Maxim Lapunov
The Investigative Committee (IC) are ready to provide state protection spoke about the persecution of homosexuals in Chechnya, Maxim Lapunova. About it RIA Novosti said the head of the Council on human rights (HRC) Mikhail Fedotov.
He said that earlier human rights defenders raised the issue of the need to ensure the safety of the young person. “The answer was simple: when necessary, all security will be provided,” — said Fedotov.
Earlier Lapunov appealed to the Investigation Committee against the persecution of gays in Chechnya. Currently, according to human rights activists, IC conducts a preliminary examination of his application.
The native of Omsk Lapunov said that in Chechnya, he was persecuted for sexual orientation, tortured and threatened to kill. According to him, he lived and worked in the Republic from 2015, but in March of this year he was suddenly detained two men in plain clothes. It was taken away, he believes, in the secret prison for suspected homosexuality. The man claimed that they kept him in the basement for 12 days, beaten with sticks and tortured with electricity. All of this was filmed on a video camera. With him in the institution were at least 30 other prisoners.
The young man added that under threat he was forced to leave his fingerprints on the gun and sign some documents and then took him to the station, where he went into the sanctuary of the “Committee against torture” in Essentuki. Lapunov contacted the police, but, in his opinion, a proper investigation was not carried out.
On 13 October, the Commissioner for human rights Tatyana Moskalkova said that she was asked by the first applicant about the torture of gays in Chechnya, but his name was not called. Then the Ombudsman said that upon her conversion, she sent a request to law enforcement agencies and they “work in this direction.”
In the beginning of April, “Novaya Gazeta” published an article that in the Republic of homosexuals are detained, sent to prison, tortured and killed. Later in the publication have compiled a list of 22 victims. The Chechen authorities have not confirmed the information and called the reports of journalists provocation, the press Secretary of the head of the Chechen Republic Ramzan Kadyrov, Alvi Karimov claimed that in Chechnya there is no gay.