On Thursday 18 May, MEPs urged the authorities of Chechnya to stop the campaign of persecuting "men perceived as being gay", and to immediately release those who are still detained.
In a joint resolution from the S&D, ECR, Greens/EFA, GUE/NGL, ALDE and EPP groups, MEPs call on the Chechen and Russian authorities to ensure the legal and physical protection of victims, human rights defenders and journalists who have worked on this issue.
The European Parliament also condemns all the statements of the Chechen authorities that tolerate and incite violence against LGBTI people, including the statement from the government spokesperson that denies the existence of homosexuals in Chechnya. The Parliament also reminds the Chechen authorities that the rights to the freedom of assembly, association and expression are universal and apply to all.
International human rights defence organisations must be able to conduct a credible investigation into the alleged crimes, the MEPs add, and they deplore the reluctance of the local authorities to investigate and monitor the serious violations that specifically target individuals according to their sexual orientation. With Russia's President Vladimir Putin having tasked the country's Ministry of the Interior and Federal Prosecutor to investigate the events in Chechnya, the European Parliament calls on the Commission, the EU member states and the Council of Europe to offer material and consultative support to the Russian authorities in this investigation. The EU delegation and member state embassies and consulates in Russia must actively monitor the investigation and step up the efforts undertaken to support the victims, journalists and human rights defenders, in line with European and national laws, the Parliament states.
More generally, MEPs deplore the widespread violations of human rights and the climate of impunity in Chechnya. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)