What happened: In September, we were contacted by an activist from the LGBTI community who stated that he feared for his safety and security and was seeking protection after being physically attacked during a protest in August because of his sexual orientation. The attack was adequately reported, and on September 21 he was called to confront and identify the perpetrator in the presence of several investigators and a prosecutor. After identifying the perpetrator, the activist stated that he is very upset and fears for his safety and security because of the information he has about the attacker. He informed us that the perpetrator is a person who publicly promotes anti-LGBTI and anti-feminist views and is a follower of religious extremist groups. The activist fears that his identifying of the perpetrator entails great danger for him.
Hence, the Helsinki Committee for Human Rights requested protection by the police for the activist who has been the target of several attacks because he is part of the LGBTI community, and at the same time, because the attacker is a person who is publicly against the LGBTI community.
Impact on the victims and the community: In this incident the bias motive is sexual orientation, with the bias indicators being:
- Sexual orientation – the victim belonged to a different sexual orientation
- Pattern of previous incidents – previous incidents towards individuals from the LGBTI community, specifically previous assaults towards the victim on the grounds of his sexual orientation.
Impact on the victims and the community: These types of incidents call into question the general safety in the country, cohesion among different groups in the society, and especially the safety and security of the LGBTI community.
