Media

OPINION: Asylum process is failing LGBT+ Russians escaping persecution

Since the Russian “gay propaganda law” of 2013, which bans the “promotion” of homosexuality to minors, there has been a spike in homophobic hate crime in the country, prompting a sharp rise in lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Russians seeking asylum in the west. A few weeks ago, Russian LGBT+ activist Yelena Grigoryeva was murdered in St Petersburg and, while it is not yet clear if the attack was linked to her activism, she had reportedly received a number of death threats.