US Denies Visas to Fleeing Gay Chechens
They are facing severe punishment in Chechnya for their sexual identity
The United States has denied visas for about 40 gay Chechens who are in hiding from their government amid reports of kidnappings, torture, and disappearances of gay people in the semi-autonomous region of Southern Russia.
It was reported last month that gay men in Chechnya were being hunted down, abused and tortured.
A state department official has neither confirmed nor denied the allegations to Independent, instead voicing the U.S’ concern over reports that “at least 100 men have been detained on the basis of their sexual orientation.”
The official also stated that “Credible reports further indicate that some of those men have been tortured and even killed. The United States categorically condemns the persecution of individuals based on their sexual orientation or any other basis.”
Many gay men are now in hiding or fleeing the country fearing for their safety and about 40 of them had applied for U.S visas, all of them denied. Only two men have reportedly gained visas to safe countries.
Chechnya’s ruler Ramzan Kadyrov has denied the alleged “purge” and the reporters who leaked the story have fled Russia and have been labeled enemies of the country.
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