Assisting Amin to escape the anti-gay purge in Chechnya

Amin was a victim of the horrific anti-gay purge that took place in Chechnya in 2017.

On an ordinary day, armed soldiers stormed into the beauty salon where Amin was working, put a bag over his head and kidnapped him. He was forced into the back of a car and taken to a secret location, where he was beaten and tortured with electric shocks for weeks. While in captivity he contemplated suicide. When he was finally released, his body was broken and covered in purple and blue bruises. His heart was also broken, and his life was in shambles: he lost his family, his friends and his career. With the help of Rainbow Railroad, Amin escaped to Toronto, where he has become an outspoken advocate for LGBTQI+ rights and our work.