Main content

I survived Chechnya's 'gay purge'

Amin Dzhabrailov was kidnapped from work and tortured for two weeks as part of an unprecedented gay crackdown in the Russian republic.

In March 2017 Amin Dzhabrailov was dragged out of the hair salon where he worked and bundled into the boot of a car. It was the start of an unprecedented crackdown targeting LGBT people in the Russian republic of Chechnya. Amin says he was taken to a warehouse and tortured alongside other gay men before being outed to his family, who were encouraged to kill him. After his release he knew his life in Chechnya was over and he had to escape - what he couldn't have guessed was where his next steps would take him. Two years later he would go public with his story, defying Chechnya's feared leader and becoming the first Chechen victim of the crackdown to do so. Warning: This programme contains graphic descriptions of torture.

For decades there was a rule in America that banned girls from playing league games in one of the country's most popular sports - baseball. That was until a determined 12-year-old came along. Outlook's Colm Flynn went to meet Maria Pepe, who fought to get the rules changed in the 1970s. This programme was first broadcast in July 2018.

Producer: Kevin Ponniah
Presenter: Emily Webb

Picture credit: Amin Dzhabrailov

Get in touch: outlook@bbc.com

Available now

41 minutes

Last on

Thu 24 Jun 2021 02:06GMT

Broadcasts

  • Wed 23 Jun 2021 11:06GMT
  • Wed 23 Jun 2021 17:06GMT
  • Thu 24 Jun 2021 02:06GMT

Contact Outlook

Contact Outlook

Info on how we might use your contribution on air

Podcast: Lives Less Ordinary

Podcast: Lives Less Ordinary

Step into someone else’s life and expect the unexpected