Chechen man persecuted in Russia for his homosexuality not allowed to see lawyers after detention in Moscow airport

Police officers are not disclosing the whereabouts of Idris Arsamikov, gay Chechen man who faced persecution over his homosexuality, to his lawyers after the man was detained and kidnapped from Moscow’s Domodedovo Airport. The lawyers are not allowed to enter the Chechnya police station where he could have been taken to, SK SOS crisis group told Novaya Gazeta Europe.

The human rights activists note that no news has come out about Arsamikov for more than 24 hours. One of the lawyers has filed a complaint with the Russian Investigative Committee and requested a review of police officer actions.

Earlier, the human rights activists said that Arsamikov was earlier tortured by the police and is facing grave danger in Chechnya.

The police detained Arsamikov, 28, in Domodedovo Airport early on 16 February. The Chechen man travelled to Russia from the Netherlands to attend his father’s funeral. According to the man, police officers told him that Chechen law enforcement agents had been dispatched to fetch him, adding that his detention was linked to “certain issues” in the Russian region. Arsamikov himself explained that he is being persecuted for his homosexuality. Activists claim that Arsamikov can be charged with large-scale fraud. The criminal case was launched in December 2021 when the Chechen man was in the Netherlands, SK SOS reports.