Yes, absolutely. Just in time for the opening of the Sochi Olympics, which is just two days away, Human Rights Watch has released a new video of gay men being attacked and beaten in Russia while the authorities just look on. If you've been following the diaries on this, none of this will surprise you, but it's important that I put this up now.
I'm pretty sure that there are triggers in this video, so it, and the New York Times article that sent me to YouTube are below the great orange whatever.
The video:
The Times article, a press release anouncing a letter HRW sent to the sponsors on Friday demanding that sponsors take a firm stand on supporting Olympic values:
The groups call on the Olympic sponsors to take four specific actions:
Individually and/or collectively condemn Russia’s anti-LGBT “propaganda” law, which clearly violates the Sixth Fundamental Principle of the Olympic Charter(“Any form of discrimination … is incompatible with belonging to the Olympic Movement”);
Use their Olympics-related marketing and advertising – both domestically and internationally – to promote equality;
Ask the IOC to create a body or other mechanismt o prevent serious Olympics-related human rights abuses in host countries and to monitor those that do occur; and
Urge the IOC to ensure that future Olympic host countries comply with their commitment to uphold the Olympic Charter, including the principles of nondiscrimination and media freedom.
And the letter itself. Every major gay and gay-supporting group with a tie to this issue signed it. The names and addresses of the ten major sponsors are in the letter too.
If a picture is worth 1000 words, I guess a video is worth several times that. The words here are very significant as well.