[TRIGGER WARNING: GRAPHIC ANTI-LGBTQ VIOLENCE, HOMOPHOBIA]
President Putin’s crusade against LGBT community in Russia has taken 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.
Update: Some more photos of the above incident from VK.com:
They appear to be pouring urine from a bottle onto the victims head:
UPDATE: The Huffington Post has provided a brief translation for the following video showing what appears to be a group of young Russian Neo Nazi members interrogationing and then attacking a 15-year-old gay boy:
The group approaches the teen and asks him if he had come there to meet someone named “Uncle Dima.” Then they bring him over to a bench and continue the interrogation. They ask why he was there to meet Dima and the boy admits he is there to have sex, possibly for money. Although the group members mock him, they are friendly at times, and the teen is willing to admit things about himself and his sexual preference. He says who he is, where he’s from, what school he goes to and that he is 15 years old.
Toward the end of the video the aggression heightens. At one point, one person who stepped slightly out of frame and appeared to urinate into a bottle, attempts to pour the contents of the bottle onto the teen’s head. Another kicks the teen. Then the video cuts off.
UPDATE: The video below now has English subtitles thanks to Nikita Udovichenko
Youtube Video description:
Short narrative in English: Age of consent in Russia is currently 16 years old. On video one can see allegedly a 15 year old teen lured by an organized Neo Nazi gang of self-proclaimed “pedophile fighters” who posted a fake personal ad from allegedly an older man (named “Uncle Dima”).
This teen was forced to give out his full name, address, school name, parents names and etc. They laughed about his sexual preferences, bullied him, poured urine on him and kicked at the end.We would never know what occurred after the camera went out. Naturally, all his personal details were released to the general public and viewed by millions in Russia. Infamous Russian ultranationalist and former skin head, Maxim Martsinkevich, known under the nickname “Cleaver” (or “Tesak” in Russian) spearheaded a country wide campaign against (primarily male) LGBT teens using a popular social network VK.com to capture, torture and ultimately out unsuspected male teen victims. Over 500 online groups were created. As one can see, they operate under a broad day light. Bystanders either ignore or condone their actions. Police refuse to arrest them even though they are in violation of the existing criminal laws in Russia. Their excuse? They fight pedophiles … but attacking pedophiles’ victims. Certainly, they are selective and lure mostly gay male teens. Being outed in a small Russian city often equal death, torture, suicide. They track suicides publicly online and brag about those deeds.
Categories: Discrimination, International, Internet, LGBTQ Rights, Media & Culture, Reactionary Watch, Russia, Statements, Videos
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