A pair of queer siblings have been found guilty of “complicity with illegal armed formations” in a local court in Chechnya – charges that have been described as “fabricated” by Human Rights groups.

Salekh Magamadov (21) and Ismail Isaev (19) were sentenced Tuesday, 22 February, for smuggling goods to an alleged Chechen militant, although it’s reported that there is no evidence to support this.

The siblings pled not guilty to the charges and Human Rights groups are saying that the pair are being persecuted for their sexual orientation and gender identity, as one of them identifies as gay while the other is in the process of transitioning.

“They should never have been charged in the first place,” said Marie Struthers, Amnesty International’s Eastern Europe and Central Asia Director prior to sentencing, demanding that the siblings “must be immediately and unconditionally released”.

“Belonging to the LGBTI community in Chechnya — or anywhere else for that matter — is not a crime. Nobody should be detained for their sexual orientation or gender identity or for criticising the authorities. Their ordeal must end now.”

Salekh has been sentenced to eight years in jail, one year of which will be served in prison while the other seven will be served in a strict regime colony, and Ismail will serve his six-year sentence in a common regime colony, according to the Russian LGBTQ+ network North Caucasus SOS.

Chechen authorities relied on apology videos as the basis for the conviction, videos which the siblings were forced to film while in custody.

Salekh and Ismail were the moderators of a youth-led Telegram channel, a platform that consists of posts critical of authorities in Chechnya, and the siblings first came to the attention of the authorities in 2019 when an officer found an LGBTQ+ Pride flag on Ismail’s phone. The siblings were detained last year when they tried to flee Russia.