19 September 2018, 14:53
Court: Pyatigorsk Mayoralty to reconsider application for LGBT action in defence of gays in Chechnya
The Pyatigorsk City Court has obliged the Mayoralty to review the application for a rally with a demand to investigate reports of mass persecution of gays in Chechnya.
In September, a group of Pyatigorsk residents appealed to the city administration with a notification on holding a rally on September 18 to speak out in defence of the rights of LGBT community members and demand to carry out a proper investigation into reports about mass harassment of LGBT community members in Chechnya.
On August 31, 15 OSCE countries demanded from Russia to provide a report on human rights violations in Chechnya, but rights defenders doubted if that could affect the situation.
In response, the Mayoralty of Pyatigorsk suggested that in their notification, the initiators of the action should correct the inconsistencies related to the place of residence of an organizer. The organizers have challenged the decision of the city administration.
The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that in terms of ensuring the rights of sexual minorities, Russia was placed to the penultimate, the 48th place, in the ranking of 2017 ILGA-Europe. Thus, the country has been listed as one of the most homophobic states in Europe.
This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on September 19, 2018 at 05:50 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.
