LGBT rights in Chechnya
The rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in Chechnya have long been a cause of concern for human rights organizations such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch. As a member of the Russian Federation, Russia's LGBT laws formally apply. De facto, there are no protections for LGBT citizens, and the Chechen authorities allegedly encourage the killing of people suspected of homosexuality by their families.
LGBT rights in Chechnya | |
|---|---|
Location of Chechnya (dark green) | |
| Status | Male homosexuality de-facto illegal since 1996 |
| Penalty | Includes corporal punishment, imprisonment, torture, execution |
| Discrimination protections | None |
| Family rights | |
| Recognition of relationships | No recognition of same-sex relationships |
LGBT rights in Russia | |
|---|---|
| Status | De jure legal for consenting men same-sex sexual activity since 1993 but not criminalised for women. "Promotion" of LGBT identity illegal since 2013 (homosexuality) and 2022 (transidentity) |
| Penalty | In Chechnya: up to death since 2017 |
| Gender identity | Gender change legal between 1997 and 2023, illegal afterwards |
| Military | LGB people can serve in the army, there are no restrictions. |
| Discrimination protections | None |
| Family rights | |
| Recognition of relationships | No recognition of same-sex unions |
| Restrictions | Same-sex marriage constitutionally banned since 2020 |
| Adoption | Allowed to adopt by a single person |
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Since March 2017, a violent crackdown on the LGBT community led to the abduction and detention of gay and bisexual men, who were beaten and tortured. More than one hundred men, and possibly several hundred men, were targeted. At least three, and reportedly as many as 20, were beaten to death. The precise number of those detained and killed is unknown. A panel of expert advisors to the United Nations Human Rights Council reported in early April 2017 that: "These are acts of persecution and violence on an unprecedented scale in the region and constitute serious violations of the obligations of the Russian Federation under international human rights law."