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Human Rights Commissioner Kofler and French Human Rights Ambassador on the situation in Chechnya
Federal Government Commissioner for Human Rights Policy and Humanitarian Aid at the Federal Foreign Office Bärbel Kofler and French Ambassador for Human Rights François Croquette issued the following statement today (15 January) on the situation in Chechnya:
We are deeply concerned by the reports that in Chechnya members of sexual minorities have once again been arrested and tortured, in some cases even resulting in death.
The Russian authorities need to investigate the reports by human rights organisations as soon as possible and ensure protection and support for all people under threat.
As the international community has repeatedly emphasised: Violent crimes must be investigated and the perpetrators held to account.
We urgently appeal to Russia once again to implement the recommendations contained in the report of OSCE rapporteur Professor Benedek.
Background information:
According to the Russian non-governmental organisation LGBT Network, approximately 40 LGBTI persons have been arrested since the end of December 2018. At least two people have died after being abused. Similar reports were published in April and June 2017.
In December 2018, a report on human rights abuses in Chechnya, mentioning these and other allegations, was published by the Moscow Mechanism Rapporteur of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe.