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Iro?t?i?z?gitigi?tixr itimuir nf Representatives 

EUROPE, AND EMERGING THREATS

?a?hingtIIn, a: 2 H513 SUBCOMMITTEE on MIDDLE EAST
July 13, 2017

President Donald J. Trump
The White House
Washington, DC 20500

Dear President Trump:

As Members of Congress dedicated .to the promotion of ?indamental human rights across the
globe, we urge you to immediately publicly condemn the ongoing abuses of Lesbian, Gay,
Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) and perceived to be LGBT individuals in Chechnya, and to
raise this issue at the highest levels with members of the Russian government. The lives of
hundreds of Chechens are at stake and it is vital that the US. uses its full leverage to pressure
Russian authorities to end these atrocities, conduct a fair and open investigation and prosecution
of these crimes, and swiftly work to provide a safe haven for the marginalized.

Credible reports have indicated that since early March, the Chechen government has conducted a
coordinated campaign of arrest, torture, and murder targeting gay and bisexual men and women.
According to international human rights groups and local activists, this campaign also includes
beatings, torture with electric shocks, and purposely outing victims to their families, with the
intention of inciting ?honor killings.? Additionally, the UK Conservative Minister of State for the
Foreign Of?ce Sir Alan Duncan confirmed reports that the leader of Chechnya, Ramzan
Kadyrov, stated that he intended to eliminate the Chechen gay community. There are also reports
that the Chechen government has forced the families of suspected LGBT men and women to
commit ?honor killings,? with the threat that entire families or communities could become
targets for authorities if they do not cooperate.

Despite widespread acknowledgement of the accuracy of these reports, the Chechen government
continues to deny those allegations. Disturbingly, a spokesman for the Chechen government
responded to initial reports by saying, ?you cannot arrest and repress those who simply aren?t in
the republic? and that ?if such people existed in Chechnya, law enforcement would not have to
worry about them, as their own relatives would have sent them to where they could never
return.? The central Russian government has had a con?icting reaction to these reports, on the
one hand denying that any atrocities are taking place, while also recommending that victims
report grievances to the very local authorities accused of carrying out the attacks. Russia also
prematurely ended an investigation with the claim that the multiple reports have little credence.

PRINTED ON RECYCLED PAPER

Furthermore, we urge you to assign to the appropriate agencies in your Administration, and work
with our allies, to help ?nd a safe refuge for the Chechens who have managed to escape this
horrifying situation.

We appreciate that Secretary of State Rex Tillerson agreed that the ?Russian government must
protect the lives and safety of all its citizens, including the LGBT community? when he appeared
before the House Foreign Affairs Committee on June 14, 2017.. But we are concerned that he
indicated that this issue has not been raised with senior Russian of?cials, including President
Putin or Foreign Minister Lavrov, by senior American representatives.

The United States stands as a beacon of hope for marginalized people across the world and has a
commitment to protect and promote the human rights and dignity of all persons. When the
President speaks out against human rights atrocities, or chooses to stay silent, the world pays
attention.

We thank you for your attention to this urgent matter and we await your timely response.

Sincerely,



David N. CiciZl?ine

    

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CC: Secretary of Steiie Rex Tilierson'