Wiped out in three weeks - time to act

BREAKING: Chechnya's President says he’ll wipe out the area's gay population in just three weeks. Thousands of Avaazers are rushing to power a rescue plan - here's another chance to join them: Dear friends, Activists fighting this brutal crackdown need more of our help, and fast. The underground rescue network they’ve thrown together is no match for the roving government thugs who round up "suspected homosexuals" and drag them to black sites to be tortured -- and in some cases killed unless they reveal the names of their friends and lovers. This is how we save lives: funding for safe houses, transportation, and legal representation, plus media coverage and campaigns against horrific laws. Every day, more people face being rounded up -- let's show them the world won’t stand by while they are wiped out: [YES, I'LL DONATE $2]( [YES, I'LL DONATE $4]( [YES, I'LL DONATE $8]( [YES, I'LL DONATE $16]( [YES, I'LL DONATE $32]( [YES, I'LL DONATE ANOTHER AMOUNT]( Over 1 million of us have already called on Russia's leaders to intervene, and we’ve helped get heads of state and the global media to take our message directly to President Putin. But investigators just found four more secret prisons. For the moment, gay men’s only hope is fellow citizens prepared to put their own lives at risk to spirit them to safety. We can help take this incredible work to the next level, fast. Together we could: - fund safe houses where gay people can hide from authorities - provide cars and lawyers to help people flee the country - send investigative journalists to expose anti-gay abuse and violence - back local activists wherever these attacks take place to win the basic right to love whoever they choose, and ramp up international pressure on their government. and more… We know what we do works. When this same kind of attack was launched in Uganda, Avaaz successfully established secure housing, security training and support for a rescue network, and advocated to water down a brutal gay death penalty law -- saving countless lives. Assaults on gay communities are happening everywhere, and so is the resistance. From a network of support and counselling in the Middle East to a protection force for LGBT people in South Africa -- we can make Chechnya the beginning of a global response to gay hate with enough funds from all of us. Let’s show Chechnya and gay communities everywhere that the world won’t let them be silently wiped out: [YES, I'LL DONATE $2]( [YES, I'LL DONATE $4]( [YES, I'LL DONATE $8]( [YES, I'LL DONATE $16]( [YES, I'LL DONATE $32]( [YES, I'LL DONATE ANOTHER AMOUNT]( The struggle to make gay rights human rights everywhere is a long one, but it’s a struggle that is essential to our shared humanity -- almost 10% of the human population lives and loves in fear! This is our chance to chip away at that fear and replace it with the freedom to love openly. With determination and gratitude for this amazing community, Emma, Danny, Sarah, Spyro, Risalat and the whole Avaaz team P.S. When Uganda first tried to pass a law giving the death penalty for being gay, it seemed hopeless. With a spark from our movement, the resistance inside Uganda survived government attack, beat back the law, took the American religious leader who promoted the law to court and became an international fighting force for LGBT rights. This is the kind of story we can tell again and again together! [Join in here.]( Note: The image featured in this campaign is from elsewhere in Russia, where the Russian LGBT Network is fighting hard for gay rights. More information: Chechnya wants to eliminate gay community by end of May, reports suggest (Independent) Gay Men Are Being Rounded Up And Killed In Chechnya: Report (Huffington Post) Gay men in Chechnya are being tortured and killed. More will suffer if we don’t act (The Guardian) The international community must respond to attacks on gay men in Chechnya (The Globe and Mail) Chechens tell of prison beatings and electric shocks in anti-gay purge: ‘They called us animals’ (The Guardian) Avaaz is a 44-million-person global campaign network that works to ensure that the views and values of the world's people shape global decision-making. ("Avaaz" means "voice" or "song" in many languages.) Avaaz members live in every nation of the world; our team is spread across 18 countries on 6 continents and operates in 17 languages. Learn about some of Avaaz's biggest campaigns [here]( or follow us on [Facebook]( or [Twitter](. You became a member of the Avaaz movement and started receiving these emails when you signed "Join Avaaz!" on 2016-03-01 using the email address {EMAIL}. To ensure that Avaaz messages reach your inbox, please add avaaz@avaaz.org to your address book. To change your email address, language settings, or other personal information, [contact us]( or simply [go here to unsubscribe](. To contact Avaaz, please do not reply to this email. Instead, write to us at or call us at +1-888-922-8229 (US).