Link: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry...5ace4b0b9e9848e8e14?ncid=inblnkushpmg00000009
This is interesting since the Trump administration has been said to be anti-LGBTQ.
This is interesting since the Trump administration has been said to be anti-LGBTQ.
04/18/2017
U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley called for an investigation into disturbing allegations of abuse and murder of gay men in the Russian republic of Chechnya Monday.
The claims emerged April 1 when a Russian opposition newspaper, Novaya Gazeta, reported that at least 100 men had been detained in connection with their nontraditional sexual orientation, with three of those men possibly killed. A second
A second Novaya Gazeta article published April 4 doubled down on those reports, with a source telling the publication that the Muslim-majority regions anti-LGBTQ efforts include concentration camps.
Despite repeated denials by Chechen authorities, the claims ignited an international media firestorm, which prompted Haley to speak out Monday. We continue to be disturbed by reports of kidnapping, torture, and murder of people in Chechnya based on their sexual orientation and those persecuted by association, she wrote in a statement. If true, this violation of human rights cannot be ignored ― Chechen authorities must immediately investigate these allegations, hold anyone involved accountable, and take steps to prevent future abuses.
She went on to note, We are against all forms of discrimination, including against people based on sexual orientation. When left unchecked, discrimination and human rights abuses can lead to destabilization and conflict.
A number of LGBTQ rights advocates were quick to praise the ambassadors effort. Among them was GLAAD President and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis, who applauded Haley for taking the right step days after the queer rights group had urged her to condemn the humanitarian crisis.
This is a powerful sign that the U.S. Mission to the United Nations will continue to prioritize LGBTQ acceptance, Ellis wrote in an email statement sent to The Huffington Post, and fight discrimination and human rights abuses around the world.
A comprehensive international response to the situation in Chechnya is crucial to asserting the international communitys values and advancing human rights, Elisa Massimino, the groups president and CEO, had written in a letter addressed to Haley Monday. I strongly support your initiative to use the U.S. presidency of the U.N. Security Council to advance international thinking on the clear links between upholding universal values and the maintenance of international peace and security, and hope that you will use this effort to call attention to an ongoing outrage that has no place in the modern world.