23:53, 21 January 2020

Chechen woman complains about use of stick "to expel genie" from her

The LGBT flag. Photo: REUTERS/Bogdan Cristel

Aminat Lorsanova claimed that in Grozny, she had been subjected to violence by her relatives and a specialist in "expelling genies." The young woman left Russia with the help of the "Russian LGBT Network".

The harassment based on sexual orientation is typical for Chechnya. If homosexual men are persecuted by law enforcers, the fates of lesbians and transgender women are entirely in the hands of their relatives, who appear to be no less cruel.

22-year-old Aminat Lorsanova claims that in 2018, she was twice forcibly placed to psychiatric hospitals in Grozny. During that time, a friend of the young woman's relatives several times beat her with a stick while reading the Koran.

Aminat Lorsanova also claimed that one of her relatives forcibly injected tranquilizers into her body at least six times.

The practice of "expelling genies" from members of the LGBT community is common among Chechen families, the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent was told by Veronika Lapina, a member of the "Russian LGBT Network".

The violence used against LGBT people in an attempt to "heal" them remains one of the most relevant problems in Russia, although homosexuality has no longer been considered a disease for more than 30 years, says Natalia Poplevskaya, the coordinator of the monitoring and international advocacy programme of the "Russian LGBT Network".

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on January 21, 2020 at 12:56 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.

Author: Gor Alexanyan

Source: CK correspondent