The World Congress member organizations protest the terrible persecution of gays in Chechnya. Our members in Israel have written to their Prime Minister:
«April 30, 2017
To : Mr. Benjamin Netanyahu
Israeli Prime Minister
Re: Urgent Call for Action Against the Murder of Homosexuals, Bisexuals and Transgenders in Chechnya
On behalf of Israel’s LGBT Organizations, we are appealing to you to urgently act against the murder of homosexuals, bisexuals and transgenders in Chechnya. It is our moral and ethical duty on their behalf to take immediate action and voice our condemnation in the international arena against the atrocities currently being committed in Chechnya. Recently, more and more reports and testimonies have appeared in the international media regarding the onslaught and murder of homosexuals with these atrocities being committed by the Chechen authorities and backed by the Russian government.
According to the above reports, homosexuals, bisexuals and transgenders are being transferred to concentration camps where they are tortured and murdered cruelly. The last time we encountered such a horrific action was when the Nazis transported German Homosexuals to die in concentration camps.
The reports of the atrocities currently being perpetuated have been validated by human rights organizations, by Britain and the USA. The European Union has condemned the acts and has begun working at the diplomatic level, and yet, the Israeli government has voiced no condemnation until now.
Last week, we marked Holocaust Day in Israel. During the ceremony, held in Yad Vashem, one of the speakers pointed out the historical fact that since 1942, the Allies knew about the mass extermination of the Jews, but did nothing to stop the mass murder. Since then, we believe that it is our moral duty not to step aside nor to ignore atrocities committed against our brethren, and it is unconscionable that, 75 years later, the LGBT community is still being discriminated against, persecuted, humiliated, tortured and brutally murdered. It is our and your utter moral responsibility, Mr. Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, not to step aside nor to ignore these crimes, but to instead take action and do the utmost possible to stop these horrendous atrocities against our brethren in Chechnya. In the past, including from the United Nations podium of the General Assembly, you have mentioned the LGBT community in Israel as an example of tolerance and liberalism as well as commitment to human rights in our country.
We therefore urge you, as Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, to express your condemnation, to call for an immediate international investigation, and to join forces with other countries in order to stop the persecution, the torture and the massacre in homosexuals in Chechnya and to express that commitment, yet again, in times of hardship and turmoil.
Israel LGBT Organizations»
Guimel 