Idris Arsamikov, a gay refugee who fled Chechnya and moved to the Netherlands in 2018, was reportedly arrested on fabricated fraud charges upon his return to Russia for his father’s funeral. According to human rights organizations, including Amnesty International and COC Netherlands, Arsamikov’s whereabouts remain unknown, and his safety and life are at risk due to his enforced disappearance. They claim that Russian authorities should immediately release him, disclose his whereabouts, protect his right to security of person, ensure that he is not subjected to torture and other ill-treatment, and grant him access to a lawyer.
The organizations express strong concerns that Arsamikov is being persecuted for his perceived sexual orientation, citing the fact that the fraud allegations against him only surfaced after he left Chechnya and the Chechen authorities’ history of ill-treating men for their presumed sexual orientation. They state that his persecution fits a pattern by which Chechen authorities arrest and detain LGBTI people and human rights defenders on politically motivated, fabricated charges.
News outlet Meduza has previously reported that Arsamikov fled Chechnya after being tortured to get him to admit his sexuality. Since his return to Russia, he has allegedly been arbitrarily detained and tortured at least three times. The human rights organizations claim that videos of Arsamikov, posted on social media on the day of his arrest, were likely forcibly extracted and staged by Chechen law enforcement.
The case of Arsamikov underscores the ongoing persecution faced by the LGBTQ+ community in Russia, particularly in Chechnya, where gay men have been subjected to arbitrary detention, torture, and even murder. Despite international pressure and condemnation, Russian authorities have yet to take meaningful action to address these human rights abuses.
