REPORTED ABDUCTIONS, TORTURE AND KILLINGS OF GAY MEN IN CHECHNYA

That this House is deeply concerned at the reports in the Russian newspaper, Novaya Gazeta, that men believed to be gay have been abducted, tortured and killed in Chechnya; expresses alarm at denials made by Chechen authorities regarding these reports, which claim that gay men do not exist in the republic; deplores this act of mass torture and murder, which specifically targets LGBTI people; supports Amnesty lnternational's call for action; believes that this call for action compels Aleksandr Ivanovich Bastrykin, Chairman of the Investigation Committee of the Russian Federation, to carry out an immediate and thorough investigation into the reports, taking all necessary steps to ensure the safety of any individual who may be at risk in Chechnya; and further supports an immediate investigation into this reported purge of LGBTI people in Chechnya; and calls on the international community to ensure that the Russian authorities are held accountable for upholding its international human rights obligations and ensuring that justice is brought upon those reportedly committing these crimes in Chechnya.