Aminat Lorsanova reports fleeing Chechnya after "treatment" for homosexuality

After escaping from Chechnya, Aminat Lorsanova, a native of Grozny, broke all ties with her relatives who tried to "expel genies from her" by beating her with sticks. Islam does not practice treatment for homosexuality, notes Magomedrasul Omarov, the head of the Dagestani information and analytical centre "Fikr".

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on January 20, 22-year-old Aminat Lorsanova, who left Russia in April 2019 with the help of the "Russian LGBT Network", claimed that she had been subjected to violence in Grozny by her relatives and a specialist in "expelling genies." Djambulat Umarov, Chechen Minister of National Policy, called an Aminat Lorsanova's complaint a "fake."

According to Aminat Lorsanova, her family members found out about her homosexual orientation when they seized her mobile phone and "took it to the police to hack the correspondence."

She called the "treatment" procedure very difficult. "I got injections with tranquilizers, and I was beaten with sticks, they 'were expelling a genie'," Aminat Lorsanova said. Meanwhile, according to her, she received no support from anyone.

According to Svetlana, the spokesperson for the "Russian LGBT Network", which helped Aminat Lorsanova leave Chechnya, the NGO has been registering complaints from women since 2017. In total, according to the spokesperson for the "Russian LGBT Network", the NGO received at least 30 such appeals.