21 April 2021

The violent persecution of LGBTQ in Chechnya: Germany should act


21 April 2021, 7:00 pm

For years, government forces in Chechnya, an autonomous republic in Russia, have committed serious human rights violations against the civilian population, and LGBTQ are increasingly the target of violence. In particular, gay and bisexual men are unlawfully detained, tortured or subjected to sexual violence by security forces. According to the Chechen regime, homosexuality and bisexuality do not fit into Chechen gender roles and should therefore be suppressed and punished.  

Survivors often flee their homeland. Their families are also threatened if they do not give in to government pressure to “punish,” disown or even murder their relatives. Crimes have been committed against more than 150 people. Not a single one has been investigated, nor have any perpetrators been held accountable. 

The crimes committed against the LGBTQ community in Chechnya are crimes under international law. How can Germany help address the crimes and hold the perpetrators accountable? What is the current situation for those affected in Chechnya? And how can queer people who flee to Germany from violence and persecution because of their sexual identity be better protected? In a joint event by the Lesben- und Schwulenverband (LSVD) and European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR), these questions will be discussed by:  

Veronika Lapina, human rights defender, Sphere Foundation/Russian LGBT Network 

Patrick Dörr, asylum law expert, LSVD National Board 

Wolfgang Kaleck, lawyer and general secretary, ECCHR 

Moderated by journalist Caroline Ausserer  

 

After the discussion, we will show the documentary “Welcome to Chechnya” (winner of the Berlinale 2020 Panorama Audience Award) by director David France, who accompanies LGBTQ activists and victims in Chechnya. 

The event will take place in English online via Zoom. Participants, apart from the panelists, will remain anonymous during the panel discussion. They will not be publicly visible, and questions can be sent anonymously to the moderator via the chat.

Registration for the event is closed. In case you still want to participate, please write to: event@ecchr.eu 

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