MOSCOW, February 4 (RIA Novosti) – Russia, as the host nation of the Olympic Games that will begin later this week, should address “widespread and concerted abuse” against sexual minorities, a global human rights NGO said Tuesday.
Human Rights Watch said Russia should “act in accordance with the principle of nondiscrimination, a core provision of the Olympic Charter” while addressing issues related to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.
“Russian officials have long denied that discrimination against LGBT people exists, including to the International Olympic Committee, yet the hostility and violence clearly have been intensifying,” said Tanya Cooper, Russia researcher at Human Rights Watch.
“As Russia hosts the Olympics in this atmosphere of homophobic hatred, the government needs to take urgent measures to support the rights of LGBT people and protect them,” she said.
Citing LGBT activists, the organization said attacks against sexual minorities “intensified” last year, but didn’t provide a direct statistic.
Gay rights activists say a law passed in Russia last year that criminalized the promotion of non-traditional sexual relations toward minors has led to an increase in attacks on members of the LGBT community.
