In Canada, Chechen gay faces threats from compatriots - report

At least one of the Chechen gay men, who were granted asylum in Canada, fell victim to threats from his compatriots, members of the Chechen Diaspora in Toronto. This was reported by the Canadian newspaper The Globe and Mail on September 14. According to journalists, the police of Toronto launched an investigation into the incident.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that operations to evacuate gays from Chechnya began after the Russian media reported the persecution of people with non-traditional sexual orientation in the republic. The Canadian NGO Rainbow Railroad helped 35 gay men from Chechnya to leave Russia, and 31 of them were granted asylum in Canada, the NGO reported on September 3.

In April, the newspaper "Novaya Gazeta" reported mass detentions and killings in Chechnya of men suspected of non-traditional sexual orientation and about a "secret prison" for gays in the city of Argun.

One of the Chechen gay men, who had been granted asylum in Canada, faced threats from his compatriots in the country. In August, the young man got acquainted with a man in a dating application and arranged a meeting in Toronto.

During the meeting, he was grabbed by two people, who forced him to a back seat of a car and promised to "bury in Chechnya." They called the gay's lifestyle to be "shameful," reported the Canadian newspaper The Globe and Mail in its article published on the website on September 14 without referring to sources.

Despite the fact that the victim of the threats refused to complained about the incident to the police, local law enforcers launched the investigation into the incident, The Globe and Mail reports.

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.