Maxim Lapunov
A native of Omsk Maxim Lapunov written statement to the Investigative Committee about his prosecution for homosexuality in Chechnya and revealed details of torture in a secret prison on a press-conferences in “Novaya Gazeta” on Monday, October 16.
The man said that he came to Grozny in 2015 to work in the field of events, found a niche and stayed in Chechnya. Problems with the law he was not, but in March of this year on the street, where he sold balloons, he was detained two people in civilian clothes. They took it by force and held in the basement of a building 12 days. Presumably, it was the Chechen secret prison for suspected homosexuality, which previously wrote the publication.
Lapunov said that he was beaten with sticks and tortured with electric shocks, he told me about other gay people. In jail every day brought new hostages. Just 12 days he saw at least 30 prisoners. Chechens beat stronger than the Russian. After Lapunov under torture called one of the names, this man was brought to prison and beaten.
“I was taken to a cell, the angle of which was covered with blood. Then he beat me. Ran at the camera screaming that we have to kill, that will kill me anyway. Through five-six hours rushed back to camera with humiliation, insults, ready for that kill. Beaten with sticks on the legs, back, until I started to fall,” said the man. He added that the confrontation was filmed.
Under the threat of murder, the man was forced to leave fingerprints on the gun and sign some documents, then drove to the train station. He came to Essentuki, where he lived in the shelter of the “Committee against torture”. The man also appealed to the city police, but the quality of the investigation didn’t satisfy him.
29 Aug Maxim Lapunov presented the authorised on human rights in Russia Tatiana Moskalkova. 13 Oct Moskalkova told about the first applicant about the persecution of gays in Chechnya.
In April, “Novaya Gazeta” published an article about mass arrests and killings of inhabitants of the Chechen Republic from-for suspicions in sexual orientation later in the publication have compiled a list of 22 people. The Republic’s authorities denied this information.