Avaaz Activism
LGBTQ Issues

Close the gay torture centres -- let's get to 2 million! ... 1,307,510 have signed. Let's get to 1,500,000

Burgess COMMENTARY

Peter Burgess

Close the gay torture centres -- let's get to 2 million! Rewan Al-Haddad - Avaaz Unsubscribe 7:15 AM (1 hour ago) to me

Now the journalist who broke the story is in hiding after getting death threats. Let's get to 2 million and show that this movement is unstoppable! Add your name:

Chechnya is rounding up gay people and taking them to torture centres, and it's as horrific as it sounds. But a massive global outcry can force them to close. Join the urgent campaign with one click and tell everyone -- let's make this huge!

Dear friends,

Chechnya is rounding up gay people and taking them to torture centres, and it's as horrific as it sounds. Men are being electrocuted, tortured until they reveal names of other gay people, and beaten so badly that some have died.

Targeting gay people and dragging them into prisons is like something the Nazis would do. It’s both terribly upsetting and infuriating, but there's a plan to stop it.

Avaaz will amplify the call of brave local activists in the media and use our massive global outcry to force an end to the crackdown. Sign the petition below with one click and tell everyone - let’s get to two million:

Close the gay torture centres

To President Putin and all Russian authorities:

As concerned citizens from around the world, we strongly urge you to stop the crackdown on gay people in Chechnya, and to uphold the values of justice and tolerance.

It's almost too horrific to believe, but Chechnya has long been controlled by a brutal human rights abuser, backed by Russia. When asked about the torture prisons, his officials denied the existence of gay people at all. Saying: 'If such people existed in Chechnya, law enforcement would not have to worry about them, as their own relatives would have sent them to where they could never return.'

And now the well respected International Crisis Group has confirmed reports from people who've escaped from the prisons, and they're releasing the information to get global attention.

So let’s use this moment and build a massive outcry that puts Russia, Chechnya and their barbaric practices to shame. Join the call by clicking below, then forward this widely:

Close the gay torture centres

So much of what’s happening in the world right now feels out of our control. But each day we have a choice -- either sit back and watch the horror unfold, or do something about it. Together, let’s choose action, love and unity, and let’s channel it towards the terrified families in Chechnya who risk losing a loved one.

With hope and determination,

Rewan, Emma, Fatima, Sarah and the entire Avaaz team

More information:

Gay Men Are Being Rounded Up And Killed In Chechnya: Report (Huffington Post)
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/chechen-gays-arrested-killed-reports-say_us_58e12a65e4b0b3918c843db6

Gay men go missing in Chechnya, reports say (CNN)
http://www.cnn.com/2017/04/04/europe/chechnya-gay-men-reported-missing/

Chechnya opens world's first concentration camp for homosexuals (Daily Mail)
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4397118/Chechnya-opens-concentration-camp-homosexuals.html

Avaaz is a 44-million-person global campaign network that works to ensure that the views and values of the world's people shape global decision-making. ('Avaaz' means 'voice' or 'song' in many languages.) Avaaz members live in every nation of the world; our team is spread across 18 countries on 6 continents and operates in 17 languages. Learn about some of Avaaz's biggest campaigns here, or follow us on Facebook or Twitter.

You became a member of the Avaaz movement and started receiving these emails when you signed 'Stop the Climate-Wrecking at Bali' on 2007-12-12 using the email address peterbnyc@gmail.com. To ensure that Avaaz messages reach your inbox, please add avaaz@avaaz.org to your address book. To change your email address, language settings, or other personal information, contact us, or simply go here to unsubscribe.

To contact Avaaz, please do not reply to this email. Instead, write to us at www.avaaz.org/en/contact or call us at +1-888-922-8229 (US).