We are all aware that the LGBT+ community have been targeted in Chechnya, since 2017 the news surrounding the barbaric purge attacks there have become more and more frequent, sadly, and committed by the ones who should care for them, their own government.

LGBT+ people have been illegally arrested, tortured and executed. Various organisations and media outlets have verified the terrors happening in Chechnya, which is in the Northern Caucuses region of Russia.

As a community that has to learn how to survive in the evil world, we learn that we are not alone in this fight and we can choose who will be our family.

You can help them with some simple things, here what you can do:

Donate

It costs about €4,000 per refugee to keep them in safe housing, but to also get them out of the country and documents to help them flee Russia.

The biggest need at the moment for the Russian LGBT+ Network is money. Getting them critical funds is a priority of the international community.

If you can’t support with the donations, you can make an impact by simply sharing the link on your social media and encourage people to do it.

Donate to the Russian LGBT Network here, make sure to select the ‘Chechnya’ option when donating.

Open your borders

The victims, especially those tortured by their own government, will try to seek sanctuary outside of Russia. The Russian LGBT+ Network is asking people from around the world to contact their local politicians and government immigration ministers.

Write to your MPs to get them to help grant persecuted LGBT+ Chechens asylum in your home country. By writing to MPs you’re not only raising awareness of the situation, but also letting them know that are a lot of people are watching what’s happening. That puts pressure on them to act.

Sign petitions

There are a number of petitions circulating around to send to lawmakers. This one from AllOut sends a message to the UK delegation going to the World Economic Forum, that it’s their best chance to confront Russia on the atrocities happening in Chechnya.

A petition only takes seconds to fill in but could have a huge impact and potentially save someone’s life.

Raise Awareness

Share the news about what’s happening in Chechnya on your social media and tell your friends. The more people that know about what’s happening, the more pressure it puts on people in charge to do something.

If you’re in Europe you could contact the EU Committee for Torture Prevention to release the results of their visit to the Chechen Republic in December 2017. You could let them know that while LGBTI rights violations continue, the Russian authorities remain unresponsive and claim that no cases of human rights abuse are happening there.

The more people know about what is happening there, the more help we can get to support and help them to seek a better life in a safer place where they will not be murdered for the ignorance from others.