Gay Russians may be seeking refuge in Canada
Experts predict persecution fears could up requests to immigrate
OTTAWA — As the western world gangs up on Russia ahead of the Sochi Olympics to draw attention to new anti-gay laws Canada’s foreign minister has publicly decried as “hateful,” those inclined to flee the increasingly repressive regime may be looking here for safe refuge.
While too soon to say whether a crackdown on homosexuals in Russia will result in a spike in refugee claims from that country, at least one Vancouver lawyer who deals exclusively with gay and lesbian asylum claimants is beginning to notice a difference.
Rob Hughes handles a few dozen lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) cases a year and the last time he had a Russian client was before the fall of the Soviet Union — until now. Since March, he’s taken on two.
“To get two cases from Russia in such a short period of time, I think it indicates just how afraid people are,” he told Postmedia News, adding that Russians do need a visa to come to Canada, which could be a barrier for some.
His most recent client, a 28-year-old gay man who is also deaf and therefore “doubly stigmatized,” Hughes said, arrived in Canada little more than two weeks ago from Moscow and is now preparing his claim for asylum.
Maxim Zhuralev, a 38-yearold gay man from the city of Kurgan, made his claim when he arrived in late March.
“I heard this was traditionally a country of immigrants and immigrants are treated with respect and justice,” he said of his decision to come to Canada, adding “Vancouver is a gay Mecca, of course.”
Despite living in a downtown Vancouver homeless shelter while his claim is being processed — he usurped his savings just to get to Canada — Zhuralev said life here is already “better than Russia.”
Disowned by his family and kicked out of his home after they learned he was gay, even his own brother threatened him with violence.
He lost his job working for a gay rights organization when it was shut down by authorities and has faced harassment and violence both within and outside the gay community.
“It’s a danger in Russia to tell anyone you’re gay,” he said.
“I can still hardly believe how openly homosexual I can be in Canada. Without any negative consequences for this … I can be myself.”
The federal government does not explicitly track the number of asylum claimants who seek status in Canada due to fear of persecution because of their sexual orientation.
Nicole Laviolette, a University of Ottawa law professor who specializes in refugee law and LGBT rights, said Russia was a “main producer” of refugee claims involving homosexuals in the early 1990s but that dropped off when the country appeared to soften its stance.
“Now we see there’s a complete roll back on gay and lesbian rights,” she said. “I do think we could see an increase in people having to flee … We could see an increase in claims again.”