERS OF ISIS, HE ADD—GROUPS THAT FOR VERY DIFFERENT REASONS ARE SEEN AS “DANGERO AND APPROPRIATE, AND MT BE ELIMATED PHYSILLY OR BY SOME OTHER MEANS.”IN MAY 2017, GUAIANA WAS ARRTED MOSW ALONG WH FOUR OTHER ACTIVISTS. THEY WERE ATTEMPTG TO HAND A 2 LN-SIGNATURE PETN ASKG THE RSIAN THORI TO VTIGATE WHAT HAD HAPPENED CHECHNYA.ASKED IF ANY OF THE UNTRI STIMUL HAD CLIENTS OM WERE AS BAD AS CHECHNYA FOR LGBT PEOPLE, PETROV REPLIED, “UZBEKISTAN. THERE, LGBT PEOPLE ARE ARRTED AND PUT PRISON. THE POLICE DO THE SAME KDS OF RAIDS AND MPAIGNS. THERE IS PHYSIL VLENCE SI PRISONS TOO.”THE MOSW TIM REPORTED THAT ACTG JTICE MISTER ALEXANR KONOVALOV TOLD THE UN HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL MID-MAY, “THE VTIGATNS THAT WE RRIED OUT [...] DID NOT NFIRM EVINCE OF RIGHTS’ VLATNS, NOR WERE WE EVEN ABLE TO FD REPRENTATIV OF THE LGBT MUNY CHECHNYA... PLEASE, HELP DO THIS AND FD THEM.”KONOVALOV SAID ACCATNS OF DISCRIMATN RSIA WERE EHER “LACKG NCRETE EVINCE” OR “NOT AT ALL RELATED TO THEIR [VICTIMS’] POLIL BELIEFS, SEXUAL ORIENTATN, RELIG VIEWS AND SO ON.” “THE ONLY POSIVE THG IS THAT THE APPLINTS HAVE TAKEN THE CISN TO FIGHT FOR THEIR LIV. THEY ULDN’T HI THEMSELV, SO THEY CID TO TRY TO PROTECT THEIR RIGHTS.”— ANDREI PETROV, HEAD OF STIMUL PETROV SAID THE SUATN FOR STIMUL’S CLIENTS WAS NOT GETTG BETTER ANY OF THE CENTRAL ASIAN UNTRI ALS WH. “WE N’T SEE ANY POSIVE CHANG, WE DON’T SEE ANY LIGHT SUCH ATTUS TO LGBT PEOPLE THE UNTRI,” SAID PETROV. “THE ONLY POSIVE THG IS THAT THE APPLINTS HAVE TAKEN THE CISN TO FIGHT FOR THEIR LIV. THEY ULDN’T HI THEMSELV, SO THEY CID TO TRY TO PROTECT THEIR RIGHTS. TO EVEN GO TO HUMAN RIGHTS FENRS, TAK A HUGE URAGE TO TALK, TO TELL YOUR STORY. SOMETIM YOU NEED TO LODGE OFFICIAL DOCUMENTS WH EMBASSI, OR THE CRIMAL LAW THORI.”WHEN THE APPLINTS REACH STIMUL, SOME NEED URGENT PSYCHOLOGIL HELP PENDG ON WHAT THEY HAVE ENDURED. “SOME ARE NSTANT STRS,” SAID PETROV. “YOU NTUE TO BE NSTANT THREAT. RSIA N EXPEL YOU BACK TO YOUR NATIVE UNTRY.” HE CED THE SE OF ALI FEZ, A GAY JOURNALIST FOR NOVAYA GAZETA WHOM THE MOSW THORI WISHED TO PORT BACK TO UZBEKISTAN BUT WHO EVENTUALLY FOUND SANCTUARY GERMANY, THANKS TO THE TERVENTN OF THE EUROPEAN COURT OF HUMAN RIGHTS. “RSIA IS NOT A SAFE PLACE FOR THE PEOPLE,” SAID PETROV. “IT IS AN TERMEDIATE PLACE TO STAY BEFORE GOG TO A SAFER PLACE EUROPE. THE LGBT PEOPLE ARE LIFE-THREATENG SUATNS. LIFE RSIA ISN’T SAFE FOR THEM. LGBT PEOPLE ARE NSTANT DANGER HERE, AND WE TRY TO FD THEM SAFE, SECRET HOG WHILE WAG FOR ASYLUM A SAFER UNTRY.”IBRAHIM, OM CHECHNYA, TOLD THE DAILY BEAST THAT STIMUL HAD SO FAR HELPED HIM ACQUIRE A FOREIGN PASSPORT.“I REALLY HOPE THAT THEY WILL HELP ME TO LEAVE RSIA, OTHERWISE WILL BE LERALLY THE END OF ME,” HE TOLD THE DAILY BEAST. “IF I’M ON KADYROV’S SUPPORTERS’ LISTS, SOONER OR LATER THEY’LL FD ME. KADYROV’S SUPPORTERS MAY NOT KILL ME, BUT THEY MIGHT HURT PERMANENTLY BOTH MY LIFE AND HEALTH FOREVER—THAT’S NO PROBLEM FOR THEM. I HAVE NO OTHER WAY OR CHANCE TO BE SAVED. IT IS EHER EEDOM AND LIFE—OR THEM, KADYROV’S SUPPORTERS.” DAVID (NAME HAS BEEN CHANGED): ‘I WANT TO LEAVE AND TO NOT BE AAID ANYMORE, TO NOT HI AND JT LIVE’MY NAME IS DAVID, I’M 20 YEARS OLD, I’M GAY, OM OSSETIA. I NSTANTLY HID MY ORIENTATN: IN THE CS THEY KILL FOR , SO I HAD TO PRETEND I WAS “STRAIGHT.”ON THE NIGHT OF SEPT. 25 OR 26, 2016, I WAS ATTACKED BY THREE GUYS THE CY WHERE I WAS STUDYG AT UNIVERSY.I WAS BEATEN ALL NIGHT, THREATENED TO BE KILLED OR SOLD TO SLAVERY. AFTER THREE TO FOUR HOURS OF BEATG, WHEN THERE WERE NO PLAC ON MY HEAD AND BODY LEFT TO BEAT, THEY AGREED TO LET ME GO IF I GAVE THEM MY MONEY, PHONE, AND MY LAPTOP. IN THE MORNG THEY LET ME GO, TAKG MY SNEAKERS AND JACKET OM ME.I BARELY MA TO A IEND AND ASKED FOR PERMISSN TO LIVE WH HIM. HE IMMEDIATELY AGREED AND BEGAN TO PERSUA ME TO GO TO THE POLICE OR AT LEAST TO A HOSPAL. I WAS AAID, SO FOR TWO DAYS I WAS JT LYG AT HOME. ON THE THIRD DAY HE FALLY PERSUAD ME TO GO TO THE HOSPAL. SOMEHOW WE AGREED WH THE DOCTOR NOT TO RM THE POLICE.AFTER THE BEATGS WERE RERD, I WAS PRCRIBED MEDITNS AND I WENT AGA TO MY IEND. I DID NOT SAY ANYTHG TO MY RELATIV AND FAY. ALMOST NOBODY KNEW ABOUT THIS. FOR TWO MONTHS I LIVED WH MY IEND AND DID NOT GO OUT, BEE I WAS AAID THAT THEY WOULD SEE ME AGA AND ATTACK AGA. EVEN AFTER THAT, I SHUDRED WH FEAR WHEN A R WAS PASSG BY, REMBLG THE ONE THAT THEY HAD. IN DECEMBER, MY IEND SAID THAT HE HAD A IEND THE POLICE AND PERSUAD ME TO FILE A REPORT. I AGREED. I THOUGHT WOULD ALL GO AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE AND ANONYMOLY. BUT WAS THEN THAT THE WHOLE NIGHTMARE BEGAN. THE VTIGATN DRAGGED ON FOR SIX MONTHS. MY ORIENTATN WAS KNOWN TO ALL POLICE OFFICERS, AND LATER THE MISTRY OF INTERNAL AFFAIRS.I EXPERIENCED NSTANT MOCKERY AND FEAR. FOR TERROGATNS, I ALWAYS ME AND LEFT WH AN RT. THERE WERE LLS AND MSAG OM RELATIV OF THOSE GUYS WHO BEAT ME UP AND ROBBED ME, FIRST WH REQUTS TO WHDRAW THE REPORT, LATER WH THREATS.TO BE HONT, I TRIED SEVERAL TIM TO WHDRAW THE REPORT, BUT EACH TIME I WAS EHER TOLD THAT WAS NOT ALLOWED OR DISSUAD UNR OTHER PRETEXTS. I WENT OUTSI AS RARELY AS POSSIBLE. I ALSO MISSED CLASS AT THE UNIVERSY. “I REALIZED THAT I ULD NO LONGER LIVE NSTANT FEAR FOR MY LIFE.” THE VTIGATN END AT THE END OF APRIL 2017. IN EARLY MAY, THE URT HEARGS BEGAN. I ME TO THE FIRST HEARG AND IMMEDIATELY GOT THREATENED. THE BROTHER OF ONE OF THE ACCED TRIED TO BEAT ME RIGHT THE URTROOM. THERE WAS NO REACTN OM THE OFFICERS OF THE URT. AFTER THE HEARG, THE VTIGATOR SENT POLICE OFFICERS TO BRG ME TO THE MISTRY, TO HIM. IT WAS NOT SAFE TO LEAVE THAT PLACE ALONE AND GO HOME. I REALIZED THAT I ULD NO LONGER LIVE NSTANT FEAR FOR MY LIFE. AT ANY TIME, MY RELATIV ULD LEARN ABOUT MY ORIENTATN, SO I TURNED TO THE RSIAN LGBT NETWORK FOR HELP. THEY HELPED ME TO MOVE TO ST. PETERSBURG AND HELPED WH ACMODATN AND FOOD.IN JULY, MY RELATIV LEARNED ABOUT MY SE AND MY ORIENTATN. MY UNCLE WORKS FOR THE POLICE. HE TRIED TO LOOK FOR ME. HE THOUGHT THAT I WAS STILL THE CS. MY WHO WORKED THE PROTECTN OF THE PRINT OF SOUTH OSSETIA HAS STRONG NNECTNS. HE WAS LOOKG FOR ME ST. PETERSBURG, BUT AT THAT TIME I HAD ALREADY MOVED TO ANOTHER CY.I LIMED MY MUNITN WH EVERYONE EXCEPT MY MOTHER. SHE AND MY TWO YOUNGER BROTHERS ARE THE ONLY ON WHO ACCEPTED ME. ALL MY OTHER RELATIV WANT ME AD, AND PUT PRSURE ON MY MOTHER. NOW EVERYONE THKS THAT I’M NO LONGER RSIA.MY MOTHER TOLD THEM THAT I WENT TO EUROPE. IF MY RELATIV FD OUT THAT I’M RSIA, THEY’LL START LOOKG FOR ME AGA. BIS MY RELATIV, THE RELATIV OF THE THREE GUYS ARE LOOKG FOR ME, TOO. AT THE END OF DECEMBER, I WAS ASKED TO LEAVE THE SHELTER. SCE MID-DECEMBER, STIMUL HAS HELPED ME WH HOG. FOR ABOUT SIX MONTHS I HAVE WANTED TO LEAVE, BUT BEE OF PROBLEMS WH DOCUMENTS AND FANC I STILL HAVE NOT SUCCEED.I WANT TO LEAVE AND TO NOT BE AAID ANYMORE, TO NOT HI AND JT LIVE. NOW I’M WAG FOR A VISA TO ONE OF THE EUROPEAN UNTRI, AND I HOPE THAT WH THE HELP OF STIMUL I WILL LEAVE RSIA. AMIR (CIZEN OF UZBEKISTAN; NOT HIS REAL NAME): ‘HE KNEW THAT HE ULD BE BEATEN OR EVEN KILLED IF OTHERS FOUND OUT HE WAS GAY’STIMUL WR: ON NOV. 17, 2017, AMIR, 23, WAS REFERRED TO STIMUL BY EMPLOYE OF THE UNHCR AND THE CIVIC ASSISTANCE COMMTEE (A NONPROF WHICH HELPS REFUGE AND FORCED MIGRANTS). ACRDG TO THE CIVIC ASSISTANCE LAWYER, AMIR WAS TAED AT BORR NTROL WHEN HE TRIED TO CROSS THE RSIAN BORR TO GO TO EUROPE, WHERE HIS PARTNER WAS WAG FOR HIM.AMIR DO NOT HAVE A SO-LLED STICKER (EX VISA) OR A SCHENGEN VISA HIS PASSPORT, AND THEREFORE WAS TAED BY RSIAN BORR GUARDS. FROM THE BORR ZONE HE WAS TAKEN TO THE OPERATNAL PARTMENT OF THE BORR SERVICE OF THE RSIAN FERAL SECURY SERVICE AND FED UNR ARTICLE 18.1 OF THE ADMISTRATIVE CO (VLATN OF THE STATE BORR REGIME OF THE RSIAN FERATN). “WHEN WE WATCHED TV WH MY BROTHERS AND MY IENDS, IF WE WERE TALKG ABOUT GAYS, THEY SAID THAT ALL GAYS SHOULD BE KILLED.” AMIR WAS BORN THE REGN OF SAMARKAND. HE HAS TWO BROTHERS AND A SISTER. HE HAS SELF-INTIFIED AS GAY SCE THE AGE OF 14. BEE OF PRSURE OM HIS BROTHERS, HE WAS FORCED TO DATE A GIRL FOR SIX YEARS ( SPE OF HIS SEXUAL ORIENTATN), SO THAT THE BROTHERS WOULD NOT SPECT HIM OF HOMOSEXUALY.IN AMIR’S FAY AND AMONG IENDS, WHEN THE TOPIC OF HOMOSEXUALY WAS RAISED, PEOPLE MA CLEAR TO HIM THAT THEY WOULD TAKE ANY STEPS, CLUDG MURR, IF THEY LEARNED HE WAS GAY. ACRDG TO AMIR: “WHEN WE WATCHED TV WH MY BROTHERS AND MY IENDS, IF WE WERE TALKG ABOUT GAYS, THEY SAID THAT ALL GAYS SHOULD BE KILLED.”HIS IENDS BTALLY BEAT A NEIGHBOR JT BEE THEY SPECTED HIM OF HOMOSEXUALY. THEREFORE, AMIR WAS FORCED TO “STAY THE CLOSET.” ONE DAY A IEND TOLD HIM TO BE REFUL AND WATCH HIS IENDS BEE THEY BEGAN TO SPECT HIM OF HOMOSEXUALY. AFTER THAT AMIR STARTED TO THK ABOUT LEAVG FOR RSIA, AS HE HOPED TO GET LOST THERE. EVERY DAY WAS A TRAGEDY FOR HIM: HE KNEW THAT HE ULD BE BEATEN OR EVEN KILLED IF OTHERS FOUND OUT HE WAS GAY.ON OCT. 4, 2015, AMIR LEFT UZBEKISTAN FOR MOSW. BUT MOSW HE HAD TO LIVE WH HIS UNCLE AND GAED NO EEDOM. A MONTH LATER, A IEND VED HIM TO KHABAROVSK AND GAVE HIM WORK AND SHELTER. HOWEVER, KHABAROVSK, AMIR REMAED UNR THE NTROL OF HIS FAY AND BROTHER, WHO ME AFTER AMIR AND WANTED TO NTROL THE LIFE OF HIS YOUNGER BROTHER. IN AUGT 2017, AMIR MET A FRENCHMAN ON A DATG SE. ONE DAY, HIS BROTHER SAW AMIR TALKG TO HIS NEW ACQUATANCE ON A VIO LL, TOOK HIS PHONE AWAY OM HIM, AND BTALLY BEAT HIM.HE ALSO SAID THAT IF WAS NFIRMED THAT AMIR WAS GAY, HE WOULD KILL HIM. AFTER THIS CINT, THE NEW FRENCH IEND PERSUAD AMIR THAT HE NEED TO GO TO EUROPE AND SEEK ASYLUM. AMIR NTACTED LGBT ANIZATNS RSIA AND UKRAE, WHERE HE WAS TOLD THAT HE ULD GO TO EUROPE VIA UKRAE ( FACT, THE VISA-EE SHORT-TERM ENTRY TO EU UNTRI OM UKRAE IS ONLY ALLOWED FOR CIZENS OF UKRAE). AMIR NTACTED A FRENCH LGBT ANIZATN WH A REQUT FOR HELP AND THEY REPLIED THAT THEY WOULD HELP HIM.ON NOV. 11, AMIR LEFT KHABAROVSK, AND ON NOV. 13 HE TRIED TO GET TO THE TRANS TERNATNAL ZONE MOSW WH THE GOAL OF TRAVELG TO UKRAE WHOUT HAVG A “STICKER” (EX VISA OF UZBEKISTAN) OR A SCHENGEN VISA HIS PASSPORT.AT THE BORR NTROL, AMIR WAS TAED BY THE BORR SERVICE OF THE FSB OF RSIA AND FED 2,000 BL FOR VLATG THE STATE BORR REGIME OF THE RSIAN FERATN. DURG TENTN, AMIR WAS ABLE TO LL THE DUTY OFFICER OF UNHCR, WHO PASSED THE RMATN TO THE CIVIC ASSISTANCE MIGRATN LAWYER.THE LAWYER WAS ABLE TO MAKE AN AGREEMENT WH THE DUTY OFFICERS OF THE BORR NTROL PARTMENT TO ONLY IMPOSE A FE ON AMIR WHOUT PORTG HIM OM RSIA.AFTER DRAWG UP THE PROTOL AND OBTAG A CISN TO HOLD HIM ACUNTABLE, AMIR WAS RELEASED AND TOOK A TAXI TO THE RSIAN-UKRAIAN BORR. AMIR TOLD THE RSIAN BORR OFFICERS ABOUT HIS STORY AND WAS RELEASED OM THE TERRORY OF RSIA. HOWEVER, THE UKRAIAN BORR OFFICERS REFED TO LET AMIR TO THE UNTRY, MA A NOTE THE PASSPORT ON THE PROHIBN OF ENTRY TO UKRAE, AND SENT HIM BACK TO RSIA.RSIAN BORR OFFICERS REFED TO LET AMIR TO RSIA. AMIR WAS AGA TAED BY BORR OFFICERS, HE AGA NTACTED THE DUTY OFFICER OF UNHCR, AND THE CIVIC ASSISTANCE MIGRATN LAWYER MANAGED TO GET PERMISSN FOR AMIR TO RETURN TO RSIA.AFTER AMIR RETURNED TO MOSW, CIVIC ASSISTANCE NTACTED STIMUL WH A REQUT FOR ASSISTANCE PROVIDG TEMPORARY HOG FOR HIM. SCE NOV. 17, AMIR HAS BEEN UNR THE RE OF OUR ANIZATN. AFTER NDUCTG TERVIEWS AND CHECKG THE FACTS TO NFIRM THE EXISTENCE OF A REAL DANGER TO THE LIFE AND HEALTH OF AMIR, WE ME TO THE NCLN THAT AMIR NEED THE FASTT EVACUATN OM RSIA.ON FEB. 9 HE RECEIVED A MIGRATN VISA TO EUROPE. DUE TO THE ABSENCE OF THE SO-LLED STICKER (AN UZBEK EX VISA) AMIR’S PASSPORT, STIMUL GAVE AMIR TECHNIL ASSISTANCE CROSSG THE RSIAN BORR AND ONE OF OUR EMPLOYE ACPANIED AMIR TO EUROPE.ON FEB. 12, 2018, AMIR LEFT RSIA AND ARRIVED EUROPE, WHERE HE IS NOW UNR THE RE OF A FRENCH LGBT ANIZATN AND HIS IEND. TIM TEEMAN

This is not the first time Put-era Rsian legislatn has gone after “gay propaganda”: A more limed 2013 law add “propaganda of non-tradnal sexual relatns” to a broar law that banned the distributn of “harmful” material to mors. The Duma voted down an amendment that would have exempted “universally regnized cultural products” such as lerature and art om the ban; theory, this means, for example, that Rsian translatns of Vladimir Nabokov’s novel Pale Fire, whose prcipal narrator Charl Kbote is nspicuoly gay, uld fall unr the ax. Jt last month, the premiere of a play lled The Prcs and the Ogre at a children’s theater Novosibirsk was nceled—or at least layed, sce will apparently open this month after vettg by the Mistry of Culture—bee of an anonymo plat om someone who found too gay.

Many Rsian mentators, such as journalist and activist Renat Davletgilyev, believe the new law is a transparent attempt by the Put regime to shore up flaggg support among the Rsian public by appealg to homophobia, stg gays as the menacg “other, ” and monizg not only the Wt but Rsian antiwar liberals as “sexual viants. A report by journalist Sasha Belaya on the Khodorkovsky Live YouTube channel noted that the Duma’s discsn and passage of the legislatn had been acpanied by an anti-gay mpaign the Rsian state media that explicly targeted liberals and dissints. Fellow TV host Vladimir Solovyov livered his mentary on “this filth, this abomatn, this foulns, and nasts” a bizarre sgsong apparently tend to mimic “gay” mannerisms.

In a particularly ironic twist, some propagandists such as Olga Skabeyeva exprsed ncern that the ban on “LGBT propaganda” uld accintally brg the hammer down on homophobic propaganda, bee was unclear what kd of pictns of “nontradnal sexual relatns” were prohibed: Could her own show be slapped wh a fe for showg the Zygar/Shcherbak kiss, albe “wh undisguised revulsn, ” as an exposé of “the liberal public” and of “the Wt and s valu”? The gay-bashg for domtic nsumptn uld achieve at least some sire effect a untry where nearly 70 percent of the populatn believ that nsensual same-sex relatns between adults should be illegal and half say they feel personal hostily toward LGBT people.

ALL OUT CONMNS INTERNATNAL OLYMPIC COMMTEE'S REFAL TO ACT ON RSIA'S ANTI-GAY LAWS

But is que likely that the current Rsian anti-gay mpaign, cludg the anti–“LGBT propaganda” law, is tend at least part for a Wtern dience—a specific part of , that is. On Monday, Rsian Print Vladimir Put signed to effect the “gay propaganda” bill, which Rsian lawmakers unanimoly approved November.

GAYS RSIA FD NO HAVEN, DPE SUPPORT FROM THE WT

The new “gay propaganda” bill expands on existg legislatn that was adopted by the Kreml 2013 to promote “tradnal” fay valu Rsia. ” Some lawmakers have also shown support for an pennt bill that would make any so-lled “gay propaganda” a crimal offense, acrdg to the Associated Prs.