Chechnya's top court has ruled that the arrest of two young gay men was legal amid growing concern over their safety and lack of legal representation in the region know for abuses against LGBT people.
The court ruling comes after Salekh Magamadov, 18, and a 17-year-old companion were abducted by security agents earlier in the month from Nizhny Novgorod in western Russia and driven back to Chechnya.
The two are accused of providing food to an illegal armed group and could face up to 15 years in prison if convicted. According to the Russian LGBT Network, the young men were forced to sign statements and testimonies under threats and pressure.
The nongovernmental organization helped both men leave Chechnya and settle in Nizhny Novgorod in July. The teenagers intended to leave Russia, but they were detained by Federal Security Service agents and taken to Chechnya.
Several news and reports dennounced Chechnya for attacking LGBT people, including the use of abductions, torture, and extrajudicial killing.
What are Western countries waiting for to act?
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