Russia outlaws crisis group for Chechen LGBTQ+ people and domestic violence survivors as an ‘extremist’ organization

Source: Meduza

The SK SOS crisis group has been designated an “extremist” organization, according to a letter received by its director, David Isteev.

The decision was made about a month ago, but SK SOS has not yet been added to the Justice Ministry’s registry of “extremist” organizations, the group said.

SK SOS said in a statement:

We have long expected this decision and began restructuring our work the moment the “international LGBT movement” was designated an “extremist” organization. We disabled donations from Russian bank cards to protect people’s safety and scaled back our operations inside Russia: right now, we have no volunteers or staff left in the country.

We will continue working regardless. Nothing changes for the people who come to us for help. We remain ready to advise them, help with evacuation, and provide medical and psychological assistance. For now, receiving help is not considered participation in our activities, so contacting us does not, on its own, carry legal consequences.

SK SOS, an advocacy group founded in 2021, works to protect L.G.B.T.Q. people facing persecution in Russia’s North Caucasus, as well as victims of domestic violence. The organization’s activists have repeatedly drawn attention to the plight of Chechen women who fled abusive relatives, highlighting a broader pattern of domestic violence within families there. One of those women, Seda Suleymanova, was detained by police in St. Petersburg in August 2023. Her whereabouts have remained a mystery ever since.

At Meduza, we are committed to transparency about our use of artificial intelligence in the newsroom. The story you’re reading was written by one of our living, breathing journalists and translated from Russian using an AI model configured to follow our strict editorial standards. This translation process is the result of extensive testing and refinements to ensure our English-language coverage is timely and accurate. A Meduza editor reviews every draft before publication.

If you find any errors in this translation, please contact us at reports@meduza.io.

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Russia outlaws crisis group for Chechen LGBTQ+ people and domestic violence survivors as an ‘extremist’ organization

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Russia outlaws crisis group for Chechen LGBTQ+ people and domestic violence survivors as an ‘extremist’ organization

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