“If there were such people in Chechnya, the law-enforcement organs wouldn’t need to have anything to do with them because their relatives would send them somewhere from which there is no returning.” Alvi Karimov, spokesperson for Chechnya’s President Ramzan Kadyrov
In April 2017, the Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta – a paper who has had numerous editors murdered in previous years – broke the story of a ‘gay purge’, in which dozens of men were reportedly abducted, tortured and killed. The spokesperson for the Chechen President has denied all allegations, noting simply that “you cannot detain people who simply do not exist”. Disinformation and threats to brave organisations reporting human rights violations have made reporting difficult and dangerous. Since then, threats and attacks have continued with little sign of abating.
Join us for a panel to discuss the dangers for LGBT+ citizens in Russia – and why it’s been so hard to get the story out. The panellists will also look at the situation for refugees from Chechnya and around the world who’ve had to flee their homes as a result of persecution for their gender or orientation.
Chair
Jake Hall is a Sheffield-based freelance journalist whose work covers everything from porn and sex work to drugs and queerness. He is also studying for a PhD in Gender & Sexuality at the University of Birmingham. You can read his recent reporting for i-D on the situation in Chechnya here.
Speakers
Peter Tatchell has been campaigning since 1967 on issues of human rights, democracy, civil liberties, LGBT equality and global justice. In 2009, he co-proposed a UN Global Human Rights Index, to measure and rank the human rights record of every country – with the aim of creating a human rights league table to highlight the best and worst countries. On the first day of the 2018 World Cup, Tatchell was arrested in Moscow after staging a one-person protest near the Kremlin in support of LGBT+ people in Chechnya, highlighting the ‘homophobic witch hunts’ in the republic.
Moud Goba is a Zimbabwean lesbian, refugee, and founding member of UK Black Pride. She is an LGBT+ activist with more than 10 years of experience working with Black LGBT+ groups in the community, in addition to running her own small business. She is currently employed as a Project Manager for Micro Rainbow International, an organisation that addresses LGBT+ poverty across the globe. In 2015, Moud was named one of the top 100 most influential LGBT people in the Britain by the Independent newspaper, and was the recipient of Attitude Magazine’s Pride Award.
The Russian LGBT network was founded in April 2006. In October 2008, the All-Russian Conference of civic organizations in support of the LGBT movement was held in Moscow. During this conference, the network transformed into an interregional public movement. The Charter and Strategy were created, and governing bodies were elected. The network is an interregional, non-governmental human rights organization that promotes equal rights and respect for human dignity, regardless of sexual orientation and gender identity.
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The Trans Sex Workers of Istanbul – Andy Hayward. The number of transphobic related murders in Turkey is one of the highest in Europe. Hayward explores the world of trans sex workers in Istanbul who share with him their day-to-day experiences, intimate thoughts and emotions against a backdrop of prejudice and violence.
Watch the trailer for The Trans Sex Workers of Istanbul here: https://vimeo.com/218785390
Run Time: 22 mins
Sununú: The Revolution of Love – Olivia Crellin. Fernando Machado and Diane Rodriguez have captured the media’s attention for being the first transgender parents in South America. Fernando became pregnant by his girlfriend Diane and gave birth to a son. This documentary portrays the humdrum life of the couple, that is similar to that of any young parents. But outside of the family sphere, Diane and Fernando are tackling larger issues that have global consequences to our attitudes to gender and family diversity.
Watch the trailer for Sunnú: The Revolution of Love here: https://www.sununufilm.com/
Run Time: 25 mis
The Pearl of Africa tells the story of Cleopatra Kambugu, a 28 year old Ugandan transgender woman. Born biologically male, she is transitioning into the woman she knows she was born to be, in one of the most transphobic places in the world. Forced to leave her country and loving boyfriend behind, she sets out to fight for her right to love, and against all odds, to become the first accepted trans person in Uganda.
From her warm demeanour and disarming smile, you wouldn’t know how dangerous life is for Cleopatra Kambugu. After being outed on the front page of the biggest tabloid in Kampala, in a country with some of the world’s most bigoted anti-LGBT laws (including a notorious bill threatening life imprisonment for homosexuality), her relationship with long-term boyfriend Nelson is tested. Forced to flee to Kenya to escape reprisals, Cleo begins the process of navigating a difficult bureaucracy to reconcile with her partner.
The Pearl of Africa follows its main character as she seeks to shine light on the intricate concepts of gender and identity, bringing viewers into a Ugandan community whose existence has been shrouded in myth and prejudice. A moving and universal love story captured in the face of extreme circumstances, this unforgettable documentary urgently reveals the consequences of Uganda’s anti-LGBT laws.
Directed and produced by: Jonny von Wallström
Country: Sweden
Year: 2016
Runtime: 90′
www.roughstudios.com
Monday 15 April
China, meanwhile is scheduled to release its GDP data for the first quarter of the year, with analysts predicting robust growth of approximately 8%.
In Oslo, the Norwegian government will host, in conjunction with the United Nations, a major two-day conference on LGBT issues.
In France the government is due to publish a list of the wealth and assets of its ministers in the wake of the scandal surrounding disgraced former Budget Minister Jérôme Cahuzac and his secret bank account.
Finally, a four-day motions hearing will open in the case of Guantanamo detainee Abd al Rahim al Nashiri, who is charged over the attack on the USS Cole in Yemen that killed 17 sailors back in 2000.
Tuesday 16 April
On Tuesday, the German parliament’s budget committee is scheduled to consider legislation authorising the €10bn bailout of Cyprus, with reports suggesting the bill will reach the floor of the Bundestag on Thursday.
In the United States, the Commander of US (and NATO) forces in Afghanistan, General Joseph Dunford, is due to testify before the Senate Armed Services Committee. The focus is likely to be the country’s preparedness for the handover next year.
The European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg will hand down its judgment in the case of Haroon Aswat, who is fighting his extradition from the UK to the US on terror charges.
Finally in London, the Lord Mayor’s Easter Banquet takes place, which traditionally features an address from the British Foreign Secretary.
Wednesday 17 April
Wednesday also marks the deadline for British Home Secretary Theresa May to lodge an appeal in the case of radical preacher Abu Qatada, whom she is seeking to extradite to Jordan. Previous rulings have gone against the Home Secretary amid concerns about the Jordanian judicial process.
US Secretary of State John Kerry is scheduled to give public testimony before the House Foreign Affairs Committee. Although the hearing is nominally concerning Kerry’s departmental budget proposal, lawmakers traditionally take the opportunity to probe their top diplomat on the most pressing issues of the day, such as North Korea, Syria and Iran.
Lastly, the Senate Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing on the long-awaited proposed comprehensive immigration reform legislation.
Thursday 18 April
On Thursday, Italian lawmakers are scheduled to begin the process of electing a new President to replace incumbent Giorgio Napolitano. The selection process is being complicated by squabbling between Pier Luigi Bersani and Silvio Berlusconi over whose faction should occupy the largely ceremonial position.
In Moscow, Bolshoi ballet dancer Pavel Dmitrichenko is due back in court over his alleged role in masterminding the brutal acid attack against the ballet’s artistic director Sergei Fillin back in January.
Meanwhile, IMF and World Bank Spring Meetings begin in earnest on Thursday with press briefings from Christine Lagarde and Jim Yong Kim on the global economic outlook.
Incoming Bank of England Governor Mark Carney, in town for the meetings, is scheduled to discuss the global economy and financial reform at an event organised by Thomson Reuters at the Canadian embassy in Washington DC.
Friday 19 April
On Friday, Time magazine is due to publish its annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world.
Nancy Pelosi, currently House Minority Leader in the US, will be in the UK where she is due to give a lecture at the London School of Economics.
Weekend
On Saturday, Turkey will play host to the latest meeting on Syria, which US Secretary of State John Kerry will attend.
Sunday will see Paraguayan’s go to the polls for presidential and legislative elections. Paraguay has been somewhat isolated since the impeachment of its then-President Fernando Lugo in the summer of 2012, considered by regional critics – understandably sensitive about such political interventions – a ‘soft coup’.
Finally, US Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel will (reportedly) arrive in Israel for what would be his first visit since taking up the post earlier this year. The Iran threat, as well as the security implications of the Syria conflict, will be top of the agenda, assuming the visit goes ahead.
]]>“Zero Silence is not a film about social media technology but about the revolt of a young generation for whom silence is no longer an option.”
Before any political revolution was in sight in the Middle East, filmmakers Javeria Rizvi Kabani, Jonny von Walstrom, and Alexandra Sandels visited Egypt, Tunisia, and Lebannon to witness the network revolutions already taking place.
By following young activists, journalists, and bloggers they show how silence is no longer an option for the youth who have access to the new digital tools and networks created in the last few years.
Shot between November 2009 and June 2011, the film explores the growing awarness that what was once an inconceivable dream of ending opression could materialise. We witness both their frustration and elation and the unbreakable network of support that made what seemed impossible, possible.
Directed by: Javeria Rizvi Kabani, Jonny von Walstrom, & Alexandra Sandels
Running Time: 57′
Year: 2011
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