Cannabis case at issue in Russia World Cup boycott moves

chechnya LGBT

St. Petersburg protest against the "gay purge" in Chechnya. With Moscow accused of all manner of sinister shenanigans on the global stage, calls are mounting for a boycott of the World Cup, which is scheduled to be held in Russia this summer. Among the cases drawing special ire from rights groups is that of the leading human rights activist in Chechnya—now imprisoned on a "blatantly fabricated" cannabis charge. Oyub Titiev's arrest came amid a draconian anti-drug crackdown in Chechnya, which was one of the things he'd been protesting—along with the internment of gay men in detainment camps.

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