Russian LGBTQ+ rights organization SOS Crisis Group reported on Wednesday that Rizvan Dadaev, a Chechen who was detained due to his sexual orientation, managed to escape from Russia with assistance from the organization after being tortured. LGBTQ+ people have a history of persecution in Russia and its Chechnya region.
Dadaev, a resident of Chechnya’s capital Grozny, reportedly faced detention and torture due to his sexual orientation. Extortionists recorded a video of Dadev being interrogated about his personal life and posted it online. Dadaev and the extortionists were subsequently apprehended by the police a week later, taken to a police station’s basement and subjected to torture, including beatings and electric shocks. The police station’s head, Denis Aidamirov, a relative of Chechnyan leader Ramzan Kadyrov, reportedly played a role in the violence. Dadaev spent over three months in the basement with about 90 others, all tortured for various offenses.
SOS’s Investigative Committee received a plea for help from a friend of Dadev six months after his apprehension, setting a successful plan to evacuate Dadev from Russia in motion.
Earlier in November 2023, the Russian Supreme Court labeled the LGBTQ+ movement as extremist following a closed-door hearing, condemning it as a threat to social and religious harmony. The decision effectively banned LGBTQ+ activities in the country, as participation in “extremist organizations” carries a potential twelve-year prison sentence. Human rights groups opposed the move, arguing it violates rights and fosters discrimination.
In 2017, Chechen police, allegedly supported by high-ranking authorities, carried out a harsh campaign against men suspected of being gay or bisexual. This involved beatings and humiliation, as detailed in a report by Human Rights Watch (HRW). Victims experienced disappearances or were sent back to their families in debilitated conditions. Furthermore, leaked documents from a government source confirmed in 2021 that 27 men presumed dead amid the 2017 cahad been detained by Chechnyan police, contradicting official denials.
