HAPPENING NOW: Russian Journalist Charged Under “Gay Propaganda” Law

February 12, 2014 at 12:30 PM

Meet Elena Klimova, the latest victim of Russia’s new “gay propaganda” law (Photo Credit: Private).

She saved lives. So why does Russia want to punish Elena Klimova?

Because she created a safe space for LGBTI teens in a country rife with homophobia.

Elena is a journalist and founder of Children 404, a popular online resource that supports LGBTI teens in Russia. It’s a space for teenagers to share their stories, get support and obtain advice from experienced psychologists.

Elena’s Children 404 has prevented teenagers from committing suicide and running away from home. She’s easing their isolation and making their world a little better, right?

Not according to Russian authorities. Russian authorities are going to absurd lengths to punish people and defenders of LGBTI human rights. They want to shut Children 404 down, and have charged Elena with “propaganda of non-traditional sexual relations.”

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7 Days Before Sochi, 7 Prisoners of Conscience You Should Be Thinking About

By Samir Goswami

January 31, 2014 at 8:00 AM

(Photo Credit: Antonin Thuillier/AFP/Getty Images)

On February 7, 2014, the XXII Winter Olympic Games will begin in the Russian city of Sochi. The lead up to the Games has shone a spotlight on Russia and the country’s human rights record.

Since his re-election, President Vladimir Putin has signed laws and instituted measures that restrict the rights to freedom of expression, association and assembly.

Since Putin announced his intention to return to the Presidency, thousands of people have attended protests all over Russia, and hundreds have been arrested and prosecuted simply for exercising their right to peaceful assembly.

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HAPPENING NOW: LGBT Nigerians Jailed After Passage of New Anti-Gay Law

By Guest Writer

January 18, 2014 at 1:00 PM

“I no longer feel safe under this law,” said Rashidi Williams (pictured here), Director of Nigeria’s Queer Alliance rights group. “It has the potential to encourage instigation of violence against gay people and lesbians.” (Photo Credit: Pius Utomi Ekpei/AFP/Getty Images).

By Makmid Kamara, Nigeria Researcher at Amnesty International

A man lay on a bench in a packed court room in northern Nigeria, screaming in pain as he was being lashed 20 times with an oil-smeared whip. The man had been sentenced to the brutal punishment by an Islamic court for committing “homosexual offences.”

This is par for the course in Nigeria, where same sex conduct is banned. But now, brutal homophobic persecution has hit a new, unthinkable low.

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6 of President Vladimir Putin’s Most Oppressive Laws

By The Editors

January 15, 2014 at 7:46 AM

NOTE: This blog post has been updated in several places for clarity.

The Olympics are right around the corner. But while Shaun White practices his Double McTwist 1260 and Ashley Wagner works on nailing a pearl spin, President Vladimir Putin is perfecting the art of repression.

Since he was inaugurated as President of the Russian Federation, Putin has orchestrated a number of changes in Russian law effectively criminalizing any criticism of him and Russian security forces. The new Draconian laws are having a terrible impact.

With Sochi fast approaching, here are 6 of Putin’s most oppressive laws. But unlike White and Wagner’s routines, we’re not looking forward to seeing these at the Olympics:

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ACT NOW: Stop Shocking Anti-LGBT Bill From Becoming Law

By Cristina Finch

January 14, 2014 at 5:11 PM

We only have a few weeks to stop a dangerous bill from becoming law in Uganda.

Formerly known in the media as the “Kill the Gays Bill,” the legislation institutionalizes discrimination against already marginalized lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) Ugandans.

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6 of President Vladimir Putin’s Most Oppressive Laws

By Frank Jannuzi

September 5, 2013 at 1:45 PM

The G20 summit is expected to be dominated by the issue of military action in Syria, but President Obama and other world leaders would also do well to focus on human rights abuses going on in Russia (Photo by Anton Denisov/Host Photo Agency via Getty Images).

President Barack Obama has an important opportunity he should not pass up.

He is participating in the G20 Leader Summit in St. Petersburg, Russia starting today, and Syria is most likely to dominate the agenda. But he should not ignore Russia’s crackdown on human rights.

Fortunately, this is not a partisan issue. A group of prominent United States Senators – Democrat and Republican – have asked President Obama to speak out against Vladimir Putin’s repression of freedom of expression and assembly and other human rights.

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The Side of Sochi Russia Doesn’t Want You to See

By The Editors

August 9, 2013 at 1:31 PM

(Photo Credit: Oleg Nikishin/Getty Images).

While Shaun White perfects his half-pipe routine, punk rock artists Maria Alekhina and Nadezhda Tolokonnikova sit in prison. As NBC welcomes Apolo Ohno to its winter coverage team, NGOs in Russia struggle to survive. And as the spotlight turns to the 2014 Olympics games in Sochi and as the International Olympic Committee is issuing assurances that gay visitors would be safe in Russia, the Russian government and authorities are instigating a campaign of homophobia that reveals an ugly truth about the country’s human rights record. The spotlight turns to Russia as the world prepares for the 2014 Olympics in Sochi, revealing an ugly truth.

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When Will Russia and the Former Soviet Union Stop Instituting Homophobic Policies?

By Simon Maghakyan

August 9, 2013 at 10:06 AM

Gay rights activists march in St. Petersburg (Photo Credit: Olga Maltseva/AFP/Getty Images).

The upcoming 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia has been controversial for a while, compliments of host country’s president Vladimir Putin.

His homophobic policies have lead to widespread boycott calls, but have not sparked official outrage in the former Soviet Union.

On the contrary. This week, Armenia’s state police posted online a legislative proposal to fine up to $4,000 for promoting “non-traditional sexual relationships” among minors. It swiftly took down the proposal from the website after some protest, citing lack of priority and shortcomings. The police credited “several dozen intellectuals” for prompting the legislation in the first place.

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Obama, Africa and LGBT Rights

By Sarah Hager

June 27, 2013 at 5:00 PM

On April 24, EPOC (Ekurhuleni Pride Organising Committee) held a commemorative event in KwaThema to mark the 2nd anniversary of the murder of Noxolo Nogwaza. At the spot where her body was found, a memorial was erected, with messages and balloons. Amnesty International participated in the local event (Photo Credit: Amnesty International).

Since January 2009, the US State Department requires a comprehensive and holistic human rights agenda including pressuring for the recognition and protection of the rights of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community. In light of yesterday’s Supreme Court ruling regarding the unconstitutionality of DOMA, it was great to see President Obama raise the issue in Senegal yesterday. I hope he continues to push the issue as he moves on to South Africa and Tanzania later this week.

In four African countries, homosexuality is punishable by death. But being killed by your government is often the least of the concerns of the LGBT community. In 2011, Ugandan gay rights activist David Kato was murdered. That same year, Noxolo Nogwaza was raped, stabbed and beaten in South Africa-apparently based on her sexual orientation. Noxolo was a gay rights activist in her community. Her killer(s) have not been caught despite our pressure for a proper investigation of her murder. Currently, two men are in prison in Zambia facing criminal penalties, subjected to forcible anal examination by the government, on allegations of homosexuality.

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“There is So Much Homophobia Here”: Frank Mugisha, Uganda

By Guest Writer

June 24, 2013 at 8:05 PM

Stéphane Koche has been an LGBTI activist in Cameroon since 2005 (Photo Credit: Amnesty International).

By Suzanne Trimel, Amnesty USA Media Director

Denis Nzioka, a gay activist in Nairobi, was harassed constantly by neighbors who finally sent a letter demanding he leave his apartment because: “We know you are homosexual.”

Frank Mugisha in Uganda had his tires slashed and once was slapped across the face by a man who told everyone nearby: “He is a homosexual.” He recalls a neighbor coming up to him and saying: “Why are you still alive?”

“There is so much homophobia here,” said Mugisha. “I am so paranoid and do not sleep very well.”

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Human Rights Now Blog

Tag Archives: decriminalizing homosexuality

6 of President Vladimir Putin’s Most Oppressive Laws

When Will Russia and the Former Soviet Union Stop Instituting Homophobic Policies?