Worldwide Information Blogger Luc Schrijvers: Terrifying updates from Russia

donderdag 29 augustus 2019

Terrifying updates from Russia

Dear friends –

Last week, I shared the news about the crisis in Russia with you (see the email below). An anti-LGBT+ blacklist has LGBT+ activists in Russia fearing for their lives.

One activist whose name was on the list was killed last month in St. Petersburg. The police are still refusing to investigate if there is a connection between the anti-LGBT+ blacklist and Elena's murder.

And since my last email more terrifying news has come in:

Nikita Tomilov, a lawyer whose name is on the blacklist too, was forced to leave Russia after he spotted masked men hiding outside his apartment;

Last Saturday, a peaceful protest in St. Petersburg against LGBT+ hate crimes was brutally shut down by the police. 12 activists were detained and one activist was severely hurt;

And last Sunday, the same group that published the anti-LGBT+ blacklist sent letters to at least two Russian LGBT+ activists, demanding that they kill other activists by October 1, or something much worse would happen.

This level of intimidation is unprecedented. We must do all that we can to counter this hate and protect the LGBT+ community.

Luc – we really need your help! Please, donate today to support our work in Russia.

– Matt

SOURCES (in Russian):

● "Saw against LGBT" sends out threats again: is there reason for panic? – Parniplus, 27 August 2019
● More than 10 people detained at LGBT+ rights rally in St. Petersburg – Novaya Gazeta, 24 August 2019
● Human rights activist from Yekaterinburg, who was included in the list by the group "Saw" has fled Russia – Znak, 16 August 2019

Previous email:
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All Out family –

I want to tell you about something very serious happening in Russia right now.

We've known for a long time that the situation was bad. But it has recently gotten much worse.

An anti-LGBT+ blacklist keeps showing up online with the names of dozens of Russian LGBT+ activists – many of them people All Out works with. Their personal information and photos are on that list.

Last month, a woman on that list was murdered.

Her name was Elena Grigoryeva. She had received numerous threats of violence, but when she reported them to the police, they ignored her. And just DAYS later, Elena died after being stabbed eight times in the face and back.

The police are still refusing to investigate if there is a connection between the anti-LGBT+ blacklist and Elena's murder.

We've since found out that the original site invited people to "play the game" by "hunting" LGBT+ people.

This is NOT normal, even for Russia.

We've been working closely with LGBT+ activists in Russia ever since All Out was launched. Our brave friends are now fearing for their lives. But they're determined to never give up.

We owe it to them to pull together everything we've got to help them FIGHT BACK.

We owe at least that much to Elena.

If you want to support the work we're doing with LGBT+ activists in Russia, please donate today.

Your donation will go directly towards our work to:

Run emergency campaigns for LGBT+ rights and response to crises in Russia and Chechnya;

support LGBT+ people with crowdfunding campaigns for life-saving projects like relocation programmes, shelters, and legal aid;

supply activists with digital tools, trainings, and strategies to run their own urgent campaigns for LGBT+ rights;

amplify the voices of local LGBT+ rights groups with the help of our activist and media networks around the world.

Russian authorities don't care about LGBT+ people. The monsters who published the anti-LGBT+ blacklist are getting away with it. It's up to us to help fight back.

No one else is funding this work for us. It's up to you. Please, donate today.

Thanks for going All Out,
Matt Beard

SOURCES:

● Russian LGBT activists urge government to investigate ‘gay-hunting’ site – PinkNews, 14 August 2019
● Russian police arrest new suspect in slaying of LGBTQ activist – NBC News, 1 August 2019