Today, the House Foreign Affairs Committee passed a resolution introduced by Congressman Ted Deutch (D-FL), Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), and 30 additional Members of the House.

On April 1, 2017, the Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta reported that authorities in Chechnya had abducted, detained, and tortured over 100 men due to their actual or perceived sexual orientation. Multiple independent investigations and first-hand accounts have subsequently corroborated the report, describing a campaign of persecution by Chechen officials against gay men.

This resolution condemns this violence and persecution and calls on Chechen officials to immediately cease these abuses. It also calls on the Government of the Russian Federation to protect the human rights of all its citizens and hold accountable all those involved in perpetrating these abuses.

Congressman Deutch is a vice chair of the Congressional LGBT Equality Caucus. He joined members of the caucus in writing a letter to Secretary of State Tillerson in April, requesting the Secretary make this issue a focus of his visit to Russia.

"No one should live in fear of unspeakable violence and persecution," the letter reads. "The United States stands as a beacon of hope for marginalized people across the world and has a commitment to protect and promote the human rights and dignity of all persons."

The text of H. Res. 351 is available here.