Dear friends,
My name is Igor Kochetkov and I'm an openly gay man and LGBT rights activist in Russia.
Right now, we're facing a terrifying emergency. Over 100 men in Chechnya – a republic of Russia – have been hunted down and detained in a secret and illegal prison. Many have been tortured and at least three men have been murdered.
Authorities say they want a "complete cleansing" of gay men from Chechnya.
My group – the Russian LGBT Network – has launched an emergency programme to evacuate gay men in Chechnya who are at risk of being captured or have survived arrest and torture. But the crisis has escalated so quickly, we're running out of resources.
That's why we're partnering with All Out to raise the funds needed to get these men to safety.
Your gift today will pay for travel costs, safe housing, food, and other emergency resources for gay men who need to escape Chechnya immediately.
The Chechen government refuses to acknowledge this calculated attack is even happening, saying "you can't detain and harass someone who doesn't exist in the republic."
But I've personally heard terrifying and tragic accounts from men who managed to escape. They recounted being beaten and given electric shocks, pushed to the brink of death until they gave the names of other gay men.
The risks can follow these men back home, where some families feel pressure from their deeply homophobic communities to kill their gay family members, in the name of "family honour."
Because of this, gay men in Chechnya live extremely isolated lives. That's why we set up a helpline to organise an evacuation. We just need your help to make sure we have enough funds to get these men to safety, before it's too late.
In solidarity,
Igor Kochetkov
Russia LGBT Network
