Shawn Gaylord Speaks with Rated G Radio on Persecution of Gay Men in Chechnya

By Lara Mnaymneh

Amidst alarming reports that gay men are being targeted by government forces in Chechnya, a region in Russia, Human Rights First’s Advocacy Counsel Shawn Gaylord joined Rated G Radio’s Rob Watson to discuss these human rights violations. Reports indicate that more than 100 gay men have been detained and tortured, and at least five have been confirmed dead. The Chechen government continues to deny these allegations, even asserting that gay men don’t exist in Chechnya. Facing persecution and murder, members of the LGBT community have been forced to give up their livelihoods and flee with their families.

Shawn joins Slava Bortnik, a Belarusian American human rights defender and LGBT activist, and Brody Levesque, Chief Political Correspondent for The New Civil Rights Movement, to discuss the grave situation and the necessary steps that must be taken to stop these atrocities.