Global protests outside Russian Embassies mark one year anniversary of Chechnya purges

To mark the one year anniversary of the purging of gay men from Chechnya, All Out and Amnesty International have called for protests outside Russian embassies across the world. It was a year ago that news broke of gay men being rounded up, killed and tortured by authorities in Chechnya, an Islamic autonomous region of Russia. There has still yet to be any formal criminal investigation issued form the Kremlin, and many of the victims of the purge are still missing.

In the protest outside the London Russian embassy human rights campaigner, Peter Tatchell gave an impassioned speech: “International solidarity is so important. It is such a morale boost for people in Russia and Chechnya to know that we care about their plight. What has happened to LGBT Chechens is only one fragment of the tyranny affecting Chechnya today. We stand in solidarity with all Chechen people who are striving for equality and human rights.”

Matt Beard, the Executive Director of All Out, said: “There was a massive international outcry after the abuses came to light. All Out and its partners delivered a petition with 2 million names, we successfully lobbied Angela Merkel to raise the issue when she met Putin and the international media brought the story to millions. Without this international pressure and visibility, we believe the terror may have continued unabated.”

Protests also occurred in Brasilia, Mexico City, Munich, Berlin, Rome, Stockholm, and York.

Tim Gibson - mygwork

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