A website encouraging people in Russia to reveal the identities of LGBTQ people for torture is set up as a “game” inspired by a horror film.
The site is called Saw, named after the Saw movie franchise, and is billed as “Chechnya’s Comeback.”
It launched this year, and already at least three men have reportedly been violently attacked as a result.
Related: Russian singer allegedly tortured and killed as part of Chechnya’s antigay pogrom
How about we take this to the next level?
Our newsletter is like a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.
The three victims are speaking out through the Russian LGBT Network to share their stories, saying there are likely more men who’ve been targeted but are afraid to identify themselves.
A report on Gay Star News describes how the twisted site operates.
Users “report” people they suspect are queer by uploading photos and submitting personal information and identifying details on how to find them.
The site’s founders hope to compile a database of LGBTQ people in the country, complete with addresses.
And it somehow gets even worse.
Visitors to the site will be able to search the database for 200 Russian Rubles (around $3.25).
People who are in the database will also be able to have their information removed for a fee of 1,500 Russian Rubles (around $24).
The site describes the setup as a “game” that’s planned to take place in the month of May in Ufa, south-east Russia.
Related: Gay men come forward with new accounts of being tortured in Chechnya concentration camps
Since it was discovered, access to the site has been blocked, but it continues to be discussed on social media, causing many to fear the attacks will continue.
“This is terrifying. I’ve never seen anything like this. The killing and torturing of gay people, they call it a game,” said Mikhail Tumasov, the chairman of the Russia LGBT Network.
“It’s the first time we have seen an organized approach to homophobic violence, it’s very dangerous.”
He added this warning:
“Be very careful about online invitations to date, make sure you have a friend coming with you if you are meeting someone online for the first time.”
Antigay violence has been on the rise in the area since last year, with Chechnya’s so-called “antigay purge” bringing widespread persecution.
Xzamilloh
Thank you for not forgetting how awful it still is for LGBT people in Russia… it’s easy to get lost in political nonsense and lose perspective over how much better we have it, and that we have people in office not calling out these atrocities, but going apesh*t over Kanye and suddenly caring what celebrities think. Don’t forget to vote in November.
EvonCook
Yes, but if this catches on we could just as easily have the same thing here in parts of the South, the “Bible belt,” other regions of religious bigots and frankly anywhere haters are and towards anyone haters want to harass. Look at the guy in Texas who murdered his neighbor and got a decade of probation because he used the “gay panic” excuse. Straight men must be pretty pathetically delicate, and the haters are ready to excuse any inhuman behavior to further their bigotry. Nearest thing to a modern version of hunting down Jewish people in Nazi lands. This is the first thing that ever made me feel like having a gun might be a needed protection against such barbarians.
Juanjo
The anti-Muslim trolls will be posting soon explaining how things are worse in Muslim countries.
howardstern
Well it is not exactly flowers and candy in those countries too. Also whath is this some competition, my country is worse? Both can be bad.
robert_eckert
Chechnya IS a Muslim country
tnguy222
It is absolutely worse than this in all middle eastern countries except Israel, urban Turkish cities, and the UAE to a certain extent.
Vince
@Juanto. Yeah Russia is bad. However they still execute you for being gay in Muslim countries. So yes worse.
Kangol
@robert_eckert, you do realize that Chechnya is a part of Russia, right?
Juanjo
See what I mean?
Heywood Jablowme
Yes, and yes… There are several areas of Russia that are majority Muslim. Chechnya is one of them (but not the only one).
Hey guys, try watching Jeopardy once in awhile!
mhoffman953
@Juanjo
But things are worse in Muslim countries. Are you claiming it’s worse in the US than in any Muslim country?
tnguy222
And Beirut, but only near the sea. Never ever ever ever ever go to the Shiite suburbs; Hezbollah is strong in those places.
CarrieV
Someone PLEASE go tell Donald Trump that ^^^THIS SH!T HERE^^^ is what’s called a “witch hunt”. People being indiscriminately being hunted down, tortured, just because they identify (or may not even identify!) as a certain segment of the population.
A witch hunt is NOT where a bad person doing unlawful things gets investigated for those criminal actions, tyvm.
Kieran
So Putin and the Russians refuse to allow the warmongering neocons to do a “regime change” in Syria, so now all of a sudden Russia is presented as the most homophobic place in the world. Coincidence?
Kangol
Are you defending Russia and Russian homophobia, comrade?
scotshot
Look it as news that keeps us informed as to what goes on across the globe.
unreligious
Where have you been? Homophobia has been on the rise under Putin for years . Did you miss the gay propaganda law? Did you miss the controversy surrounding the Sochi olympics? No Russia is not all of a sudden being portrayed as one of the most homophobic countries it’s been portrayed that way for quite a while because it is.
irbaboon
Russia is a horrible place
Music908
This is the scariest thing I’ve read today. Even with other things happening in the U.S., like the OK legislature trying to ban Gay and Lesbian adoptions, or the man who merely got probation after killing his Gay neighbour in TX because he claimed he had “gay panic”. This still tops all of that. I worry so much for the LGBTQIA+ community in the Eastern bloc, especially Russia. We must realize the connection between our own leadership and the Russians, if there is one. We can’t afford to be wrong about that.
chris33133
WTF! I’d ask “what sort of a sick mind comes up with a so-called game like that?” but then, I’d be insulting people with sick minds.
Christopher
You would be shocked to see how the LGBT+ community is treated outside of North America and Europe. While this page has been tagged and locked, there will be others. I feel bad for our brothers and sisters that have to keep looking over their shoulders all the time. When I used to travel for work, I was warned to never drink too much in a bar or to ever go with anyone else in the Eastern Bloc countries. That was 10 years ago, and it seems to have gotten a lot worse since then.
Birdbrain1963
I say we start by sending all the names of the assholes we want to get rid of. If enough outside interference is involved maybe we can kill a server that this crap resides on.
prarie pup
Yet another reason to DESPISE Russia and everything it represents.
masterwill7
I can’t understand how anyone in Russia can be proud of their country/leaders! It represents war, corruption, discrimination, suppression etc… I pity all minority groups there…
ChrisK
When hasn’t it really though. Maybe during Gorbachev it got better but they’ve got a long history of all that. Pretty much all they know.
LibraOracle
Russia is a fascist country being ruled by a homophobic, white supremacist. I am not surprised by this horrible act at all, they’ve been torturing and killing LGBT people for the past 5 years and the rest of the world do nothing about it, I really want the world to end tbh.