ECHR orders Russia to take action on the case of Ismail and Salekh

The two young gay men were kidnapped last week in the Russian city of Nizhny Novgorod and taken back to Chechnya where they recently escaped persecution, torture and imprisonment.

Now the European Court of Human Rights have ordered the Russian Federation to take action on the case of Ismail Isayev and Salekh Magomedov.

The European Court of Human Rights ruled on the application of urgent measures under Rule 39 of the Rules of Court and, thus, agreed with the arguments of the representative of the Russian LGBT Network Veronika Lapina that there is a risk of irreparable harm for Magamadov and Isayev.

The news arrives just hours after suspicion broke that Ismail and Salekh denied the need for a lawyer. A decision that probably came from torture.

In June 2020, the Russian LGBT Network helped Ismail and Salkeh escape Chechnya after police detained and tortured them due to their sexuality and "activism".

It is important that this story is spread amongst the international community. Hopefully this will put pressure on Russia to deal with the case appropriately.

For more information, follow the Russian LGBT Network on social media.