Ukraine invasion | US warns LGBTIQ people are targets

mambaonline.com:

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has sparked fears about the safety of LGBTIQ people in the country, with the US warning of a human rights catastrophe. In a letter to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, US Ambassador Bathsheba Nell Crocker warned of “disturbing information recently obtained by the United States that indicates that human rights violations and abuses in the aftermath of a further invasion are being planned.” Bachelet said that these acts have in past Russian operations included “targeted killings, kidnappings/forced disappearances, unjust detentions, and the use of torture…” Those who are likely to be targeted include not only those who oppose Russian actions but also “vulnerable populations such as religious and ethnic minorities and LGBTQI+ persons.” Bachelet added that “we have credible information that indicates Russian forces are creating lists of identified Ukrainians to be killed or sent to camps following a military occupation.” Russia not only actively restrict the rights of its LGBTIQ citizens with oppressive laws and policies but has also turned a blind out to the horrific kidnapping and murder of LGBTIQ people in Chechnya, which is part of the Russian Federation.

In a series of frantic posts on its Facebook page, the organisers of Kyiv Pride called on the international community to stand up and take action against the invasion. “We stay strong, we are not intimidated,” said the defiant organisers. “Putin breaks all his teeth trying to bite us.

We have left far behind the past he seeks to drag us into. We are a country that has chosen the values of human rights, humanity, life, personality.