President Putin’s crusade against LGBT community in Russia took a new disturbing turn.
Russian Neo Nazis have been advised by a top-ranking supremacist to create fake profiles on a popular Russian social network, VK.com, and lure in gay male teenagers in order to torture and humiliate them for being gay.
Spectrum Human Rights Alliance reports:
Infamous Russian ultra-nationalist and former skin head, Maxim Martsinkevich, known under the nickname “Cleaver” (or “Tesak” in Russian) spearheaded a country wide campaign against LGBT teens using a popular social network VK.com to lure unsuspected victims through personal ads. Mr. Martsinkevich’s numerous and enthusiastic followers started two projects: “Occupy Pedophilyaj” and “Occupy Gerontilyaj”. Allegedly they are trying to identify and report pedophiles using these “movements”. In reality, over 500 online groups have been created inside VK.com social network in order to organize illegal militant groups in every Russian city. Oddly enough their idea of fighting pedophiles targets exclusively male teenagers who respond to the same-sex personal ads and show up for a date. Captured victims are bullied and often tortured while being recorded on video.
These self-proclaimed “crime fighters” perform their actions under the broad day light, often outside and clearly visible to general public that indifferently passes by or even commend them. Video recordings of bullying and tortures are freely distributed on the Internet in order to out LGBT teens to their respective schools, parents and friends. Many victims were driven to suicides, the rest are deeply traumatized. So far Russian police took no action against these “movements” even though Russian criminal code was clearly violated and despite numerous complaints from parents, victims and LGBT activists. Social network VK.com intermittently shuts down selected groups and profiles only to allow them to be re-open on the next day. Currently, the founder of VK.com, Pavel Durov, resides in the US and so far has not released any comments.
I'm so sad that there's so much gay bullying in other countries. I live in Germany and it's not nearly as bad as in the US or in Russia. No politician that takes himself seriously would endorse gay teenage bullying besides some neo nazis, but no one votes for them. And they don't lurk the Internet to organize torture or crap like that. But it's not only neo nazis, it's the Russian society (and others as well) that have to change their thinking. Being gay is still considered immoral or pervert in most countries. There needs to be more awareness, even in my country. As a gay girl, I wouldn't want to imagine living in Russia. I would probably emigrate.