LGBT activists have been round up by Russian police after they demonstrated against the persecution of gay and bisexual men Chechnya.
Around 10 gay-rights activists demonstrated in St. Petersburg, Russia’s second-largest city, in solidarity with the gay men who have been detained, tortured and killed in the Russian republic of Chechnya. Police officers, dressed in riot gear, arrested the activists and dragged them to waiting police vans.
Images circulated on Twitter showed a number of protesters lying on the ground with fake blood smeared on their faces and their bodies draped with the rainbow and Chechnya flags.
Since the 1st April, horrific reports have been reported about the rounding up, torture and the alleged killing of at least four men suspected of being gay. They are apparently being held in around six camps. A number of men have been let go.
To read the full timeline on the plight of gay men in Chechnya click here
