For three months, the federal government has been secretly spiriting gay Chechen men from Russia to Canada, under a clandestine program unique in the world.
The evacuations, spearheaded by Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland, fall outside the conventions of international law and could further impair already tense relations between Russia and Canada. But the Liberal government decided to act regardless.
As of this week, 22 people – about a third of those who were being sheltered in Russian safe houses – are now in Toronto and other Canadian cities. Several others are expected to arrive in the coming days or weeks.
"Canada accepted a large number of people who are in great danger, and that is wonderful," said Tanya Lokshina, Russian program director for Human Rights Watch, a New York-based organization, in a telephone interview. "The Canadian government deserves much praise for showing such openness and goodwill to provide sanctuary for these people. They did the right thing."
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In strict secrecy, federal officials worked with the Rainbow Railroad and the Russian LGBT network to identify men who were willing to come to Canada. Ms. Freeland "wanted to be able to save a few individuals," the government source said. "And we also wanted to allow Canada to serve as a demonstration for like-minded countries about what could be done."
It was a difficult choice for men and women who, until the purge began, had given scant thought to leaving Russia. Hamzat knew little of Canada. "Hockey. The maple leaf. Legal marijuana."
But he welcomed the chance to immigrate. "All my life I have pretended to be someone else," he said. "Now I have come to a place where I can be myself."
The government is not willing to discuss how it overcame the issue of countries not accepting refugees who apply from their home country. "A process was undertaken by which an exception could be made to some of those rules," the official said.
After background checks and security screenings, the first of the refugees began arriving in Canada in June. One of them marched anonymously in Toronto's Pride parade.
The individuals involved have been designated government-assisted refugees, which will allow them to obtain permanent-resident status and citizenship. "We will continue our work in terms of screening and trying to bring more over," the official said. But the government believes that, for the moment, all of those who wish to come to Canada and who qualify are now here or will soon arrive.
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Rainbow Railroad believes that the total will reach 30. Most, but not all, are men, and most are from Chechnya, with the rest from other parts of the North Caucasus.
Canada is not the only country to accept gay refugees from Chechnya and other countries in the region. France has accepted at least one person, as has Germany, and two are in Lithuania. An undetermined number of individuals have travelled to European Union countries on tourist visas, and then applied for refugee status.
But Canada is the only country to have adopted an organized, methodical program for taking in as many gay Chechens fleeing persecution as were qualified and willing to come.
The Trudeau government has made LGBT rights a priority, appointing Edmonton MP Randy Boissonnault as special adviser on LGBT issues. The government has already moved to protect transgender rights, and is expected to offer an apology and redress for those in the public service and military who were discriminated against in the past because of their sexuality. Canada is also co-chair of the Equal Rights Coalition, a new international organization dedicated to protecting and advancing the rights of sexual minorities.
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For now, the Canadian government considers the Russian underground railroad a unique program, though one that could be adapted to meet future emergencies. The government official speaking on background stressed that the refugee program is part of a major foreign-policy priority: to protect the rights and safety of sexual minorities around the world.
What matters most to Hamzat and others in his position is that Canada has once again welcomed people fleeing persecution – in this case, people who were at imminent risk of harm.
"I am looking forward to my life here," said Hamzat. "I will likely continue to do professionally what I did back home, but I also want to contribute to bigger causes."
"These individuals are young and bright and full of potential," said Mr. Powell. He is convinced they'll do just fine.
