humanrights – LGBT World Beside

February 21, 2020

Human Rights Watch criticized amendments to the Constitution of Russia.

Constitution of the Russian Federation. Archive photo.

Tatyana Lokshina, deputy head of the Human Rights Watch (HRW) international human rights organization’s organization in Europe and Central Asia, criticized the proposed amendments to the Russian Constitution regarding the notion of marriage – in her opinion, it “discriminates” representatives of non-traditional sexual orientation in the country.

Earlier, State Duma Vice-Speaker Petr Tolstoy stated the need for the constitution to define marriage as a union of a man and a woman, which should stop speculation on the issue of granting certain rights to people of non-traditional sexual orientation. According to him, this step ensures that “no international institutions can continue to impose any special rights on the LGBT community in Russia.”

“Homophobia in Russia is strong enough and is even more intensified after the adoption of discriminatory legislation and relevant rhetoric in the media,” she said.

At the same time, in her opinion, Tolstoy’s rhetoric was also directed at the West.

“Perhaps, speaking to a Russian audience, Mr. Tolstoy simultaneously sends a certain signal to Western partners that not only is Russia not going to repeal discriminatory legislation, but on the contrary, he and a number of his colleagues consider it right to enforce discriminatory norms in the constitution,” the representative added HRW.

She explained that she had in mind the so-called law on the prohibition of gay propaganda.

The co-chair of the working group, Pavel Krasheninnikov, stated that the constitutional definition of marriage proposed by Tolstoy was not entirely correct, since there are single-parent families, and the concept of marriage is enshrined in the Family Code.

Last week, Russian President Vladimir Putin, at a meeting with members of a working group to prepare proposals for amending the Constitution of the Russian Federation, said that while he was president, Russia would not have a parent number one and number two – “there will be a father and mother.” At the same time, the head of state did not specify whether this norm should be prescribed in the main law of the country.

March 21, 2019

Human rights activist wrote a statement in the UK on the “fighter with gays” from St. Petersburg Timur Bulatov.

In the photo, Timur Bulatov, wants to expel all LGBT people from Russia.

Nikita Tomilov, an expert at the Interregional Center for Human Rights, sent a statement to the Investigation Committee on activist Timur Bulatov (Isayev) from St. Petersburg, who is fighting homosexuals.

The statement was sent after Bulatov on March 18 asked the schools of Yekaterinburg and the police to deal with 15 teenagers who had fallen under the sodic LGBT propaganda that is detrimental to the psyche of children. On the same day, Bulatov gave an interview to Znak.com, where he spoke about his methods of work and stated that he considers “all LGBT rhetoric to be a psychiatric disease.”

Human rights activist Nikita Tomilov believes that Bulatov’s actions may fall under three articles of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation: incitement to hatred and hostility, unauthorized access to computer information and public calls for extremist activities. “What this person does is illegal as well as anti-human,” wrote Tomilov on VKontakte.

Timur Bulatov is known for seeking the dismissal of teachers from schools because of homosexuality. He claims that in several years more than 60 teachers have been forced to quit their jobs. Bulatov also participated in a rally at the headquarters of Alexei Navalny in St. Petersburg under the slogan “Bulk protects perverts.” In addition, he struggled with children’s drawings in the school of Yekaterinburg because of the “propaganda of homosexuality” (the police found no violations).

March 20, 2019

Trump administration is continuing to ignore Chechnya LGBTI crisis.

It costs thousands of dollars to evacuate a persecuted LGBTI person from Chechnya.

**Trump has proven numerous times to be unsupportive of LGBTI issues | Photo: Gage Skidmore/Flickr**

The Trump administration did not join several countries in signing a joint letter to the United Nations’ Human Rights Council calling for an investigation into the ongoing LGBTI crisis in Chechnya.

Thirty-two countries delivered the letter to the 40th session of the Human Rights Council, located in Geneva, Switzerland.

In the letter, they explain their ‘deep concern about recent reports concerning the renewed persecution of LGBTI persons in Chechnya’.

They refer to the 1993 Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action. This documents declares human rights as universal. It also calls on states to take action on issues like torture and other human rights violations.

‘Today, we call on the Russian authorities to take urgent action in response to these renewed reports of violations of the human rights of LGBTI persons in Chechnya,’ the letter reads.

‘All persons who remain in detention based on their actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity must be released immediately.

‘There must also be a swift, thorough and impartial investigation into the alleged persecution, arrest and torture of LGBTI persons, and any deaths that have resulted. Those who have directed and carried out these acts must be held responsible.’

A protest in Berlin to stop the atrocities happening in Chechnya | Photo: Florian Flitzinger

One of the countries conspicuously missing from the letter is the United States.

‘The Trump-Pence administration has once again shamefully chosen to not speak out against the barbaric, anti-LGBTQ attacks occurring in Chechyna,’ said Human Rights Campaign Global Director Ty Cobb.

‘It’s unconscionable that the United States is not joining with these more than 30 nations in publicly condemning these Chechen anti-LGBTQ crimes against humanity and calling for those responsible to be held accountable. The absolute failure of human rights leadership from this White House is staggering.’

In October 2017, the US Senate condemned the atrocities in Chechnya.

Former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson reportedly wrote a letter to Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov about the situation in Chechnya. That letter, however, was never made public.

Neither Donald Trump nor Mike Pence has ever spoken publicly about Chechnya.

Earlier this week, the ACLU delivered harsh criticism of the US to the UN Human Rights Council.

Jamil Dakwar, director of the ACLU’s human rights program, noted 22 requests from UN rapporteurs have gone unanswered by the US.

In their statement, the ACLU wrote ‘the Trump administration has escalated its hostility toward human rights bodies including the apparent severing of relationships with independent experts appointed to monitor and report on human rights violations’.

It continued: ‘These issues raise serious concerns regarding the U.S. commitment to human rights and the international rule of law.’

In June 2018, the US withdrew from the Human Rights Council.

The ACLU’s letter also noted wanting to have a record of the US’ actions towards human rights. In conclusion, they called on Congress to look into it.

We’re inviting you to make a difference today by donating to the Chechyna Appeal.

Every dollar, euro and pound you give will help evacuate LGBTI people in the most danger. And to pressure the Chechen authorities to stop this persecution.

Please also share our appeal with your followers, friends and family; ensuring we raise awareness and apply pressure to permanently end this abuse.

March 20, 2019March 20, 2019

Lawyers of Oyub Titiyev told about the falsification of his case.

On March 6, a press conference of lawyers and colleagues of human rights activist Oyub Titiyev took place in Moscow. They spoke about the obvious signs of falsification and political motivation of his case, about the evidence that the court refused to consider, as well as about the significance of the outcome of the trial over Titiyev for the human rights situation in Chechnya.

For example, lawyer Marina Dubrovina demonstrated that Scotch with Titieva’s hair, which was allegedly found on a bag with a narcotic substance and presented as evidence linking the bag with drugs to a human rights activist, could only be glued after the arrest of Titiyev. The lawyers also noted the absence of any fingerprints on the scotch tape, which may indicate that he was stuck in latex gloves. Her colleague Ilya Novikov recalled that all the surveillance cameras that were supposed to prove that Titiyev was detained at another time and under other circumstances turned out to be “inoperative”. The participants of the press conference noted many other contradictions in the prosecution version. Another important point noted by the lawyers of Titiyev is the actual non-observance of the principle of equality of the parties in the criminal process. The lawyers reported that in addition to the interrogation of witnesses and experts, in which the judge could not refuse according to the Code of Criminal Procedure, all other defense motions were rejected.

Lawyers and colleagues of Oyub Titiyev also spoke about the important work of gathering information about the violation of human rights, including extrajudicial executions, torture, detention in secret prisons, which was carried out by a human rights activist. The speakers stated with bitterness that while reports of gross violations of human rights in Chechnya were received almost weekly, many aspects of human rights activities, including establishing the locations of secret prisons and saving people, were limited with the arrest of Titiev.

“Like the defenders of Oyub Titiyev, we are convinced that his case was fabricated, and the real purpose of his prosecution is to stop the important activities of Memorial and any human rights activities in Chechnya in general,” said Natalia Prilutskaya, an Amnesty International researcher in Russia. “If Titiyev is not justified and freed, it will demonstrate to the whole world that the Chechen Republic is a place where lawlessness reigns and the court has nothing to do with justice,” she added.

The head of the Grozny office of the Memorial Human Rights Center, Oyub Titiyev, was detained on January 9, 2018 and accused of possessing a large consignment of drugs that had allegedly been found in his car. Titiyev said that the drug bag was planted on him during his arrest. He remains in the detention center of the city of Grozny despite numerous petitions of the defense for his release and a powerful campaign to support the human rights activist both in Russia and around the world. Last week, the judicial investigation of this case was completed, and the parties are expected to debate on March 11, after which the court will announce the verdict.

January 7, 2019January 7, 2019

For the first time in eight years, the For Human Rights Movement did not receive a presidential grant.

For the first time in eight years, the For Human Rights Movement did not receive a presidential grant. The head of the human rights organization Lev Ponomarev informed about this on the air of “Echo of Moscow”.

“I was left without presidential grants for 2019,” said Ponomarev in the A-Team program. According to him, the grant was not issued because of the “bad application” and low expert ratings.

Ponomarev admitted that the organization could stop working: “In fact, the situation is such that it is necessary to stop.” The human rights activist noted that private investors had promised to help the movement. The organization does not receive foreign funding in order not to fall under the law on “foreign agents,” he added.