Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party)
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173. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the communications he has had with representatives of the Russian Government regarding abuses of human rights of LGBT citizens in that country and, in particular, in the Chechen Republic. [40220/17]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The Government closely follows developments in relation to the treatment of members of the LGBTI community in Russia and, in particular, the widespread reports of the persecution of gay men in Chechnya. On 5 May, senior officials of my Department met the Russian Ambassador to convey the grave concerns of the Government, and of the Irish public, at these reports. During the meeting, my officials urged the Russian authorities to fully investigate these allegations, to ensure that any such persecution is ended immediately, to provide all affected persons with the assistance they require, and to ensure the safety of activists and journalists investigating the reports of abuse in Chechnya.

At the Council of Europe Ministerial Meeting in Nicosia on 19 May, Ireland expressed serious concerns at reports of gross human rights violations against gay men in Chechnya. These concerns were reiterated at a meeting of Council of Europe Ministers’ Deputies on 31 May.

On 15 June, at the 35th session of the Human Rights Council, Ireland took the opportunity of its national statement to again highlight and strongly condemn the reported extra-judicial killings of LGBTI persons in Chechnya and the targeting of the LGBTI community there. In this statement, we again called on the Russian Federation to take steps to end the climate of impunity which allows these crimes to take place and to bring the perpetrators to justice.

The European Union is also pressing the Russian authorities to ensure that the allegations are fully investigated and that those fleeing persecution are given full protection. The EU High Representative, Federica Mogherini, raised the matter during bilateral meetings with the Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on 24 April and 11 July. On both occasions, HR Mogherini highlighted the serious concerns of the European Union and its Member States over the allegations and urged the Russian government to take the necessary steps to ensure that the rights of the gay community in Chechnya and elsewhere in the country are respected, in line with Russia’s international human rights commitments.