Ismail Isaev

A resident of Chechnya, a member of the opposition Telegram chat “Osal Nakh 95,” and gay. On 5 April 2020, he was detained in St Petersburg and taken to Chechnya. There, he, his brother Salekh Magamadov, and other chat participants were forced to apologise on camera for criticising the authorities. The brothers later reported that they were systematically beaten up. They were held in detention until 29 May 2020, when they were released without any paperwork. Both, supported by “Sphere,” a social and legal aid fund dedicated to protecting LGBT rights, moved to Nizhny Novgorod.

On 4 February 2021, both were detained again and transported back to Chechnya. The brothers later said they were subjected to violence during the arrest. Law enforcement officials denied their lawyer access and told him that Isayev and Magamadov had confessed to passing food to the fugitive militant Rustam Borchashvili (allegedly killed in October 2020). On 9 February, both were taken into custody on charges of aiding and abetting participation in an illegal armed group. On 12 March, they retracted their earlier statements, claiming they had signed documents without reading them under a threat of torture. On 21 March, the court revoked the custody order for Isaev, who was a minor at the time, but on 5 April the preventive measure was extended. Authorities pressured the young men’s relatives, and Grozny TV aired a video in which the relatives demanded that Isaev and Magamadov no longer be labelled as LGBT and issued threats against LGBT organisations and journalists. In April, it became known that the brothers were granted state protection due to concerns their relatives might commit a 'killing of honour'.

On 22 February 2022, Isaev was sentenced to 6 years in a general regime penal colony.