Moscow police arrest gay Chechen refugee at Domodedovo Airport and hand him over to Chechen authorities

Idris Arsamikov, a 28-year-old former Chechnya resident who moved to the Netherlands in 2018 after reportedly being tortured by Chechen police for his sexuality, was arrested at Moscow’s Domodedovo airport while trying to fly back to his new home country on Wednesday, the North Caucasus LGBTQ+ crisis group SK SOS has informed Meduza.

According to SK SOS, Arsamikov was recently detained and beaten in Chechnya after he traveled back to the region to attend his father’s funeral, but was subsequently released. His arrest at Domodedovo was reportedly made in response to an all-points bulletin put out by the Chechen authorities in relation to a fraud case that was opened against him in 2021.

During his arrest, Arsamikov reportedly had a panic attack, prompting police to call an ambulance. According to Arsamikov, the police chief who issued the bulletin against him has previously tortured him with an electric current to force him confess to being gay.

On Wednesday night, Moscow police reportedly gave Arsamikov over to Chechen law enforcement, who took him to an unknown location.