Tales of Torture from Gay Chechens

Confirmed Rumors of Horrific Concentration Camps Brought to Light

Recent accounts of homosexual men being taken away, abused and detained in “concentration camps” in the Russian republic of Chechnya, are a sad and scary reminder of the ongoing discrimination LGBTQ+ community members are in constant fear of. The right for equal marriage in the United States and other nations is often taken for granted, as a lot of places still consider merely identifying as a homosexual to be illegal, and in some places punishable by death. And regardless of the legal status, LGBTQ+ people are still subjected to significant prejudice worldwide.

The last time concentration camps were used was during the Second World War. Survivors of the camps tell tales of humiliation, abuse, and blackmail. In the current situation, LGBTQ+ Chechens are living with the same torture; living in fear of being “outed” by authorities and attacked by your own relatives or neighbors is a reality for gay men in Chechnya.

Attacks like these are alarming for the entire world, as well as seeing a country in which policies with underlying acceptance of berating pocket-sized communities are okay. Homophobic forces and hatred towards anyone is an unacceptable practice to preach. The existence of concentration camps is horrendous, but the issue itself speaks to much broader human rights issues. It is up to the world community to help the Chechens in concentration camps, and stop the spread of such archaic hatred.