Metro Weekly

Ellen DeGeneres: World must “rise up” to help tortured gay men in Chechnya

DeGeneres took to Twitter to inform her followers of the abductions, torture and murder occurring in the Russian province

Ellen DeGeneres, with her wife, Portia de Rossi (Photo: Angela George / Wikimedia Commons).

“Things happen these days & it’s hard to believe they’re real. And yet they are. If this is happening in Chechnya, the world needs to rise up.”

Ellen DeGeneres, on Twitter, responding to an Amnesty International petition calling for an end to the abduction, torture and murder of gay men in the Russian province of Chechnya.

Around 100 gay men are suspected to have been subjected to horrific treatment in Chechnya, ranging from blackmail and assault to imprisonment, torture and even death — sometimes at the hands of family members.

Other celebrities have also taken to Twitter to inform their followers about the atrocities in Chechnya, including singer Troye Sivan and comedian Billy Eichner.

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